THE MIXED TAPE

I’ve been really inspired lately, and I played around with the idea of my own renditions of Disney princesses in darker, sensual tones, showing off their vulnerability. I feel like painting them nude exposes just that.

My first painting is of Ariel from The Little Mermaid, titled ‘Possession.’ The second one is of Snow White, titled ‘Temptation.’

In choosing the titles for the paintings, I thought about the princesses’ flaws and what emotions they felt leading up to the decisions they made in their stories.

For instance, Ariel wanted more than anything to be human and to have legs so she could walk and dance and catch Prince Eric’s eye. The only way this would be possible was if she were to make a deal with Ursula. The moment she signed her voice over in that contract, it wasn’t just her voice that she lost, but a piece of her freedom, which is what I wanted to capture in that painting.

With the Snow White piece, I wanted to portray her at one of her vulnerable moments in her story, where she was lost in the frightening woods. Snow White wished with all her heart to live happily ever after with Prince Charming, which became a possibility when the Evil Queen held the apple before her, pulling her into temptation.

I’m really pleased with how these two portraits turned out, and I’ve got a few ideas for other Disney princesses I’d like to give my own twist to. I feel like I’ve really stepped out of my box, because I have usually been insecure about the way I try to paint people and faces. Art is supposed to be fearless, right? I guess I’m doing better at being fearless.