{"product_id":"a-work-of-artifice","title":"A Work of Artifice","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAcrylic, gouache, and watercolour pencil and red thread on reclaimed cotton drop cloth and reclaimed frame\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e55 x 31.5 in | 2026\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Work of Artifice\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eis part of the\u003cem\u003e Moulting \u003c\/em\u003eseries. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003ePainted on reclaimed studio drop cloth, the work draws from a vintage Maidenform advertisement from a campaign that presented women for the male gaze while selling that gaze back to women. Using the advertisement as a reference, I painted its female figure and advertising language into the canvas. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eMarge Piercy's poem \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Work of Artifice \u003c\/em\u003ealso appears within the painting. In the poem, a bonsai tree that might have grown eighty feet tall is instead pruned and contained, becoming a metaphor for the ways women are shaped and diminished to fit inherited expectations. I bring Piercy's metaphor into the conversation with the Maidenform figure, painting the bonsai tree across the woman's body.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eDisruptive strokes, gestures and marks move across the carefully constructed image of femininity. Red thread weaves in and out of the surface, while fragments of Piercy's poem emerge through accumulating layers. The painting is held within a reclaimed ornate frame, extending its exploration of containment and the inherited ideas of what a woman should be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eClick the image for a closer look.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailable by inquiry\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIf this work resonates with you, I would be delighted to hear from you. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Studio Zinnia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47878633029737,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0088\/2534\/0009\/files\/A_Work_of_Artifice_by_Zinnia_Falcon.jpg?v=1790020408","url":"https:\/\/zinniaawakens.ca\/products\/a-work-of-artifice","provider":"Studio Zinnia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}