Under the working title, “Saucy”, these paintings are feminist acts of rebellion. Instead of images offering figures of painted beauty, they offer the beauty of paint. They are intended to unapologetically provoke, existing at the intersection of repulsion and attraction. With copyright free photographs online as the starting point, each image is subverted to empower as a response to repression. While many younger generations of women may not personally remember older eras in history with limited roles for women, strong recent changes in policy that affect women such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade foretell a resurgence in repressive ideology and leadership. As someone who does remember, I present these mediated images now as questions and challenges. One of the major themes of my work is the idea of the vast within the intimate moment. With women’s rights challenged every day, the women in my paintings cook, clean and carry on, ever conscious of the male gaze in the small moments of their everyday lives. Something is not all sweetly dolled up in demure dresses however, in the land of domestic bliss. I work small in order to try out a lot of images before making larger works, and also because the tiny image draws the viewer closer and creates an intimate space within the vastness of the outside world.