Artist BA Thomas is creating a series, titled Submerged, of digitally illustrated portraits of women in water as a means of collective reclamation of womanhood. This call is for submissions from all women, artists or not, of 2-5 photographs of themselves in water to be used as reference for digital portraits. Read about the project below, and click the attached link to learn more and request a submission form.
From BA Thomas:
"Over the summer of 2020, I began creating digital self portraits. They were borne out of a necessity to embrace myself amidst the chaos of the world, and to dive into a new medium (digital illustration) during my state’s stay-at-home order. They quickly evolved into a ritual of re-learning myself as a means to ease anxiety, sadness, and isolation. I now want to grow this body of work into something further reaching than my own slow healing. I want to invite all women into the pool with me for your own exploration, your own submergence. Whether you struggle with mental illness, with body image, with sexual assault, abuse, harassment, racism, sexism, or most likely a combination of these, I think we all could use a little healing. So I’m asking for you to take your own photos for me to use as reference for digital portraits. For you to participate in my body of work, yes, but to also enter into your own ritual of reclamation of body, mind, and spirit. These will be visually similar to more intimate photos we might take of ourselves, displaying vulnerability and desire. They also will be created with a visual language meant to emphasize the impossibility of fully representing someone as they truly are. Think of my digital interpretation of your submission as a filter you would use on a photo, just a little more obvious. These will be intimate pieces, and this is an intimate act, inviting you here. "
Visit BA Thomas' Submerged page for examples.
Request submission form here: https://baartworks.weebly.com/aninvitation.html
