Hours for Viewing:
Tuesday - Friday 10am to 6pm
Saturdays 9am to 5pm
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Unlike traditional portraits, my PERSISTERS paintings depict women with their faces partially masked; one defining feature – sometimes the eyes, sometimes the mouth – covered from view.
Partially concealing the face is an act of defiance and empowerment; you are only allowed to see what is shown to you, not the whole person. This mirrors an act of self-editing we each carry out, socially and emotionally, thousands of times a day as well as reflects societal gender expectations projected and binding women today. Through wrapping, shielding, covering, and masking each person with items that are personal to their life experience, the work expresses a deeper part of their story. Masking the face acknowledges that there are parts of ourselves we cannot easily reach or share with the outside world, and brings attention to struggles in our personal evolution due to societal barriers stemming from prejudices against race, gender, personal trauma, mental illness— the list is never-ending. By cloaking these women’s eyes, their mouths, their noses, I am asking the world to look harder, to pay attention to these women and more specifically, to the important human and social issues of our time.
These life-size highly realistic oil paintings represent women entrepreneurs, political activists, women working in the arts, and commissioned subjects.
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About Oranj Studio
Oranj Studio was founded by Tamara and Eric Dayton who opened their luxe studio to bring a truly creative space to Portland—a place where style, fashion, and art co-exist and inspire one other. The concept was simple—build a beautiful exhibit space for quarterly shows, nurture a luxury salon and retail space within, invite people to enjoy it all.
For more information contact:
Eric Dayton / Studio Manager / 503-719-5338 / eric@oranjstudio.com
