Little Women -- by Michele Katen

Thank you for the lovely introduction, Rachel. I am glad to have the opportunity to share my thoughts on your blog. As a painter, my work tends to focus on women and children. I did a series a few months ago with mother and child within the domestic sphere. To me, interior environments are like an extension of the figure. You may have noticed limited facial features in the people that I depict. The idea evolved a few years ago when I became interested in ideas of conformity and identity. Do they need a face or can the essence of a person be captured through gesture or hair? Viewers often see their own family in my work which brings up a universal quality that I enjoy creating.

"Blue Couch" by Michele Katen

I came across a talented photographer, Andrea Land, on the web who has been winning many awards recently. I sat down with her at the Atlas Cafe, a local coffee-joint in San Francisco a few weeks ago. She mentioned that she draws inspiration from her own childhood to create her contemporary portraits of young girls. Andrea's girls are nestled in sparse bedrooms. I wonder if the objects in the photos are meant to define their identity. I enjoy her thought-provoking work.

"Elizabeth" by Andrea Land

I met painter, Laura Karetzky, through an art exhibit in Connecticut a few years ago. In the past, she has filled her canvasses with images of her two daughters. Laura's girls are placed in the realm of their mother's Brooklyn studio. Does urban growth depicted in the background suggest the development of her daughters' identity? Does the daughter's stance represent the pushing and pulling of the artist's responsibilities to both family and career? A woman's work is never done. Her paintings continue to captivate me.