NorthernFront.net/artistsoftheNorthernFront
A virtual art venue showcasing a collective of emerging artists, photographers & craftspeople   Home

     Gail Shive's "Screaming Purses"       | back to Gail

"In the past I painted to remain sane; now I paint to remain conscious.

"As a teenager I made a series of poor decisions resulting in twenty-four years of pain in an abusive marriage.  Recently, I realized I should have been screaming all those years.  Rather than holding the screams in I decided to paint a series of “screaming purses”.  Now those screams are out in the world where they belong.  The purse is the perfect female symbol, a place to “carry all our baggage”, or our talismans.

"I like painting on vintage purses because they have already had a life of their own suggesting ideas for screams that might otherwise remain in my unconscious.  Their shapes, colors, and textures contribute to the ambiance of the era they represent.

#46

"I use a lot of “shadow” figures in this work suggesting the hidden side of the personality and the danger of ignoring that part of our lives.  Masks appear quite often with the message that things are not always as they seem.  #36

"I paint screams because anger was one of the emotions “not allowed” in my first marriage.  It was initially easier to paint my anger than to talk about it.  I have struggled to find my “voice”.  These purses articulate that voice."

#14	#15	#13	#12 screaming purse  (hometown memories) #12 #10
#11	#7	#9
#8b	#8
#1b                                  #1                             #1a
#6	#3	#4	#45
#2b                                #2
#5 Contact Gail about her Screaming Purses...