At 65, there are two parts of my body of which I'm especially proud: my feet and my upper arms. My feet because they are still small and pretty, ie., no corns, bunions or misshapen toes. I'm not putting people down who have such foot concerns, it's just that I'm lucky I don't. Now, I can't take any credit for my feet, but I most definitely DO take credit for my upper arms. As you can see in this self portrait, unlike most women my age I have no "wings" under my arms. And let me tell you, that takes work! For me it means swimming the freestyle for 18-24 lengths twice a week, and working out regularly with a trainer at the gym. Yes, my friends, since March 2004 I've been pumping iron, doing leg & arm presses, cardio training on the ellyptical trainer and lots of other tough exercises twice a week. And being disabled doesn't mean Matt goes easy on me, either. He knows I'm a bulldog and treats me accordingly. I guess my being a former marathon runner makes me an athlete for life.

So when I started taking self portraits of my unclothed body for my new WINTER NUDES gallery, it made sense to include photos that highlight my favorite parts. You can see my flabby belly later! Oh yes, I'm also fond of my unshaven armpits. I threw out my Lady Schick razor 13 years ago and haven't missed it for a minute. I mean, this is the way I'm made, so who says my underarm hair isn't pretty? It's so strange how we women let ourselves get hoodwinked into thinking we have to be with or without certain parts of our bodies to be considered "pretty." I say, hogwash! And that goes for those ultra-high fashion spikey high heels that mess up women's feet and give them chronic low back pain. Throw them out, women! T'ain't worth it!

I guess this new series of work is tapping into my feminist sensibilities BIG TIME. So be it. That's what art can do--touch your innermost being and dredge up feelings you didn't know or had forgotten you had. I sense this portfolio is going to be touching lots of people's sensibilities. I've already been getting comments to that effect, so keep 'em coming...