Witch- A Book of Bananas Forks Spoons Heartbreak by Andrea Marshall

I went to school to study Art History, and I really tried my best to understand and like contemporary artists. However, there are just so few that I find interesting enough to pay attention to. It's not that I can't appreciate what people are doing, and often admire it- I just have a classical eye I suppose. The mystique of religious iconography, ritual, witchcraft and the subversive rogues that painted it all never fails to excite me.

I often find that my only solace from the modern era is in high fashion editorials that draw upon these themes and transfigure them into otherworldy realms. I also tend to gravitate towards highly introspective, raw and honest self portraits. The elusive and infamous Cindy Sherman has been a long standing favorite of mine, especially her self portraits as the Madonna.

I think Cindy may have met her match in Andrea Marshall. In her about me, she writes:

"My work consists mainly of self-portraits that explore the Self in relation to traditional archetypal concepts of the nature of womanhood. I attempt to visually render this juxtaposition through a symbiotic dialogue between history and contemporary culture. Through a range of media, including both painting and photography, I examine internal psychological conflict through Personas reflecting the idealistic and tragic nature of the prototypical female.
Through self-portraiture, syncretized with symbolic female Personae, I strive to connect, rather than isolate, the female experience and contribute to evolving, yet eternal, female imagery. "

I was particularly impressed with the images out of her book, Witch A Book of Bananas Forks Spoons Heartbreak. Aside from being an intense visual delight, these images really really struck a chord with my inner art historian; this woman is just pure genius.

>