These paintings were created after watching news coverage of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saint’s Texas compound, the Yearning for Zion Ranch, as it was raided in the spring of 2008 following accusations of child abuse. I was initially fascinated by the mandatory uniforms worn by women in this cult of pastel prairie dresses and 60’s beehive hair as well as an occasional unattended unibrow. I made all of these painting, including the ones of men, by using myself as a model and changing my features in order to create fictional portraits.
Brandi Twilley 