This series of paintings corresponds with the representation of the female nude. I am curious about the subject of pleasure gardens in art history, in which one sees figures relaxing in nature, listening to music, eating and drinking, sometimes referred to as the “Merry Company”.

I have taken this as a starting point for my exploration of the role of the feminine figure, painting my interpretation. I would like to reevaluate the subject of female nudity from my personal outlook – a painter, 39 years old, a woman, a mother. I detach the figures from this loaded history and re-imagine them. What are they doing? How do they look? Can they be without a disciplining gaze? Is it even possible?

The materials I use are oil paints, pigments, acrylic, color spray and oil sticks, which I paint onto canvas or linen.

I seek ways in which to give the body presence that is devoid of historical authority. In some of the paintings I reduce the color palette to three or four colors and use also the color of the canvas or linen. I also make use of patterns, color blotches and brushstrokes or oil-stick lines.