As a voracious reader, ‘A Room of One’s Own’ by Virginia Woolf is an essay that I return to often. During the pandemic the value of a space to call my own became even more important. In the early days of my career as a young mother, I focused on large paintings of simplified interiors, but with recurring health issues my work has slowly reduced in size, while texture and pattern have become a greater focus. The pieces incorporate lace texture as a nod to an earlier time, while still featuring the books and stories that imbue most of my work. The themes of sanctuary and stillness continue to prevail.  

“In her essay, Woolf uses metaphors to explore social injustices and comments on women's lack of free expression. She stated that "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." Woolf describes the influence of women's social expectations as mere domestic child bearers, ignorant and chaste.

When the emergence of the 'new woman' occurred, this awareness of injustice made a clear political statement regarding women's intellectual potential in their own right. Woolf suggests that the absence of female fiction is a result of a lack of opportunity rather than a distinct absence of talent.

The association between poverty and low achievement can also lead to disadvantages for generations. As women have been for decades marginalized and the patriarchy dominated literature, Woolf's general theory can be extended to many political circumstances. In this case, children are extremely conscious of their social status and thus aware of their own possibilities or absence. It helps us to see how social problems shift shape, but the absence of opportunity still causes isolation and inequality.”