How do you use the body in you work?
Sally Deskins:
My main subject in my work is the body—in my artwork, mainly my own. I create self-portraits I call “body prints” as well as drawings of the nude inspired by my changing body as a woman and mother. My body prints abstract the female form to see it fresh, conceptually stunning, maybe sensual or sexual, but not ascribing to the cultural-ideals.
This series builds on my first series of body prints (2012). Inspired by Yves Klein’s “Anthropometries” (1960), my body-prints alternatively take a feminist approach; I work as the artist, director and model. Too, with regards to body image, my prints are observably that of a woman (not a girl); as the curls of pubic hair are evident with swirls of paint, working against the trend of prepubescent-styled bodies in popular media. The paint-splattered style is also reminiscent of the inkblot tests used for psychological interpretation; I, similarly, challenge viewers: what do you really see?
My drawings of my sometimes pregnant, sometimes not, nude form using children’s media of watercolor, crayon and markers aim to bring the sheltered or hyper-sexualized female form to an openly appreciated, non-scrutinized position. By incorporating my children’s craft and childhood imagery (some of the pieces they painted on before or after my work, or I used their book pages as canvas), I connect with them through the process and its outcome. They also comment on the somewhat inseparability of motherhood and artistry; and, too, the dichotomies of body image, sexuality and gender identity as it plays a role in motherhood and youth. At the simplest, they are playful acts of love—for childhood, motherhood and the female body.
These particular works in If and Only If, were created for my second collaborative project with poet Laura Madeline Wiseman, Leave of Absence: An Illustrated Guide to Common Garden Affection. I interpreted Wiseman’s words weaving my body and tree prints and drawings with nature, the body and motherhood with her text.