I was in the front seat of his beat up maroon Subaru as we drove around Boulder. My older brother (by 7 years) was driving as we had the rare 1:1 time hanging out together. We were talking about what comes next, as most of my conversations had been about since I was graduating high school that year. He asked me “what do you want to do with your life? who do you want to be?” I thought about it, and answered as honestly as I could, “I have no clue, I just want to be free.” We both sat there, in his car, waiting for the light to turn green thinking, what the heck does that mean?
Now over 10 years later, I finally have an answer and it comes through in this collection.
A collection about freedom.
What is Freedom?
I love asking this question to my audience and to the people around me, because, most people don’t have a good answer for what it means to be free. But The more I think about it, the clearer that answer has become.
Freedom, to me, is having full autonomy of my body–The health of a body that is able to move around and laws and systems that allow me to make decisions regarding my own body. Both are important.
For the longest time, I, as a woman, was told that freedom came with have your own financial security. That you never let a man make all the money. And while I think financial freedom is a part of this, I know that money (fears around it, obsession with, a need to prove you are enough by numbers) can also be a cage. This freedom specifically has to be valued with caution.
Freedom is owning who you are and living up to the person YOU’VE always dreamt of being, not becoming the person your community tells you to be.
Freedom is getting lost in nature, knowing our connection to those around us, and feeling connected to the divine, however you define that.
Freedom Portrayed in Paintings
There are 6 portrait paintings in this 9-piece collection, and each portrait portrays a different emotion that comes with freedom–Joy, Wisdom, Grace, Uncertainty, Wonder, and Confidence. These emotions represent the spectrum from when you find new found freedom, you’ve had it for awhile, or you’ve lived without knowing what it was, it just was.
Along side each emotion is a spirit animal bird that plays into the old saying “free as a bird.” They are the guide to being truly free. They are the reminder of what we want to be.
Uncaged
I didn’t name this collection freedom or Free as a Bird because it was about finding freedom and to be this is best represented in the cameo prisons the women find themselves in. Or are they prisons?
When I think back to classic paintings of women they’re often sad looking stuck in these oval shape cameo. The life and color that I associate with the divine feminine isn’t shown in these depictions. So I took that classic painting style and allowed it to be a window into these women’s found freedom. Instead of being stuck in the ovals you see the flowers and colors crawling outside it’s edges, inviting you in and allowing her power out. She is uncaged. No longer restrained but the style and thoughts of society but fully allowed to be free. To be who she was always meant to be.
Free as a Bird
Along with the 6 portraits I included 3 extra paintings of just individual birds on their own. These additions to the collection add color and texture and continue on with the story that we can be like the birds (whatever species of bird we want).
The Uncaged Collection
This collection has become near and dear to my heart. I learned to much about lighting, facial expressions, and even birds as I created this collection. I grew a lot within this collection and am proud to so, I think this is some of my best work ever.
If you want a reminder of the freedoms that are inside of you, of your connection to nature, or just want some whimsy and color on your walls, the Uncaged Collection needs to be in your home. These bespoke paintings aren’t sold anywhere else but Modern Magic which means that you’ll have something different in your space. Something that adds to your story and shows off a little more of who you are.
Want to add paintings from the Uncaged Collection to Your Walls?
Shop Modern Magic Prints + Originals and Update Your Space
