Most of my work deals with identity. This series came from gender portraiture work of
youth that I know. I began by interviewing the participants as to what their favorite
fantasy or strong fear was growing up. Most of the female participants stated pretty,
princess type roles such as Sleeping Beauty. The male participants who confessed to
liking any fairytale picked Little Red Riding Hood because they liked the wolf character.
Some confessed fears of clowns, the Easter Bunny, and the Boogey Man.

I chose to photograph in wooded areas, which provide a natural fantasy characteristic. I
added animal masks and asked the participants to choose personalities or a character to
portray. One’s connection to the mask worn can be attributed to many things. Societal
tendencies learned growing up through media and family alike affects our behavior or
how a behavior is portrayed.

Youth is already seen as a time of self-creation and discovery; therefore, wearing a mask
can enable a transformation and new exploration of identity. Although we mirror society,
psychologically we have different personalities inside of us. The participants portrayed
animal characteristics and gave human characteristics to the animals portrayed.
The images are shot medium format and are 24x24 chromira prints.


Originally from the Midwest, Rose was born in Columbus, Indiana. Influenced by her
artist sister, Rose started drawing and painting at a young age. She has won numerous art
awards and obtained a scholarship for a fine arts program at Ball State University.
Graduating with a BFA from University of Georgia she moved to Atlanta, Georgia and
discovered photography and video. Rose finished her Masters Degree with a photography
concentration at Georgia State University.

Much of her work deals with the theme of identity through gender roles and body
consciousness. The work is set up to look natural under her direction while still seeking
the models input. Models are people she has a close relationship and she treats the work
as a collaborative event. Currently she is working on the “Teen” as well as her “Art
History” series

Her affiliations include Atlanta Photography Group and Women in Focus 2001-, IRIS
International Centre for Women in Photography 2003-, Woman Made Gallery- member
and slide registry 2003-. Speaking engagements include the Woman’s Caucus of the Arts.
Publications include Shots magazine, the Atlanta Journal, Creative Loafing, and Walker’s
Point Center for the Arts catalog. Rose exhibits throughout the United States as well as
internationally.