An undeniable symbolic resemblance exists between women, or those that identify as such, and the botanical world. Women and plants are both at times resilient, fragile, persistent, and ephemeral. They can flower in environments thought to be otherwise inhospitable, and at the same time taken for granted, cast aside as unworthy. My current body of work focuses on the exploration of this relationship and its inherent dichotomies. The pieces also examine the push and pull between societal perception of women and their reality. At its simplest distillation, I find inspiration in hearing the stories my models tell and in researching floral history and symbolism. In accord with this, the paintings in this series are the product of many of these conversations; and each represents a woman’s struggle with agency over her life.