I have struggled with an autoimmune disorder known as Lupus for the past five years, four of which I went undiagnosed. Lupus can affect an individual in many ways, leading to my inquiry: "To what extent can I convey the physical and mental detriments of an autoimmune disorder like lupus through art?" I plan to express the relationship between my body and its autoimmune disorder through art and various art techniques such as exaggerated colors, themes, and texture to emphasize the morbid side of these illnesses.

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Throughout my investigation, I experimented with different mediums, some familiar (digital) and others unfamiliar (colored pencil and oil pastel). When introducing a new medium, I had to look up tutorials (3) and practice on spare sheets of paper (5). I modified my pieces later by adding the same glove throughout to represent my self-dependence in the face of misdiagnoses (2, 6) and to artistically show how lupus is essentially my own body attacking itself (4, 8, 13, 15). Purple accents or backgrounds are included, as purple is the color for lupus awareness (2, 10).

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