Self Portrait - Perryville

16×12-inch print reproduction of a colored-pencil and graphite drawing, reprinted on matte archival paper, 2019.

The complementary yet opposite colors of blue sky and orange clothes symbolize the contrast of limitlessness above and confinement below. Although the lower half of the picture depicts a wide open space of dusty, sun-bleached dirt, it is the foreground that delineates my environment. No one can venture far without a fence to block the way. These fences serve to keep women in giant pens. Thus, we never forget we are confined.

There is little shade so when I venture into the sun, I wear a hat and sunglasses. The chain-link pattern is reflected in my dark lenses. Here, I've got my earbuds in, listening to a podcast or audiobook.

The bright orange worn by all the women who live here makes us stand out against the drab buildings and dull brown dirt. We also style our air according to a detailed set of rules. From far away, as this drawing depicts, we all look generally the same. Up close, however, the viewer can see that we are unique in spite of our apparent sameness.