RAE SHERIDAN
BIO

Rae Sheridan, b. 1987, is an artist and activist whose work is a deeply personal narrative of reclamation and self-discovery, resulting in re-imagined histories surrounding women's shared experiences and mythos. Sheridan’s work is a commentary on untold stories and experiences of women and social critique through an interdisciplinary art practice focusing on figurative oil paintings.

Intersectional feminist theory and women’s mythology act as catalysts for Sheridan’s body of work. Depicted in painterly strokes and bold color palettes, Sheridan illustrates shared joy, collaboration, oral traditions, traumas, and women's resilience. Fueled by a desire to dismantle patriarchal norms pervasive in our society, Sheridan’s work confronts the marginalized portrayal of women, painting compelling narratives that show untold stories of heroic women past and present.

Her studio in Portland, Oregon, offers a unique perspective far from her east coast home of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Finding connections with the environment of the Pacific Northwest has been vital to Sheridan's work, sparking intrigue about the influence of different landscapes, origins, and histories on her art from east to west.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I create art for those who feel exhausted by our patriarchal and heteronormative society. My paintings offer a new narrative for women and gender-queer individuals, countering the historically imposed narratives. Traditionally, feminine figures in art have been depicted as objects of lust, created to satisfy the male gaze. These figures were created inside a world where they exist in some capacity beholden to male ideologies and experiences of women which informs not only the societal canon but the internal dialogues of women themselves confining women to male-centric ideologies.

As a painter, I primarily work with oil paints to bring my visions to life surrounded by the history and context of the traditional use of the medium as well. Oil paint's rich texture and vibrant colors allow me to create deeply expressive and immersive works. Each brushstroke is a deliberate act of reclaiming space and narrative for women and gender-queer individuals. My technique involves layering, wiping, scraping, and blending, creating a sense of depth and movement with textured elements that invite viewers into the worlds I envision.

After extensive research in feminist discourse, feminist art history, and BIPOC feminist memoirs, I envisioned a world not in defiance of male-centered themes, but beyond them.

I imagined how our stories would unfold if women had been narrators of history, rather than subjects. I began to imagine what that world would look like, and who I would find if I opened that door to my psyche but also what would the collective consciousness of women and gender-queer folks be like if we had been able to tell our secrets loudly, openly, not just through oral telling and clandestine meetings, freely sharing our truths without restraint.

With each new painting I create I imagine a world in which all those who identify as women and gender-queer are safe, loved, honored, and held, fully in their glory allowing themselves to be seen by the viewer fully and to temp the onlooker to join them in a world that seems freer than the one we’re experiencing. As if we could step through realities by walking into the canvas itself. My work suggests an alternative reality, one free from patriarchy, compulsory heteronormativity, and oppression.

My art does not focus on the oppression of women and marginalized individuals, but on envisioning what comes next. We have long fought for recognition as fully human, often neglecting to imagine the world we strive to create. I demonstrate that other realities are possible by depicting an ambitious reality where my figures thrive. By showing a world full of possibilities, acceptance, grace, and beauty, where figures reside fully as their true selves without judgment, I inspire viewers to seek their own paths toward this envisioned reality.