Sheri Parker - Artist Statement
What are little girls made of, made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice and everything nice;
That's what little girls are made of….
What are our mothers made of, made of?
What are our mothers made of?
Ribbons and laces and sweet pretty faces;
That's what our mothers are made of…
- Mother Goose
When I am walking around at home, in my parent’s house, or in antique stores I often find delightful objects that make me smile and giggle. The objects could be anything that is pink, girly, glittery, edible, childish, youthful, photographic, or a costume. These objects I see cause me to reflect upon childhood memories and fantasies I once had dreamt about. The objects also bring back memories of playing with my sisters and cousins. When we played we always dressed up like Barbie, Disney princesses, and rock stars. Dressing up in costumes allowed me to transform myself into a girl I dreamt of being in the future. Whether I dreamt I was a wife, princess, athlete, queen, or mommy, I always knew that daydreaming led me to an imaginary world where my future possibilities were unlimited.
The dreams not only helped romanticize my views of the world around me at such a young age, but they also portray societies romanticized idea that “Sugar and spice and all things nice. That's what little girls are made of!” Sugary desserts such as cupcakes, ice cream, and cotton candy were favorite snacks of mine as a child because of their yummy flavors, smooth textures, and dreamy pastel colors. In my paintings I create girl characters, sometimes with floral backgrounds or cotton candy hair to show their sweetness, and to also reflect upon how my mother always styled and decorated our hair like individual works of art. The floral backgrounds help add a vintage or nostalgic feel because of the patterns that I choose. The cotton candy hair also helps show the sweet and kind personality characteristics that are expected from little girls because “That’s what little girls are made of.”
Gold leaf, embroidery, glitter, flocking, and glass beads are sometimes incorporated into my watercolor paintings to enhance the girly qualities. Flocking is sometimes used on the girls’ hair because it resembles the fluffy and sugary texture of cotton candy, while glass beads are used to add sparkle and shine. Embroidery has become a huge component of my work. I love using embroidery thread like paint and sewing down the colors to create an image. I love using beads and sequins to add texture to my embroideries. Gold leaf add a richness and regal feeling to my paintings. I also love the roughness that gold leaf can show and how it can add a crackled textured look.
Storytelling is a very important aspect in my artwork. I chose to portray memories of my children, memories from my childhood, famous women in visual culture today, or I will intertwine all together. Images from visual culture have always been important to my aesthetic decisions and personal style because they inspire me to be the female that I am: sweet, girly, colorful, and stylish. There are also images from visual culture that resonate with my style and take me back to feeling like a child and watching movies at home.
What are little girls made of, made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice and everything nice;
That's what little girls are made of….
What are our mothers made of, made of?
What are our mothers made of?
Ribbons and laces and sweet pretty faces;
That's what our mothers are made of…
- Mother Goose
When I am walking around at home, in my parent’s house, or in antique stores I often find delightful objects that make me smile and giggle. The objects could be anything that is pink, girly, glittery, edible, childish, youthful, photographic, or a costume. These objects I see cause me to reflect upon childhood memories and fantasies I once had dreamt about. The objects also bring back memories of playing with my sisters and cousins. When we played we always dressed up like Barbie, Disney princesses, and rock stars. Dressing up in costumes allowed me to transform myself into a girl I dreamt of being in the future. Whether I dreamt I was a wife, princess, athlete, queen, or mommy, I always knew that daydreaming led me to an imaginary world where my future possibilities were unlimited.
The dreams not only helped romanticize my views of the world around me at such a young age, but they also portray societies romanticized idea that “Sugar and spice and all things nice. That's what little girls are made of!” Sugary desserts such as cupcakes, ice cream, and cotton candy were favorite snacks of mine as a child because of their yummy flavors, smooth textures, and dreamy pastel colors. In my paintings I create girl characters, sometimes with floral backgrounds or cotton candy hair to show their sweetness, and to also reflect upon how my mother always styled and decorated our hair like individual works of art. The floral backgrounds help add a vintage or nostalgic feel because of the patterns that I choose. The cotton candy hair also helps show the sweet and kind personality characteristics that are expected from little girls because “That’s what little girls are made of.”
Gold leaf, embroidery, glitter, flocking, and glass beads are sometimes incorporated into my watercolor paintings to enhance the girly qualities. Flocking is sometimes used on the girls’ hair because it resembles the fluffy and sugary texture of cotton candy, while glass beads are used to add sparkle and shine. Embroidery has become a huge component of my work. I love using embroidery thread like paint and sewing down the colors to create an image. I love using beads and sequins to add texture to my embroideries. Gold leaf add a richness and regal feeling to my paintings. I also love the roughness that gold leaf can show and how it can add a crackled textured look.
Storytelling is a very important aspect in my artwork. I chose to portray memories of my children, memories from my childhood, famous women in visual culture today, or I will intertwine all together. Images from visual culture have always been important to my aesthetic decisions and personal style because they inspire me to be the female that I am: sweet, girly, colorful, and stylish. There are also images from visual culture that resonate with my style and take me back to feeling like a child and watching movies at home.