"Women Decide" 8.5x14" Poster — Unframed

8.5x14” unframed print, printed in Austin on heavy 100 lb glossy stock by local heroes, Miller Imaging & Digital Solutions

Inspiration for this design:

When legislators choose to risk the lives and health of women in order to further their own self-interests, we need to speak up! For too long, laws pertaining to women have been made by men. It is time for women to step up, vote, and run for office themselves.

About the Artwork:

I originally created this design as a protest against the repeal of Roe V Wade. It is a direct homage to artist Barbara Kruger whose “Your Body is a Battleground” design is, sadly, more relevant today than ever.  Researching her for this project, I especially resonated with the fact that after a long career in advertising, Kruger continued to use the tools of graphic design to communicate themes of resistance in her personal artwork, much as I am doing with my own “Labors of Love”.

My original design  featured Kruger’s signature sans-serif white text on red background, a style that has been widely appropriated (often without citation!). For this version, I changed the red to an eye-catching hot magenta.

The rays emanating from the torch are a tribute to classic protest posters. The halftone screen in the background is a nod to classic low-tech graphic design.

I created this design in a silkscreen style which constrains your drawing technique to broad flat shapes and thick lines which won’t clog the screen when ink is pushed through. Screen printing has been a classic technique for protest posters since the 1700s as it is relatively inexpensive and widely available to the average person.

I based the illustration on the “Columbia Lady” and the Statue of Liberty, both of whom are holding torches. I tried to make the facial features as racially ambiguous as possible in the hope that all people who are affected by the recent assault on personal reproductive freedom will feel represented. (Thanks for the green skin inspiration, Lady Liberty!)

Many of my designs since the presidential election of 2016 have included upraised fists, even a boxing glove! This one features an upraised arm with a torch, representing the wisdom of women.