Like many artists of her generation, Epstein was powerfully influenced by the political activism of the 1960s. A member of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Epstein recalls attending meetings out of town with her young son in tow.
The anti-war movement influenced a number of her pieces. "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" echoes the sentiment of the popular anti-war folk song. This very tall print (6-by-2-1/2 feet) in tones of black, cream and ochre shows a tall woman (Marion) shielding a child, with spindly flowers drooping around them.
"I didn't do abstractions," says Epstein. "I was always trying to say something."
Another anti-war piece, "Generations of Thy Children," combines oil painting and collage on a bisected canvas. On the right half, a lone figure of a Vietnamese child stands forlornly on a reddish orange background. The left side of the canvas is crowded with images of soldiers, artillery and politicians.
Epstein's print "Metamorphosis," completed following her participation in a civil rights march in Washington, tries to capture the changes and uncertainty in America during that time. In the background a white man looms with a questioning, almost fearful look on his face while the black youth in the foreground has his eyes downcast. Works such as "Dream Deferred" and "Aching To be Free" also represent the artist's personal reflections on the struggle for racial equality.
