"I drew inspiration from the paintings of the Dutch Golden Age in creating these series. The works created by the master painters of the 17th century combine an immediate visual draw with elements that slowly reveal themselves. They contain hidden secrets and clues to convey a message and speak about a taboo through the use of symbolism. A perfect example of how first impressions can be deceiving.
This way of the presentation seemed to suit my project perfectly as the situation the portrayed women found themselves in is one of secrecy and hiding while pretending all is well.
For this project, I combined staged portraits with still-lives. Through online fora, I approached five women who
