Never a Room of One’s Own / Oil on linen / 24” x 18” / 2022

Playing off Virginia Wolff’s prescription that women artists should have “a room of one’s own”, this painting - called Never a Room of One’s Own - is about whether women artists can turn the complexities of their lives into a creative asset.

The subject of the painting, Loreen Oren, works out of her children’s playroom, from their apartment in Times Square. Her poise appears to represent the careful balance in her life. Streaks of paint disrupt the picture plane; the colors of them reflect in the window and infuse the subject’s work.

LWC: For this painting, I spent time with Loreen on a quiet afternoon while her twins were in school. Suddenly, they arrived home and the energy of the space changed. Suddenly, Loreen was distracted as the kids vied for attention. I felt compelled to photograph them too and in the final painting, I included a reflection of Loreen as she looks back towards the chaos. As her friend, I felt the desire to move them out of her space and let her continue working. But, after more consideration, I understood that her children are an important part of who she is and she has found her own productive balance.