In my new body of work, Jungle Ladies, I explore female identity through the lens of myths, fantasy, and dreams. The title is a merging of untamed psyche and social construct. In each painting and work on paper, my invented, cartoon-like female figures enact a variety of situations in ambiguous spaces and landscapes. My Jungle Ladies are hybrid creatures, both imagined and observed. In this work, I push the boundaries of figuration by searching for and realizing new and evocative images. My process is to discover figures and forms within tangles of gestural lines and to develop enigmatic narratives. The women and animals in my paintings suggest states of being and feeling: power, strength, vulnerability, love, struggle, loss, wonder, joy, and fear. My Jungle Ladies are characters in psychodramas , performing celebrations and rituals through actions such as dancing, parading, flying, swimming, gazing, and dreaming. A pervasive sense of play harks back to memories of a lost childhood.

Ms. Zweibel holds an MFA in Painting from Columbia University, and a BA in Visual Art from Bennington College. She received fellowships from the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Artist in the Marketplace, Bronx Museum, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Banff. Centre for the Arts. She is the recipient of grants from the Puffin Foundation and Artist’s Fellowship, Inc. She has been reviewed in Art in America, the New York Times, and Fiberarts. The artist’s work was selected for inclusion in the prestigious, curated Elizabeth A. Sackler Feminist Archive at the Brooklyn Museum. Ms. Zweibel has had numerous shows in the US and abroad.