Lisa Klow

Artist Name:   Lisa Klow

The female face, figure, and sex parts are images I use to describe my identity and experience as a woman. Something soft and pretty can also shock or surprise, and I think that’s fun. It speaks to Western society’s reluctance to talk about certain things female, or even use proper terms. I call her a Velvet Pussy because it’s cute, but she is a Velvet Vagina. And she’s anatomically correct. Drawing faces has become my obsession. The face conveys emotion, but what it expresses is open to personal interpretation. I wish to show the things that in my experience of life have not been allowed or acceptable to be shown or discussed, be they female nudity, sexual issues, or the pussy. (Vagina.)

Title:                The Velvet Pussy and the Pink Panties

Created Jan-Mar 2011. Media:  canvas, paper, acrylic paint, graphite pencil, colored pencil, fabric, ribbon, thread, beads, found objects.

The ideas in this piece mesh my own images of expressive faces, small drawings of figures and female imagery with Hazel’s obsession with pink panties and also her graphic sexual imagery. I did not have an idea for this show until Hazel posted an update on Facebook encouraging submission, saying it could be any media, including fashion. I immediately thought of her blog posts about pink panties; that gave me the inspiration to make a pair of pink panties. Using my own underwear as a pattern, I cut them out of raw canvas and sewed them together. After finally reading the Vagina Monologues last fall, I had been thinking about how to construct a vagina out of velvet scraps. When I conceived the Pink Panties, I knew they were the perfect vessel for the Velvet Pussy. The piece has been decorated with items from my jewelry collection.