Sylvia was recently asked this question...

“How has feminism changed contemporary art practice?”

Love and Joy

 Feminism to me is equality to all, as they used to say,
“Equal pay – equal work”. In relation to my paintings. I feel that my paintings stress the equality of men & women (women & men).
To me, women were often portrayed as sex objects in humiliating poses. I wanted to give my perspective. I liked to portray both man and woman as intelligent and thoughtful people with dignity and humanism that emphasized love and joy.

I did this by placing my models in beautiful settings outside or inside against colorful landscapes or pleasing fabrics. To me, it made me think that the model was a jewel, being emphasized  by their surrounding or environment.  Feminism allowed me to
express my thoughts freely. It gave me the freedom to show the beauty of the body – the most luminous parts equally. My style is the way I can best express these ideas.

Feminism gave us this intense freedom of expression thus allowing a change. Anything that helps to express the artist’s ideas, whether it is to surprise, glorify, shock or simply express a philosophy will lead to a change or will simply allow an opportunity for change.

Sylvia Sleigh
Monday, April 02, 2007

The title "Love and Joy" came from another question, by Sylvia's friend & neighbor Lillian Ben Zion - She asked her to sum up her  work in two words.