Mythology is full of stories of powerful and fearsome hybrid women such as the Medusa whose magical powers must be contained. She is a symbol of womanhood in itself, a representation of woman as the other. A dual image, beautiful and pure on the one side and monstrous on the other. This image is one we’ve carried with us for millennia and it continues to shape our views of womanhood. Indeed it is one reflected in Picasso’s famous statement that women are either goddesses or doormats, and it is inextricably linked with fertility, menstruation and power dynamics.

The paintings, of myself and women I know, become both personal and universal at once; reflecting the lived experience of inhabiting a woman’s body. They are inspired by a combination of mythology, as well as personal stories and experiences. The power of the female gaze, which plays such a vital part in the story of Medusa, serves as one of the main focuses for the series of paintings. Even in medieval times it was considered that the glance from a menstruating or menopausal woman had the ability to poison, even kill, speaking to the immense threat perceived not only from women’s menstrual blood, but also from female power itself, from being seen by a knowing gaze.

This body of work reflects on the creative potential present in this very primal aspect of womanhood, which still holds so much fear and shame. The mixed emotions most women in today’s society still have towards their bodies and themselves, especially on those thresholds of change during the menarche and the menopause speak of Medusa’s legacy.

The paintings celebrate the female body through the power of the female gaze. Acknowledging and challenging negative cultural conditioning around women’s bodies and menstruation, as exemplified by the enduring myth of the Medusa.