In 2017 I stood in the Guggenheim before Pierre Bonnard’s painting, Dining Room on the Garden, and wept. That was the first time I truly identified with a figure in a painting. The model is Bonnard’s wife, Marthe. She blends into her surroundings to the point of nearly disappearing. I recognized this shared experience as I, too, was invisible. I had always thought of myself as a strong woman, educated and capable. So why did I now feel voiceless and unseen?  Everyday, unaware, we encounter invisible women.  For my thesis body of work, I chose a portrait project seeking these women out, hearing their stories and responding in paint.  It isn’t optimal to limit the audience to those who enter galleries, so companion ‘Missing’ posters affixed with QR codes linked to sound bites are wheat pasted in the neighboring streets.  While I began this journey inquiring inward to better understand the forces at play that led me down my own path of invisibility, along the way, I realized that it is imperative to examine the social structures that have shaped my experiences as a woman. Only then would I be able to recognize where my story and those of the women in my life fit into the broader narrative. This concept opened the floodgates within my own creative practice, allowing me be fully empowered to amplify our invisible stories.