Cher Odum,
Painter

When I began developing my signature style with the big feet, small head, overall distorted body image, and the wild different colored hair in some, I was thinking about women in general. Being a woman myself, and working with women, and especially adolescents, I've observed how we all seem to hate what we see in the mirror. Our feet are too big, our bums are outrageously huge, we feel clumsy and awkward (especially so during adolescents), and think so 'small' of ourselves - - hence the small head. However, we are all beautiful beings, if only we could really see our being-ness. We are wiser than we know. That's what the pearl necklaces and errings are symbolic of - - pearls of wisdon. The eyes have a sense of knowing, which comes from being bright, wise, and intuitive beings, and our many different lifetimes here on earth, and in between. In the paintings where the figure is painted, in parts, outside the boarder, I am showing a breaking out of the self-imposed box we sometimeshave a tendancy to put ourselves into - - and how our being-ness is too large to be contained. The paintings where the woman is running, leaping, dancing above the mountains and trees show a free spirit - - larger than life - - and anything is possible if only we believe it. In recent paintings my women are sitting up straight, and looking right at the viewer, displaying a sense of confidence and inner strength, which is something we all strive for.