Ruth Mary Dodgson’s practice is interested in the relationship between the societal ideas of the female body and fictional, artistic representations.

Current work is focused on a selection of ‘Characters’ created from watercolour and gouache or carved in ceramic. They represent different mythological or mythologised women such as Circe, Medusa, Joan of Arc, The Hagged Witch etc.

The identity of the women is important to Ruth and her creative process. Choosing women with power, who’s stories break from heteronormative and patriarchal structures; women who lie outside the norm. The interest of these women, to the artist, is their abnormality and the narrative change that occurs, when they are created by the hands of a queer woman working in contemporary art.

The intention is for the audience to be intrigued by the characters, to pick out pieces of iconography, questioning who they could be, but not be held down by this. Ruth allows the work to feel light but intriguing, through her use of bright, vibrant primary and secondary colors. The audience can find joy and fun in the work, even though the original stories may hold different emotions.

Instagram: @ruthmary.art