Oddly, even though I have always been drawn the the altered Barbie scene since I first became aware of it in the '90s, it did not occur to me to use Barbie as a subject in my artwork until recently. Sometime last winter, I was thumbing through some old National Geographics and stumbled upon some hilariously dated advertisements. The photos were theatrically posed with the intent of depicting an adventurous, fun-loving yet privileged lifestyles. I knew immediately that I had to recreate these ads and photos on canvas, and who better but Barbie and friends could give the paintings that absurd edge for which I was searching.