This series,“Out to See”, made over a ten year period, was my attempt to tell an old story in a way that I know it to be true. An intrepid swimmer, the elusive whale, and the vast sea play together, forming metaphorical narratives born of personal, ancient, and historical origins. Working within traditional frameworks, this series has challenged me to paint in response to, rather than in spite of, many of the pitfalls and exclusions attached to those traditions. The stories of Moby-Dick and Jonah and the Whale are integral influences, though they are held loosely. While these grand myths are historically anchored by men, my work reclaims the narrative from a deeply personal vantage point. In these paintings, the swimmer is not Jonah; she is Joan. She is my mother, and she is you. She is also the whale and the sea.