Caia Koopman, White Lined Sphinx, 2016, Acrylic on Wood Panel, 16 x 20"
"She represents a strong female presence as well as our human connection with nature. Two themes intertwined, we are all connected and the power of the femme. Her eyes are locked onto the viewer as if to challenge them to look closer, to understand her message. Her feminine beauty is not soft but rather dark and exotic, daring the viewer to enter her world with no guarantee of it being a safe or comfortable place. Moths are amazing animals yet incredibly delicate, too much oil from one's fingertip can be a death sentence for them. We have reached a tipping point in history, humans must stop killing everything and start protecting everything that still exists, we are all connected and we are all in danger of a domino effect of extinction. My femme is a fierce sentinel for all the delicate life we must protect, as well as the messenger." ~ Caia

Troy Brooks, Stereochrome, 2016, Oil on Canvas,  11 x 14”
"For me it’s always been important to see and hear dissonant women within the culture. My attitudes about women were formed when I was made to feel humiliated for being a “girlish" little boy. To me, THAT is a very engrained heritage of misogyny that goes unnoticed for the most part. I have a theory that gay men are fascinated by powerful, flamboyant women because it’s so validating to see that feminine principle we identify with rise up and command reverence. In this painting I wanted her to be a symbol of power and discordance, so I mixed some elements of the Virgin Queen, the Salem Witches and punk. I wanted her to be defiant and fearless of burning for her authority. So I thought it would be a good idea to have her mouth somehow resemble a smoking gun." ~ Troy

Hannah Yata, Reflections, 2016, Oil on Panel, 9 x 12"
"My painting has to do with the modern woman and her lost sense of self; her fragmentation from feminine concepts. She is a part of nature, but when looking to the world outside of herself what is reflected back is a convoluted version of femininity. She as a being is complete, beautiful, strong, wild, nurturing, compassionate, and whole - it's just a matter of her beginning to see herself for herself - not through the lense of our society - but to feel her own body and love her own skin." ~ Hannah

Daniel Bilodeau, Flux, 2016, Oil on Board, 14 x 11"
"In the painting Flux, deconstructing and reconstructing the form let me play outside of the bounds; fusing detailed realism with abstraction. The fragmentation felt in today's quick pace of life and the mask we wear in negotiating our day, including online, are reflected in its "moving parts." For this exhibition it plays out in the female experience as shared by a dear friend - one of expectations and seemingly opposing forces in the definition of femininity seen through the media, the home, the workplace, film, advertisement, etc. Creating and maintaining a successful career while being an available mother is similarly such a common pull and concern. I sought to honor her impressions while working in a way that rethinks the painting process as an excited exploration of shape, form, and identity." ~ Daniel