Statement

My art is influenced by mid-century vernacular images and explores themes of childhood, womanhood, and motherhood. Pulling from a time in history when the American Dream was being cemented and the rise of advertising sought to define the ideal woman, my work seeks to challenge how we have been conditioned to find our value. This exploration also extends beyond social constructs and delves into the private world of family relationships and their influence, the interplay of power within a family dynamic, loss of innocence, and how the nuclear family construct forces us into archetypical roles.

My work is created with great restraint to underscore the quiet violence within and subjects are presented in a deeply confrontational manner. Figures are constructed with delicacy and care to emphasize their value and environments are virtually non-existent to bring the subject into a position of importance.

Equally inspired by Paul Rand and Alice Neel, my approach to creation has been informed by both my career in design and American feminist portraiture.

Bio

Dana studied both design and painting and holds a BFA from Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, NY. Her experience as a graphic designer shows in her approach to shape, color, image generation, and can be seen readily in her work. She was born in 1982 in Dallas, Texas, grew up in New Jersey, Spain, and Massachusetts, and as a joyous New Englander, currently lives in Boston, MA.