This year’s International Women’s Day carries the resonant theme of “Give To Gain”, a call to recognise the power of generosity, mentorship, and collective strength in every sphere of life. In the arts, where visibility, opportunity, and creative support are often unevenly distributed, the act of giving – whether time, knowledge, encouragement, or visibility – can open pathways not only for individual artists but for entire communities.
Here at the Visual Artists Association, we spoke to four standout female artists whose work and lives embody this ethos, exploring how giving and receiving have shaped their journeys, their practice, and their vision for the world.
Anikó Boda
“If the circumstances are unfavourable, postpone, redesign, reorganise – but always keep your goal in sight! Never give up!”
Anikó Boda’s path to becoming a painter was far from conventional. Born into a hearing-impaired family in Hungary, she initially followed a different professional route at her grandmother’s urging, completing medical school and working as an obstetrician-gynecologist in Budapest for four years. Yet alongside her medical studies she continued to draw extensively, and art remained a persistent and powerful calling. Although her first encounter with oil paint at the age of seventeen felt daunting, it ultimately marked the beginning of a lifelong and passionate relationship with painting.
After graduating from the Medical University of Szeged, Boda went on to study at the School of Visual Arts and The Art Students’ League in New York, fully committing to her artistic practice. Her work has since been exhibited internationally, including at the Museu Europeu d’Art Modern (MEAM) in Barcelona, as well as in New York, London, Prague and Budapest, and at art fairs such as Volta Basel.
Can you share your artistic journey and what inspired you to become an artist?
My artistic journey started at school. I toiled over academic subjects, but art lessons were my sanctuary. Post-school, I pursued a formal path towards an art career, completing a foundation course in Art and Design, followed by a BA Hons 3D Design at Middlesex Polytechnic. I left the art sphere after graduation and 
spent nearly 10 years in community care and social work in London, until I had children, got married and moved to Bedford. It was at this time I discovered Adult Education with courses in ceramics and life drawing.
The inspiration to take my art seriously came with my divorce. I needed an outlet to express my experiences and make sense of the challenges I was facing. It was the reception to my work via social media that gave me the impetus to start a career in fine art.
How does the theme “Give To Gain” resonate with your work or personal philosophy?
I also loved being a doctor. I loved helping people, because in return I received endless gratitude. I now channel this desire to help through social media: I try to answer everyone’s questions and write captions for my reels that carry a positive, supportive tone. I don’t believe that social media should be only about self-promotion. A few warm words can change people’s lives.
And I think my followers can sense this – besides the fact that there are now 90,000 of them, there is a solid “core group” with whom I regularly exchange thoughts. And what is most beautiful is that they encourage one another as well. When I write a post, I am always smiling, because it fills me with warmth to think that perhaps this very post might guide someone’s life in a positive direction, or help them make a decision about something – even if, at this very moment, I do not know them personally. The universe can absorb an infinite amount of positive energy.
What challenges have you faced as a female artist, and how have you overcome them?
I believe that as women we have to be very wise in how we structure the stages of our lives. This stems from our biological nature. Men can often do whatever feels right to them, whenever it suits -them – but we need to know when it is time for what “under the heavens,” and when we are able to accomplish certain things in the most optimal way. Since I was a gynaecologist, I firmly believed that all of my children should be born before I turned 35. For this reason, I interrupted my medical career at the age of 29 to give birth. It was during this time that the idea of dedicating myself to painting first emerged.
Unfortunately, attending a “serious” art university abroad was no longer an option, because while my children were small, they came first. I breastfed for more than three years in total, and I never regretted the time devoted to it, because in their lives that period is irreplaceable. I, on the other hand, could always paint later. And that is exactly what happened. After gathering the necessary knowledge and once my children had grown up and flown the nest, I am now living my prime. And there is still so much time ahead.
What message would you like to share with the world on International Women’s Day?
Be a kind, cheerful bulldog! Smile, help wherever you can, be feminine and attractive – but hold on to your goals until your very last breath! If the circumstances are unfavourable, postpone, redesign, reorganise – but always keep your goal in sight! Never give up!
Don’t fight. Just calmly, quietly, steadily do your work. Even through the jungle, the only way forward is to cut through the next vine.
View More of Anikó’s work:
Anikó Boda Instagram
Anikó Boda Website
Gaya Chandrasekaran
“Generosity creates momentum. It builds confidence, connection and collective resilience. When women support each other with intention and sincerity, opportunities expand, not just individually, but structurally.”
Gaya Chandrasekaran is a London-based contemporary artist working in textured acrylic and mixed media. Alongside a 16-year career in corporate & investment banking, she has developed a serious and award-winning artistic practice that explores resilience, transformation, and inner landscapes. Born in Chennai and now based in the UK, her work bridges cultural memory with emotional depth through palette-knife layering, sculptural impasto and gold leaf. Her thematic series of Soliloquy, Rebirth, and Nirvana examine the psychological and spiritual terrains that shape human experience.
Can you share your artistic journey and what inspired you to become an artist?
My journey into art has been less about reinvention and more about integration. I grew up in Chennai, surrounded by intense light, colour, and sensory richness. Creativity was always present in my life, but I pursued a 16-year career in corporate and investment banking, working in structured and analytical environments. Over time, I realised that while finance sharpened my discipline and strategic thinking, art nourished a different dimension of my identity.
What began as a personal refuge during a period of transition gradually evolved into a serious practice. I became deeply drawn to texture, building surfaces through palette knife layers, gel mediums, and occasionally gold leaf, creating landscapes that feel both physical and emotional. Today, my work explores resilience, stillness and transformation. Rather than choosing between worlds, I allow both to inform each other. Structure and sensitivity coexist in my practice, shaping both how I paint and how I think.
How does the theme “Give To Gain” resonate with your work or personal philosophy? 
“Give To Gain” resonates strongly with both my creative process and my broader philosophy. In painting, I give time, patience, and vulnerability to each layer. Texture cannot be rushed. Often, I build and scrape back, refine and rebuild. The more fully I commit to the process, the more depth and movement the work gives back. Giving is never subtraction, it multiplies richness.
Professionally, I also believe in reciprocity. My path has been shaped by mentors, curators, collectors and fellow artists who have shared encouragement, visibility, and insight. When we give knowledge, support, and opportunities to other women in the arts, we strengthen the entire ecosystem. Generosity creates momentum. It builds confidence, connection and collective resilience. When women support each other with intention and sincerity, opportunities expand, not just individually, but structurally. True gain is rarely transactional; it is cumulative and holds meaning only when shared.
What challenges have you faced as a female artist, and how have you overcome them?
One of the most significant challenges has been navigating visibility while holding multiple professional identities. There can be an unspoken expectation that to be taken seriously in one field, you must abandon another. As a woman balancing career, motherhood, and creative ambition, time and energy require careful stewardship. There is also the internal challenge of self-doubt, especially when stepping into spaces where recognition must be earned repeatedly.
I overcame these challenges by approaching art with the same discipline and strategic commitment I applied in finance. I invested in my development, applied for awards, exhibited consistently, and built an international collector base. Rather than waiting for confidence, I built evidence. Resilience, like my paintings, is layered. You construct it gradually through action. Over time, visibility grows from consistency and conviction follows.
What message would you like to share with the world on International Women’s Day?
On International Women’s Day, I encourage women to honour the breadth of who they are – their ambition, intuition, intellect and creativity, without feeling the need to choose just one dimension.
We are often encouraged to simplify ourselves to be more easily understood or accepted. Yet credibility does not come from narrowing our identity; it comes from integrating it. You can lead with analytical precision and create with emotional depth. You can build careers, nurture families, think strategically, and remain deeply intuitive. Although these may appear mutually exclusive, they are in fact deeply complementary.
Equally important is how we support one another. Support other women visibly and generously. Speak their names in rooms they are not in. Share knowledge. Offer guidance. Celebrate their achievements. When we give without fear of scarcity, we create networks of empowerment.
When women rise without fragmentation, the cultures around them evolve, becoming expansive, deeply human and resilient.
View More of Gaya Chandrasekaran’s work:
Gaya Chandrasekaran Instagram
Gaya Chandrasekaran LinkedIn
Marcia Peterson
“The rights of women and the marginalised are being eroded through dehumanising labels, and blame. We have to challenge these strategies by supporting each other to create the caring society we deserve”
Marcia Patterson was born in East London in the mid-1960s and pursued formal art education, earning a degree in 3D Design at Middlesex Polytechnic. While living in London, she worked in social care for ten years before relocating to Bedford in 1998 with her young family. During this period, she focused on her roles as a full-time homemaker, mother, and carer, while nurturing her long-standing passion for art through studies at Bedford Arts and Crafts Centre.
Following her divorce and during the pandemic, Marcia committed to developing her art professionally. Since 2022, she has participated in numerous group exhibitions in London, appeared on Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2022, and received recognition through awards such as the Susan Angoy Award for the Women In Art Prize 25. Her work has also been selected for the ING Discerning Eye exhibition 25 at the Mall Galleries. Drawing inspiration from her personal life experiences, Marcia explores unhealthy interpersonal relationships and their wider societal implications, particularly the marginalisation of women and vulnerable groups. Through her art, she seeks to challenge dehumanising narratives and advocate for a more caring society.
Can you share your artistic journey and what inspired you to become an artist?
My artistic journey started at school. I toiled over academic subjects, but art lessons were my sanctuary. Post-school, I pursued a formal path towards an art career, completing a foundation course in Art and Design, followed by a BA Hons 3D Design at Middlesex Polytechnic. I left the art sphere after graduation and spent nearly 10 years in community care and social work in London, until I had children, got married and moved to Bedford. It was at this time I discovered Adult Education with courses in ceramics and life drawing.
The inspiration to take my art seriously came with my divorce. I needed an outlet to express my experiences and make sense of the challenges I was facing. It was the reception to my work via social media that gave me the impetus to start a career in fine art.
My inspiration to become an artist stemmed from my personal life experiences. I used my creativity as an outlet for the many stressful issues I was facing at the time, and I now use it as a record of how I navigated those issues. My work seemed to resonate with many viewers, which has given me the encouragement to continue.
How does the theme “Give To Gain” resonate with your work or personal philosophy?
The theme ‘Give to Gain’, most certainly resonates with me. My work centres around mental health, acknowledging, understanding and navigating the implications of unhealthy interpersonal relationships. By documenting my own experiences on canvas or board, I seek to enable the viewer to experience not only the broader issues behind the work, but also something of the tension and emotion felt during the process of creating it. I work in the hope that the therapy I have drawn from creating my work will resonate for those who view it.
My work centres around unhealthy interpersonal relationships, their effects and implications. However, I also recognise that this thread is being mirrored more widely in society. The rights of women and the marginalised are being eroded through dehumanising labels, and blame. We have to challenge these strategies by supporting each other to create the caring society we deserve.
What challenges have you faced as a female artist, and how have you overcome them?
My main challenge as a female artist has been a personal one: a recent divorce and the dramatic domestic upheaval that came with it. However, the upshot has been my ability to use that lived experience to ignite determination in having my voice heard through my work. Having been a ‘homemaker’ for three decades, finding a voice in what is still a male-dominated society is still very difficult, and is made even more so by the need to recreate a lost personal identity. I feel this situation is more prevalent amongst women, especially in their middle years and beyond. This is why platforms for women artists are so very important, now in 2026, more than ever.
What message would you like to share with the world on International Women’s Day?
This year International Women’s Day has to be one of the most important dates on the calendar. Women’s hard-fought rights are being questioned and challenged politically in social and mainstream media. As women and those who support women, we have to continue to work tirelessly, shouting louder in celebration of our strengths and achievements, and protesting any erosion of our dignity and autonomy.
View More of Marcia Peterson’s work:
Marcia Peterson Instagram
Marcia Peterson Website
Judith Burrows
“The lesson I learned was to thoroughly know my craft, write my own unique stories, stay true to my identity and photographic style, and own my unique USP as a woman.”
Judith Burrows is an artist, photographer, and award-winning filmmaker. Her films have been screened at the London Film Festival, at festivals worldwide, and as exterior projections on the National Theatre. Her diverse practice includes arts documentaries for the National Portrait Gallery, music videos, album covers, and portrait photography. She began a fine art practice as a painter in 2016. Narratives of Location earned a solo show alongside photographs of the musicians who inspired the work.
She graduated from the RCA in 2021, where she won a print prize for her experimental work on raw steel in collaboration with nature: Alchemy I–XII. Gaia Mother
and Child, a sculptural piece inspired by Barbara Hepworth, was acquired for a private collection. Her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions, including the VAO Finalist Exhibition 2025.
Can you share your artistic journey and what inspired you to become an artist?
My artistic journey began as a textile designer in the 1980s and evolved through photography and film. In 2016, I began working in mixed media and oil painting at City Lit. This led to applying to the RCA, where I explored concepts of ‘Uncertainty and Lostness’. In developing these ideas in the print workshop, I experimented with processes: silkscreen, photolithography, etching, flatbed printing, and letterpress text on waste materials, including man-made metals, paper, fabric, and wood.
Using the instability and impressionability of raw steel as a medium, I constructed sculptural installations. These were exhibited in group shows. My studies were
interrupted by the Covid lockdown. With the only resources that I could access, raw steel and nature, my garden became my studio, and through experimentation my current practice evolved. It is a deeply spiritual collaboration with nature that questions our relationship with the planet. By recognising the value of all species, embracing unique systems of collaboration and communication, a harmonious dialogue of mutual benefit is possible.
How does the theme “Give To Gain” resonate with your work or personal philosophy?
The collaborative nature of my processes with the natural world and recognition of the interconnectedness and respect of all living species resonates with the theme of ‘Give to gain’.
What lessons or insights have shaped your journey as a female artist?
My journey as a female artist has been shaped by my experiences as a female filmmaker and music photographer working from the 1990’s. This was a difficult time for women in a ‘man’s world’. My confidence was often undermined. The lesson I learned was to thoroughly know my craft, write my own unique stories, stay true to my identity and photographic style, and own my unique USP as a woman. As a photographer, I tended to regard myself as gender-free.
In my Fine-Art practice following a new direction it has been a struggle to maintain confidence in a field where the parameters are different. My recent journey has been shaped by lack of confidence in a new arena. The lesson I learned is to follow my instinct, stay true to developing my unique ideas in spite of rejection, without judgement, and be led by my passion, not the market to keep making and creating.
What message would you like to share with the world on International Women’s Day?
My message to share on International Women’s Day is a message to myself: to keep telling my own unique stories in whatever medium is appropriate.
View More of Judith Burrows’s work:
Judith Burrows Instagram
Judith Burrows Website
Give to Gain: Inspiration in Action
The journeys of Anikó Boda, Gaya Chandrasekaran, Marcia Peterson, and Judith Burrows remind us that generosity, resilience, and dedication are inseparable. Giving to others, sharing knowledge, and supporting fellow women are not acts of subtraction but ways to multiply strength, opportunity, and impact. On this International Women’s Day, their stories inspire all of us to rise, create, and contribute, knowing that every gesture of encouragement reverberates far beyond ourselves.