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Artist Statement

My heart unravels across the Atlantic, buoyed forward by the gusts of vague waves that billow across its surface. I love to watch my reflection ripple through the ocean, like crests in the tide, surging forward only to disappear in the flow.

As I imply, I search for an elusive sense of self in my portraits. What I seek is fugitive, like the ever-shifting shoreline. I look to the myth of Medusa as a conduit to investigate my memories of Jamaica and my understanding of my identity. I explore the duality of being both beautiful and monstrous, seen and invisible, goddess and demon.

Website: denisewaite.com

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Artwork by Denise Waite - Self-Portrait
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Gouache and graphite on paper, 2019
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Artwork by Denise Waite - Self-Portrait
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Gouache and graphite on paper, 2019
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Artwork by Denise Waite - Self-Portrait
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Oil on canvas, 2019
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Artwork by Denise Waite - Self-Portrait
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Color pencil on pastel paper, 2019
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Artwork by Denise Waite - Long Ago in the Jamaica of My Dreams
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Oil on canvas, 2019
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