In Chapter 1 of Udall's book I enjoy reading and understanding how each one of these female artists developed such a strong tie and identified greatly with nature and where they came from. I believe that women are better able identify and tap into the intricate delicateness that is involved with nature and these artists show that in they way they paint their surroundings. Each artist seemed to embrace the fact that they possess these 'feminine' traits and are able to find connection in different areas. In a way their embracing of the traits, but still identifying strongly as women, is contrary to what many imagine feminist to be. I think it's a great example of how to attempt to balance such distinct traits.

In the conclusion of Song of the Lark I thought it was precious to see the two men, Doctor Archie and Ottenburg, discussing how impressive and talented Thea was. The obvious reason this is impressive is that men can be so quick to discredit the success and talent of women, who are supposed to be the lesser gender. Rarely, would a man openly admit to a woman being of such high caliber talent. Granted, this conversation was had behind closed doors but both men were still able to hold such a conversation. Reading this interaction almost makes me wonder if men are more willing to admit that women are more than these 2 dimensional creatures that society so often tried to portray them as. Are they able yo admit it to each other in private but not in public? Maybe these two men are a special exception to the rule since they had been fond of Thea for quite some time. Regardless, it was nice to see men supporting and complimenting a female's art for a change.

In part 2 of Song of the Lark the story told about Mrs. Anderson was heart wrenching. I think one of the hardest situations to be faced with in marrying someone is having their family not like or value you. Mrs. Anderson was ridiculed constantly by her husband's family and seemed to think she was just a gold-digger who would just move on a find her next victim to leech off of. The sad part in all of this is that while the family set out to essentially ruin her reputation the demeanor of Ms. Anderson completely shifted and changed. She seemed to become a depressed and greatly effected by the lost of her husband and even went as far to move back in with her widowed mother. I think if Mrs. Anderson were truly a gold digger she would have easily gone and found another husband but she didn't. I think she truly loved her deceased husband. The final line in the passage really confirmed this thought for me, when Collette wrote that mrs. Anderson "clung to the Swedish Church because it had been her husband's church." She was essentially holding on to the one thing she had left of her husband and didn't want to let it go.

Part 1 of Song of the Lark seems to play heavily into the gender roles of males and females during this time, especially in developing the household that Thea grows up in. It i obvious during that time that women were supposed to be married off at an incredibly young age and the older they got the more it was assumed that something was wrong with them. Situations and expectations similar to this book, which was set in the early 1900s, are still prevalent in the South. I myself have experienced the pressure of "finding my future husband." This just goes to show that in old fashioned traditional settings, marriage and the expectations of the the male and female genders are paid a lot of attention. It goes to show that people can get very caught up in their idea of what needs to happen and when it needs to happen instead of simply allowing the person to develop and prosper at their own speed. Although Thea was given that freedom to a certain extent, the social pressures were still evident and when she strayed away from those she was dismissed in a way.

In Lippard's, What Is Female Imagery, I found that Lippard and I shared similar thought processes in what first comes to mind when one hears the term "female imagery." Like Lippard, when I read this term my mind automatically assumed it was talking about the sexual aspect of female imagery, instead of art produced by females. I think a term such as female imagery has always been so closely associated in a sexual form that is makes it difficult to differentiate it. Also, like Lippard, I think it would be effective to have a different term. I think it is unfortunate that the term that is supposed to be representative of female artwork carries such intense sexual meaning. This just shows how much more difficult it is for the work of women to be respected within the confines of society.

In Chapter 3 of Udall's Places of Their Own I find it interesting to see the drastic different the mother's of Kahlo and O'Keefe played in their development as artists. It made me think of the nature vs nurture debate in rearing children. O'Keefe grew up in an environment where she was surrounded by art and encouraged to explore her artistic abilities. The environment she was brought led her to become a great and respected artists, which is characteristic of the nurture side of things. Kahlo on the other hand was brought up under the hand of a very traditional mother, who played the role of a housewife. There was not much creativity in Kahlo's strict environment however she still found a way to develop her artistic talent, showing that it is an innate and nurtured skilled. This is not to say that if O'Keefe had not been nurtured in her environment she wouldn't have become a great artist but it is also something that can be pondered.

Of all of McPherson's poems, the one that drew me in the most was Willia Ette Graham's Infinity Log Cabin Quilt, Oakland, 1987. The imagery is incredibly vivid and does an amazing job of depicting the process and significance of the stories that are behing different pieces that compose a quilt. It shows how people can take something as free flowing and abstract as a memory can take on such a concrete form when put in context of a quilt. My favorite line from the poem, a line I think exemplifies my previos point, is "Ripples in her universe have angles" (p. 70). This line caught my attention as I found myself rereading it over and over again, amazed at how perfect this line depicted my exact thoughts. I also enjoyed the last line that spoke on how quilts are compact and foldable but when they are spread out they carry so much history. I truly enjoyed this piece of work and applaud McPherson for doing such an amazing job in writing it.