Achievements beyond the dressing table and words beyond prejudice

Hi everyone!

Last week I chanced upon a recent video with the catchy tag line, 'The woman who stripped her dress off while onstage in the name of feminism'. So of course I clicked on it to see who and why...

 
The woman in question is Tracey Spicer, an Australian media personality and journalist. The video was her address to an audience in which she began by saying, 'I'm Tracey Spicer and I'm a vain fool'. Her reason soon became clear as she ran through her morning's routine of exercise to stay in shape, and personal grooming, involving a myriad of products, which she claims aren't exactly good for us. Tracey Spicer it seems resents every moment of this pampering and refinement stating, 'Imagine what we could achieve if we weren't beholden to society's unreasonable expectations about how we should look.'

To an extent I agree, but I knew this lady and I weren't on the same wavelength as she continued to pull apart and demonize the act of female grooming, to the point of actually removing her makeup on stage and then dampening her blow dried styled hair. 

The finale of her speech was the removal of her dress to reveal a relaxed shorts and vest combo underneath. This is the real me she proudly said as the audience cheered.

While I accept that this act along with her speech was a brave thing to do, I have a HUGE problem with her attitude towards the issue of female appearance!

The main thing Tracey Spicer does not acknowledge is that not every woman takes time to groom herself because she is trying to fit society's expectations. For many women self grooming is called self respect.

I firmly believe that women are genetically prone to take pleasure in decoration, whether that be of surroundings or of themselves. Of course some feel more strongly about this than others, however, I do not think I get giddy over lipstick and nail varnish because society has told me I should, I think it is a basic female trait. I also believe there is nothing trivial about this and that grooming can be a bonding experience between women.

 When Tracey Spicer calculates the time it takes women on average to get ready she says it as a negative, claiming we should be doing something more productive or important with our time. However, for many women this IS productive AND important, it can be empowering, pampering, and in some cases a creative opportunity. Secondly, I don't know any women who take the time to groom themselves who don't also achieve great things well beyond the dressing table.
 

Tracey asks us to think of all the things we could be doing if we didn’t spend so much time getting ready, like writing a book, learning how to surf, learning how to sing, meditating, doing a Masters, or doing a PhD, but does she think no women have ever achieved any of these things while wearing lipstick and high heels?

 This kind of sweeping generalisation riles me because it is so outdated and the kind archaic feminist diatribe that only serves to divide rather unify. For a woman to claim she is a 'vain fool' because she took time to attend to her appearance (beyond hygiene) is also branding the millions of other women around the globe who take pride in their looks.

While grooming can be taken to extreme measures and abused (especially by the beauty industry itself) I think many of us are intelligent enough to distinguish between social pressure and personal enjoyment and fulfillment.

I would have been much happier to listen to the valid points (and there were some) in Tracey Spicers speech if she hadn't been so black and white in her approach.

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Last week also saw another lady speaking in front of an audience about womens roles in society; The brilliant lecture called 'Oh do shut up dear!: Mary Beard on the Public Voice of Women', which aired on BBC 4. 

This insightful essay explored the public voice of women throughout the ages, and explained how public speaking has been a prominently male activity since ancient times. Professor Beard spoke of how women throughout history have been silenced or marginalised in order to dilute the impact of their words and how we have learnt to emulate this behaviour right through to modern day. 

Using examples of misogyny from her own life and that of ancient myths and historic figures such as Elizabeth the First and Margaret Thatcher, Professor Beard examined the role of women not just in the public eye but also their place in history as recorded through words, those of the speakers themselves and their contemporaries.

I found this a factual and clever speech in which Mary Beard came across as an intelligent and well knowledged individual speaking up for women and championing a subject close to her heart with charisma and thoughtfulness. I immediately started to follow her on twitter and I've been thinking about her lecture ever since, especially her ideas on how to overcome this imbalance by re-adjusting our own prejudices and thought processes in everyday life, such as those she mentions in this clip:

 

You can see Professor Mary Beard's full lecture HERE

Mary Beard was speaking about women as a woman, and as a feminist but she never once stereotyped or generalised either of the sexes in order to get her point across.
 

So to take us back to the beginning of my week, on one hand I saw a woman speaking about the ancient world in order to make her point about womens place in society today, and on the other hand I saw a woman speaking with ancient ideals to make her point about womens place in society today. Only one of them managed to convince me.

I'd love to know what you think!

Gemma***

A Day in the Studio: Pre Raphaelite project continued!

Last week I finally got back in my studio after a two month unplanned break. It felt so good to be back and it was like the studio felt the same way as sunlight flooded through my window and made everything look just that little bit more wonderful!

I began the day by popping along to Fred Aldous, one of my favourite shops in Manchester! It is a bit pricey but is a wonderful emporium for art and craft materials. While there I indulged in a mini haul of goodies; New paint brushes, some coloured paper and a canvas board. 

I bought a pack of brushes rather than individual ones as I think they are just as good and a lot less expensive, and if I do ever need a specific brush I can always go and get it separately.

The coloured paper is for a chalk study I plan to do for a painting of Grace Oni Smith, the brilliant model I have been working with to investigate and celebrate transgender femininity. As you might remember we have been working towards creating art work for this project in the PreRaphaelite style. Grace is the perfect muse and a fascinating person. (You can read more about her in this interview I did with her last year)

I worked on a separate chalk study from a photo shoot we did a few weeks ago. This shoot was a major part of the work we've been doing together in that it brought together many elements from over the past months; Make up trials, colour and style investigations and different parts of Grace's personal story. I will write more about the shoot in my next art work post and put some pictures up!

While at the studio I also blocked in the canvas board I'd bought with layers of deep blue/green. This is for an experiment I'm working on as part of the project and I'll also write more about this as I get further along with it and added more stages.

I really enjoyed my day at the studio and I'm excited to get to continue my project. Hope you'll join me next time to find out more

Gemma***

Inspirational women for International Womens Day

I just realised that my last post for International Women's Day didn't really celebrate any women, so I'm going to remedy this right now by listing some of the women whose ethos and personalities inspire me:

Joan Collins: I love a lady who knows what she likes. Joan has strong opinions and isn't afraid to air them. Plus she's ultra glamorous, I really admire her for never being anything less than 100% immaculate. 'How you look is a reflection of how you feel about yourself, and I feel very happy with myself'

Joan Crawford: Simply because she never thought of herself as anything else but a star! 'I feel I owe it to my public always to look good. When you're young, you can get away with the careless, ungroomed look. But not to bother with grooming over the age of 40 is a mistake.'  
  

My bellydance teacher, Pat: This lady is in her seventies, she looks about 15 years younger, and has moves women 50 years her junior would love to have! She's a great teacher and has great energy. 'Keep thinking those happy thoughts!'

 Kylie Minogue: She's classy, talented and innovative, a true creative and natural born performer. She always makes me feel good! 'I think if you're not being inspired by the things around you now, not aware of whats been before and what's coming up, isn't that called dead?'

Elizabeth the First: An amazing woman who survived and thrived in a mans world despite the numerous plots against her and calls for her to marry. She made England great and her rule was known as the Golden Age. 'I would rather go to any extreme than suffer anything that is unworthy of my reputation, or of that of my crown'

My Mum: For always supporting my artwork and for telling me ever since I can remember that, 'You can achieve anything if you put your mind to it' .

There are so many amazing and inspirational women out there, and I've only named a few from a very small clutch of my many favourites. I hope there are inspirational women in your life!

Gemma*** 

The things Carrie left behind

Hey Guys!

As this week hosts International Women's Day I thought I'd talk about something women's TV and films ; The other day I finished watching the entire box set of Sex and the City. I've always enjoyed this show, but at the same time it's recently begun to make me feel frustrated! This is something I've only come to notice as I've got older.

Now, just like Carrie, looking thoughtfully into the distance I poise above my keyboard and ask, 'Why do women like Sex and the City?'

Lets forget the film and the dreadful sequel for a moment and focus on the TV show.

Sex and the City's huge selling point when it burst onto the scene was that it gave women the platform to talk about sex freely. It became a landmark in the evolution of female representation in the western world. It focused on the lives of successful fashionable exciting women and taught more about shoes than any other show I can think of!

The show was new and fresh and told us it was ok to be single, and having a career, or a family or both was fine. It celebrated self expression and took pride in looking good for yourself.

The show still has an appealing sophisticated clever and polished feel to it even 10 years after the last episode was aired. I for one love the quirky fashions, and the funny one liners (Samantha being my personal favourite character).
There are also undeniable touching moments amongst the female characters which get to me every time and I find myself getting a bit glassy eyed.

But there's something else that's been getting to me too, and recently ran parallel with all of the above. A little feeling of unease.

Why had I never noticed before that these fabulous independent women were utterly fixated with men? Almost every conversation was about them. I know there's a clue in the title of the show but somehow that doesn't excuse it for me.

Is this really how women speak to one another? Do we not have ambitions or interests outside of our relationships? I certainly would get tired pretty quickly of a highly neurotic friend who over analysed her every fling. (I know there are some women out there like this, but mercifully I don't know them).  
Maybe the biggest bugbear I have is that this show about women, for women was written by a man, yet women craved every word he wrote. With not much else on offer aimed solely at females, were we being spoon fed a male ideal of what modern women were supposed to be like?

Now in an age where feminism is gaining strength and exposure once again, and we are encouraged not to marginalize our outlook, why does entertainment tailored to women still mainly talk about romance and relationships? Sex and the City was at the beginning of this revolution, but did it backfire?

There seems to be a duel thing going on here; Whilst on one hand women do enjoy fashion, love and friendship, which is absolutely fine, there should be more than that on offer to us in the media, because according to one of the most powerful sources of influence in the modern world, that is all we want.

Recent 'chick flicks' (a term I detest, almost as much as the genre itself) have tried to redefine women's as 'just as funny as men', which in itself is patronising. 'Bridesmaids' for instance brought forth gross out humour proving women can be 'just as disgusting as men', but the core of its story was ultimately about a women finding a man and having a relationship. It just did nothing for me.

It seems most female roles in films are marginalised to fit a pattern. She's either after a man, in need of saving by a man, or has her character reduced as the male lead takes the reins. 

There is a real lack of female driven stories out there that talk about adventure, discovery or achievements, when half the planet is populated women, many of whom are outstanding, clever and inspiring.

So whilst I still appreciate Sex and the City as an important and fun step for women, championing successful career females and empowering us to talk about sex and experience sex in new ways, it's legacy hasn't opened up any new doors for general female entertainment. The opportunities it pointed to haven't really lead our films and TV shows anywhere beyond the shoe shop or the home.
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Ok so on the back of this post I have thought of a couple of recent films and TV shows that do represent women a bit more favourably. Although not aimed solely at women these examples do at least expand our horizons a bit, see what you think:

Sandra Bullock as the female lead in non rom com Gravity
The female directors of The Walking Dead TV show
Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady
 Jane Goldman's screenplay for Kick Ass
Brave

If you can think of anymore examples I'd love to know!


Happy International Women's Day

Gemma***

What does a life model think about?

Hi everyone!

This is me last Saturday modelling at Bury Art Gallery for a drawing class. 

As a former burlesque performer I still have a great collection of costumes and accessories, in fact they even have their own wardrobe! This is my Bavarian Goat Herder look. You can see where this costume originated from in one of my performance videos HERE. 

From time to time I get asked to model for art classes and Manchester's Dr Sketchy's events, which are a fab combination of burlesque and life drawing. I love doing these kind of things, because it gives me a chance to still dress up and act out a fun character in front of an audience.

But it also requires the ability to hold a pose, and sometimes hold it for up to 30 minutes or more, which gives you quite some time to think! 

What does a life model think about as a room full of eyes study her and commit her to paper? Is it something profound and deeply creative? Well, not really. Here's some of the things I thought about while I was posing at Bury last weekend:

Gosh it's nice to not have to DO anything for a while!

I hope the trams are working on the journey back because I really want to go to Mum's for a brew this afternoon!

That lady over there has got a nice jumper on

That man over there has done a good drawing!

I wish Lee would take a bloody photo!

Ahhhh my arm is aching now!

Another 10 minutes! Come on arm, stop aching!

My hair turned out really well today

So as you can tell, not very deep or profound either! But posing and being drawn is one of my pleasures because I am part of a creative process and very much part of a shared moment.

Any other life models out there I'd love to know what you think about while you pose! 

Gemma ***

Try something new

Hey Guys!

It's been a while since my last post because basically, my life has changed (in a good way) quite drastically over the last year, and I am still getting used to my new routines and trying to effectively manage my time, (which has been a FAIL recently :( )

Anyway, I've decided in order to up my productivity on my blog I am expanding the subject matter. This blog has always been a place for me to log my creative thoughts, processes and achievements and there has also been room for me to post things that have inspired me or tie in with my subject matter. But over the past couple of months I've become aware that there is a lot of stuff which I'd have loved to have blogged about but thought wouldn't work on this site. Then recently I thought, why am I restricting myself? If it's firing my imagination, and I feel the need to share it, then I should bloody well do it!

That is why from now on this online sketchbook will also feature notes and articles about my life, interests and thoughts, because in one way or another it all goes into the big cooking pot that produces my art work and I'd like to show that not all creativity take place in a studio or gallery. So as well as updates on my projects and art work, expect make up, critiques on tv shows, films and books, loves and hates and insights into what makes me tick.

I hope you enjoy my new approach! Lets see where it takes me...

Gemma ***

Hidden treasures

In a basement below Manchester there is a hidden room of treasure.

Racks of paintings and boxes of drawings by some of the worlds greatest artists lie in darkness waiting to be viewed. Unseen and unknown by public eyes.

I followed the curator down the stairs not knowing what to expect but with excitment bubbling in my veins.

The heavy doors were pulled open and the lights switched on.

A room with unassuming grey metal racks lining the walls met my eyes.

The curator pulled a rack out towards me and I came face to face with a beautiful woman; Her eyes looked out at me with depths of emotion, her lips were a perfect rosebud. In one exquisite hand she toyed with a red flame, her other hand rested in the masses of her raven hair.

I gazed with fascination at the Rossetti chalk drawing I never even knew exisited. La Donna Della Fiamma (The Lady of the Flame). This was just one of the many wonders I saw on my visit to Manchster Art Gallery to meet collections curator Rebecca Milner.

I'd emailed the art gallery some weeks before hand to ask if someone could give me some insight into the creative process the Pre Raphaelites used to work a narrative into their painitngs. This was to be research towards my Pre Raphaelite inspired portrait I will be doing of Grace Oni Smith to investigage transgender femininity. (See past posts to learn more about this challenging project)

My expectations were supassed when the art gallery replied with the offer to view some rarely seen Rossetti drawings and the chance to chat about my project with the curator.

 Rebecca Milner Collections Curator at Manchester Art Gallery

So, there I was standing before this image of a mysterious beauty. I was in awe of the softness of the chalk which made up her skin, lips, hair and diaphanous gown. So velvety yet so strongly defined.

Next was a glimpse of a study for 'Pandora'. The same evocative face looked down at me. This was again modeled by one of Rossetti's favourites, his lover, Jane Morris.

As I studied the layers of colour which made up her towering neck and strong features, the details I'd read about the artist and his muse filled my mind; Their illegitimate affair and enduring passions. To think that both these people were present as this picture was created was a true link to the past and a nod to the power of the image. Something about this woman fuelled Rossetti's creativity.

I asked Rebecca the collections curator why she thought the Pre Raphaelites were so inspired by women. 

'They were total romantics. They were inspired by medieval poetry and art and they used women as muses to draw this notion out. As young men they were highly interested in women anyway. They helped to create a new kind of beauty by using women with a truthful contemporary look that was inspired by the past'

My ears pricked up. Wasn't this why I was drawn to working with Grace? 

Grace has a very specific look, and as a transgender woman, she is certainly a product of modern times. There were no trans gender people back in the Victorian era, but I am still drawn to using a style from the past in order to convey her story. Grace's likeness to a Pre Raphaelite painting is uncanny.

Rebecca continued,

'The Pre Raphaelites were drawn to their models because they looked like 16th Century paintings. In painting them they were not using a general version of beauty but something specific'

In using Grace as the starting point to a Pre Raphaelite inspired portrait I hope to highlight her individual beauty and personal story.

I then asked about the use of symbolism to tell stories within Pre Raphaelites paintings. We discussed the use of repeating motifs from the paintings into the frames, as seen in 'Astarte Syriaca' where stylised fruits and flowers can been seen in the the frame and the girdle of the godess within it, helping to underpin the message of fecundity. A repeating motif could be something to think about for my own work...

But what about the audience, I asked, would the ordinary joe be able to decipher these symbols?

'Victorian's loved narrative. They made paintings to be read. So certainly a good number of them would be able to understand what was going on in the [Pre raphaelite] work. The language of flowers was prevalent in their culture with things such as greetings cards and they would have understood the religious symbolism.'

This made me wonder... would a modern audience still be able to read an art work using this form of narrative?

'Audiences today don't use the same language. We don't use signs or symbols from the classical myths. I think a modern audience would find it interesting but not know what it signifies. That's one reason why Pre Raphaelite work fell out of fashion during the early half of last century. It was considered too fussy and too much like hard work to read. It wasn't until the 60's that they began to become popular again.'

It seems obvious when you think about it. As soon as Rebecca said this I realised that I would need to invest time into finding a modern equivelant to the Victorian use of symbols. It was always my intention to use a mix of the classic and comtemporary within this work but now I will only use the Pre Raphaelites as a starting point. The finished piece will have the Victorian aesthetics that a modern audience will recognise but the content will be full of modern signifiers.

It's going to be fun figuring out what things to put in and how to use them!

I immediatly thought of Grayson Perry whose work I love! He is an artist who takes massive inspiration from the past to make sense of the present. For instance his work The Vanity of Small Differences took the work of William Hogarth's, 'The Rakes Progress', as the template for his huge tapestries which tell the story of modern class mobility and the influence social class has on our aesthetic taste. 

Each tapestry is full of details helping to push the narrative.

Incidentally this work is now on show at Manchester Art Gallery and will definatley be a field trip for this project. Get down to see it if you can!

Back in the picture store beneath the galleries, Rebecca showed me more treasures from the past. We flipped past gorgeous watercolours and drawings by countless artists including tiny intricate drawings by Rembrandt no less! We settled on a pencil study of Lizzie Siddal, Rossetti's first muse and wife. I tried to get my eyes as close to the page as I could without my nose smudging the line work and Rebecca thinking I was a bit odd. It was so beautiful up close.

 
Then on to another box of tissue wrapped gems. She folded back the rustling paper to reveal another Rossetti piece, this time a study for a painting called 'Silence'. Jane Morris again, this time she sat on a chair her hand resting on the heavy folds of a curtain behind her. No other information was within the drawing. This was a good example of a subject matter being symbolised by a woman. The sitter personifiying the topic, becoming and idea. 

We discussed Rossetti who as you have read is a big influence in this project; In his later work especaiily he would work with a single abstact idea such as Silence, or Music for instance and deptict them through the beauty of women and nature. For him beauty was something to be celebrated and revered. This simplicity makes his work immediatly accessable and is probably one of the reasons I admire him so much.

Rebecca pointed out how 'Silence' like much of Rossetti's work flattened the space within it. 

'Something stops the viewer from going further into the picture, and makes it immediate and intense'

I love this idea and will use it in my portrait of Grace. I want it to invite the viewer into her personal world, a space that is unique just to her.

As my visit to the gallery wound to an end and the art works were locked away in dark saftey once more, I thanked Rebecca for giving up her time to help me in my research. I certainly feel I got a lot out of it. I have many things to think about and ideas to work on. Plus I got the opportunity to view art work that fires me and fuels my imagination. Next time you take a stroll down Mosely Street, spare a thought that nearby somewhere deep beneath your feet lie glorious images that are just waiting to be seen and inspire!