Kaitlin Roney is a visual artist, art activist, and art educator living in Rochester, NY.
This body of work grew from reflections about the journey of womanhood, based on my personal experiences, observations and relationships. I have attempted to delve into a range of self-perceived defining moments. At different phases of womanhood, significant events and strong feelings seem as if they are sure to have an everlasting hold of who we are. Yet with the passage of time, seemingly monumental events fade, and retreat to the corners of our being.
I have been inspired by patterns in a figurative, visual, and metaphorical sense. The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, sparked my interest in the concept of wallpaper patterns as a reflection of a woman’s mind. In Gilman’s piece, the wallpaper emphasizes the relationship between a man’s perception of his wife as weak, hysterical and vulnerable. It is true that we are sometimes tangled in the patterns of our life, but there is always an opportunity to break free and create new patterns.
In this series I use birds for their overt symbolism, and to address the fragility associated with being a woman - something I have never understood. Femininity is powerful, and all women possess a strength that transcends their life-giving force. Likewise, birds are light, airy, diverse creatures, with hidden wells of strength and intelligence.
Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20”
Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20”
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24”
Acrylic on Gessoed Board, 18 x 24”
Acrylic on Gessoed Board, 18 x 24”
Oil on Canvas, 9 x 14”
Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20”
Oil on Canvas, 9 x 14”
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24”
Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20”
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24”