My paintings are inspired by Instagram selfies, historical odalisques and chiaroscuro paintings, Romanticism, and the cool glow of an LED screen. Through these works I have tried to imagine a space where the subjects—women who spend their days dealing with stress at work, caretaking at home, and microaggressions on the street—can take a moment to themselves. These female characters stay up late, smoke, watch TV on their laptops in bed, and read on their phones at 4am when they have insomnia. They are absorbed in their inner lives, uninterrupted by the gaze of the viewer.