I seek to explore concepts of the abstract maternal and the continued lack of feminine definition of female experiences, through the medium of paint. Nightmarish and uncomfortable, the visual landscape within my painting is the resting place of sororal characters born from imagery found in photographs from my own childhood, old Hollywood glamour film stills, and references the history of the maternal and female portraiture, particularly the nude, within the canon of painting. As “… an icon of Western culture, a symbol of civilization and accomplishment” , the traditional female nude is soothing, reassuring and an upholder of patriarchy. She is art, always nude, never naked; she is part of the symbolic order, dressed with culture. As a female artist, I attempt to challenge this conventional portrayal and assume both the role of objected and painter. My sorority of disfigured characters represents maternal ambivalence, and the emotional and often unseen affects of neglect and abuse. My characters do not adhere to classical or modern standards of beauty. They are repeatedly abject, dismembered and unsettling and the viewer is invited to feel forlorn.