Silenced – Artist’s Statement

This piece was made by using black ink and watercolor on paper. Along with water to dilute the pigments. I used a light pencil sketch to draft out the basic shapes and proportions, then painted over it with diluted black ink also using a black pen to put detail into the eyelashes. Then for the final touches I painted the background with a red watercolor.

While brainstorming what to create for this project, I knew I wanted to make something impactful and current. In the end I decided to paint a young woman with a man’s hands covering her mouth. My thoughts behind this piece were to portray how women are often silenced by men, and in some cases other women, about issues present in society that often affect women. It’s always seemed to be a struggle for women to express their opinions and experiences without someone trying to silence the women that need to be heard. The title of the piece is called “Silenced”