Biography

 As a feminist and environmentalist, I see a strong correlation between the oppression of women and degradation of the environment. In my art I paint layered landscapes in order to spark larger conversations about these topics. In crafting these luminous landscapes, I speak to a softness and resilience that I see in the land that inspires me. With my layered paintings, I explore the power structures of the world that collectively label the natural environment as feminine, as a means to demean it. Tradition has created binaries which connect man/woman and culture/nature respectively. It is a relationship which relies on the passivity of nature to be manipulated and consumed by the male gaze. I insert my work in this narrative and challenge the historically male tradition of landscape painting. Instead of depicting the beauty of the environment with exaggeration and as the artists who I studied have, I form my landscapes by layering tones and creating colorful impressions of agency. In doing so, I acknowledge the masculine legacy of landscapes while modifying the treatment of the subject to a modern ecofeminist lens that addresses the urgency of the climate crisis. My creative practice exists as an act of resistance in the face of oppressive societal conditions. While my work is currently grounded in painting, I consider myself an interdisciplinary artist. The printmaking, collaging, and more explicitly political imagery I make all speak to a hopeful reckoning and the potential for a cultural transformation. 

dranow999@gmail.com