Close-ups & an Announcement

                     Susannah Fiberchick put in a request for some close-ups 
         and I now have “ Oranges from My Garden” in front of me, so I can oblige.

          Often, the interesting things appear in the details, if one pays attention. 
                                I used acrylics lightly on the background.

All fabric is recycled clothing.

Bits of fabric sewn down and thread painting create the illusion of depth.

                 Of course, here I nearly smack you in the nose with the details.

In addition, I would like to announce my presentation, which is open to the public, at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Title:        "You're Not Modern If Your Women Aren't Modern: 

              From Colonial Feminism to Nationalist Feminism in Tunisia" 


When: April 16 from 4-5pm 
Where: Hodges Library, Room 213. 


I talk about the changing representations of women as seen through women's magazines and how debates about modernity affect women. Here's the publicity picture:

This Tunisian women's magazine cover from 1937 shows an extravagantly dressed servant carrying a woman on a platter, which suggests an Orientalist perspective on the European artist's part. The monkey and the lush foliage contribute to this idea. The rather odd position of the woman on a platter (ready to eat?) also suggests ambivalence toward emancipated women. And I would argue that women still battle that ambivalence today.