The _‘Shopping Bag’_ is a ceramic vase inspired by the structure of paper shopping bags. 

Shopping Bag

In the creation of _Her_, I used cool reds, warm pinks, magenta, and pink gesso. I used a mixture of opaque and transparent acrylic paints, using techniques such as; washes, glazes, and alla prima. I painted using square and oval brushes. I added shapes and chequers to add depth and contrast to the painting.

_Her_, was inspired by body image and the struggle to accept our bodies and the ways it’s forever changing. I drew inspiration from the experience of changing rooms, and how each mirror reflects a different presentation of our bodies. As a young woman, I’ve struggled to accept how my body looks, and how it changes from time to time. I struggle with the belief that I need to be pretty to be enough. This painting was quite therapeutic, the experience of adding minor details to the woman’s body- that have created chaos and cruelty toward me- was healing. This painting is a love letter to anyone struggling with accepting thyself, you are art, and you forever, and always will be.

  

I found inspiration from colours and how they worked together. A _Taste of Freedom_ was an experiment and a process of freedom. I savour the emotional and visual depth. I felt excited creating this piece, I got ecstatic when applying yellow glazes, simply because it looked magnificent and glorious. It felt like how it did when I was little, investigating with colours for the first time. This body of work brought such life to me while creating, as it truly was a joy to make by allowing myself the freedom to experiment and be obnoxious with colours. I was inspired by clouds and flower petals, and how rain falls down windows. I found inspiration from daily things that were happening around me that I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn’t looked.

A _Taste of Freedom_ is what it sounds like, a tasteful bite into the world of freedom.

Taste of Freedom

Growing up, I and my friends were slut shamed for the stupidest things. We liked mini skirts and too many boys. We were curious about our bodies and the art of kissing. I watched girls get ripped apart by others for the way they acted, for the way they dressed, for the things they liked, and for the people they loved. Women are shamed for embracing their sexuality, women are tormented for how they choose to present themselves, women are criticised daily for just being women. I tried to capture the art of slut shaming through this piece. 

Slut 

Don’t Use Our Bodies To Sell, is an original acrylic painting on a 24 x 24 canvas. To create this body of work I started experimenting with different shades of cool tone pinks, creating a halo effect using white gesso. I used a mixture of opaque and transparent acrylic paints to achieve the background. I used my hands and fine paintbrushes to create these wavy abstract lines. I used colours such as cool reds, magenta, and a combination of the two.

I was curious about the portrayals of women in consumerism and how these portrayals impact how we interact, treat, and think about women. Through my research and daily life experiences as a woman, it was clear that women are being sexually objectified to sell products. We have dehumanised women for the cause of making money. We show women as nothing more than a collection of body parts, we use women’s femininity to capture the hungry eyes of deprived consumers, who then view women in their private lives as _things._ Pretty, sexy _things_ they can own and buy and use and manipulate and control.

The bold text, _Don’t Use Our Bodies To Sell_, which is three layers of silver acrylic paint, is a warning that our bodies, women’s bodies, are not for consumerism to use.

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Claire Bear

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