After my "April Away" from Towanda Tuesday I thought I would kick off the first Tuesday of May with something different.

I've been studying amazing and somewhat unknown women artists of our past, and I wanted to share them here as resident Towanda's.

Anna Bilińska

Excerpt from Frances Borzello's: Seeing Ourselves Women's Self-Portraits

The Polish artist Anna Bilinska paints herself taking a break from her work. She is convincingly scruffy. She has not bothered to remove her apron, and, although her hair began the day pinned up, some tendrils have escaped. As she sits on the homely bentwood chair, she bends forward to stare at the spectator, a bunch of brushes held across her apron in one hand and her palette hanging down at the extremity of the other . . . This pose of Bilinksa’s had not been seen before. She has set herself down in front of the curtain which forms a background for the model. The combination of transitory pose and backcloth is an understated but witty way of telling the spectator that she has become—but only temporarily—the model not the artist.

I am so drawn to this portrait of this woman. The light and dark of this painting is so beautiful. The apron and the paint brushes, her mussed hair and the backdrop make this such a beautifully honest painting in a time where overly sweet and porcelain doll paintings were the rage. I am so in awe of women that would paint themselves as is in times when it was not popular to do so. No social media hashtags to join ranks with... no groups to join.. no causes...no trends...just pure desire & artistic license to paint as is.

This is magnificent in so many ways.

Hope she inspires you as she inspires me.

Thanks for stopping by.