International Women’s Day 2015

March 8, 2015 by Donna from One Beautiful Thing 17 Comments

“A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Happy International Women’s Day! On the slight chance that you don’t know what it’s about, here’s a very quick synopsis:

International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900’s. It all started in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. It has been celebrated every year since then, first nationally, then internationally. IWD has “become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. . . IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother’s Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.”
– About International Women’s Day

I was trying to find a female artist to profile today, but when I realized I was having trouble choosing just one, I decided to instead introduce you to all of today’s worthy contenders! I am including just two works from each featured artist. However, if you click on their names, you will be taken to their websites where you will get to look at all of their wonderful works.

First up is Daniela Majic, a Canadian photographer who turns her tiny attic into fairytale garden scenes. The series is called The Secret Garden, and it's springy and beautiful!

Daniela Majic is a Canadian photographer who turns her tiny attic into fairytale garden scenes. The series is called The Secret Garden, and it’s lush and beautiful (and looks like it would be very buggy).

Indonesian artist Elicia Elidanto paints black and white watercolors of the relationship between children and wild animals. Her results seem like the half-remembered illustrations of a children's book, and I find them delicate and beautiful

Indonesian artist Elicia Elidanto paints black and white watercolors of children and wild animals together. Her haunting paintings look to me like the half-remembered illustrations of a children’s book.

Romanian photographer Mihaela Noroc has made it her life's work to travel around the world photographing each unique culture's image of beauty. Her project is called "Atlas of Beauty."

Romanian photographer Mihaela Noroc has made it her life’s work to travel around the world photographing each unique culture’s image of natural female beauty. Her project is called “Atlas of Beauty.”

U.K. sculptor Kendra Haste has made a name for herself making life-sized and life-like statues of wild animals from layers of painted galvanized wire atop steel armature.

Oregon-based painter Natalie Fletcher created these mind-bending optical illusions using only a human torso and body paint. The series is called Just an Illusion.

California painter and Etsy seller (!) Clare Elsaesser paints her singular female subjects with their faces turned away or otherwise obscured. While that sounds uncomfortable, the paintings instead feel intimate to me, as if we are observing a loved one unaware of our presence

California painter and Etsy seller (!) Clare Elsaesser always paints her singular female subjects with their faces turned away or otherwise obscured from view. While that sounds like it would make the subjects would look shy or uncomfortable, the paintings instead feel intimate to me, as if we are observing a loved one who is unaware of our presence.

And here are links to a few of the 100+ female artists about whom I have previously written!