PET

If I offend dog lovers by dressing pooches up in frocks, I am only using these sad little confections as a metaphor for what we tend to do with our human pets.

That Pinking Feeling

Pink is a delicious colour but little girls, particularly the ‘tween’ market, are bombarded with pink merchandising opportunities that dominate their wardrobes, their accessories, their worlds.  This seems to pose no other narrative, no other gender choice than a ‘girliness’ that is becoming commodified and toxic: contaminated with sentimentality, anxiety and a sophistication that only accelerates the loss of childhood innocence.

Most of these paintings were made for an exhibition at Southampton Solent University in 2008.  The horrible phenomenon of the beauty pageant was an insistent idea behind this somewhat uncomfortable project.  

Caged Bird

Candy Lamb

Are You Sure You Really Love Me?

 Bunny Cuddles

Play Time

All images © Rosie West

How do you like this?

Sweeter than a bag of liquorice allsorts or a bubblegum dystopia? This is designer Karim Rashid's new loft space in New York in which he invited his new wife Ivana Puric to select her favourite pieces of furniture. On one condition however, that they were all his own designs.

I love the playful atmosphere, reminiscent of Charles and Ray Eames, and the use of pink is definitely very grown up. With tangerine, with scarlet, with black and white, with li'l hints of turquoise I think it becomes gender neutral but Rashid puts it this way: "So many men have issues with anything they consider feminine. I'm trying to break down those gender differences. I want every product I design to soften the world. It is already so masculine." Well I guess you're spot on, Rashid.

In an interview with Guardian Weekend he gives this advice: "Colour is an inexpensive decorative tool. Too often people are afraid to use it. You don't have to coordinate it - you might just paint one wall. Muted colours or pastels work easily; primaries are obviously more of a challenge." We kind of knew that but we could give his palette a try perhaps. Fasten your seatbelts ladies and gentlemen.

Image taken from Guardian Weekend 21.03.09

PINK. Every girl's favourite colour or is it?

'That Pinking Feeling' Acrylic on canvas 30 x 24 ins

If you are around growing up girls, do you feel mildly nauseated by the sickly pink worlds they build around themselves? The 'tween' market is bombarded by pink merchandising reinforcing a gender stereotype that is becoming increasingly toxic. I love pink too but it would be nice if they had other choices. I attempted to critique this in a recent exhibition called Pet.

If I offend dog lovers by dressing up pooches in frocks, it's only a metaphor for what we are increasingly doing to our daughters.


'Pink Frock Candy' Acrylic on canvas 30 x 24 ins



'Are you sure you love me?' Acrylic on canvas 24 x 30 ins

Do they have to grow up so fast? Like lambs to the slaughter, perhaps.


'Candy Lamb' Acrylic on canvas 30 x 24 ins




'Babe' Acrylic on canvas 10 x 12 ins