Postcards: Ellen Dijkstra

The image of this resin purse captured my imagination the moment that I set eyes on it nearly 10 years ago. Ellen Dijkstra exhibited a purse like this in a 2002 Harbourfront Centre show and it's still tucked away in my mind. The Harbourfront purse may have had a gun embedded in it, but that may be a figment of my imagination. Purses are mysterious spaces-- women carry lipstick, facial tissues, money, feminine hygiene products, all manner of credit and identification cards, keys, sunglasses, reading glasses, hand cream, breath mints, cell phones, pens, and more. Some women even carry guns in their purses. Some women are minimalists, carrying only the bare essentials. Others are prepared for anything and everything. What do you carry in your purse?