2021/22

Projects

2020 and 2021 Reflections

Clay on glass with masks and a needle (8" X 10")

2020 was all about lockdowns so I made the zeros into locks and on the dial of the locks I put the Greek letters for the dominate strains of the covid virus for that year.

2021 was all about vaccination; so I used a needle to represent the 1. The variants of concern for the year are in Greek letters in the zero.

completed December 2021

The Shame Spiral

clay, markers, paint

Disease often brings the patient a sense of shame. This piece is about experiencing the shame spiral that many people find themselves in; the ugliness, the disfunction that it brings.

completed July 2021

(click through all the images to see the entire piece)

Medical mobile

glass vials, needles, crystals, resin and wire

Thinking a lot about lifesaving medicine and vaccines; I wanted to portray them as something beautiful that would sparkle in the light.

completed January 2022

I live with an invisible disease

Pastel on board

Not all disabilities are obvious, sometimes you see the person and not the challenges they may face in everyday life. I wanted to express that the disease is ever-present, even when it is invisible to others.

created 3/3/2022

Warhol - Normal?

8" x 10" mixed media on canvas board (paper, acrylic, water colour, coloured pencils)

Blending both the abstract and pop art styles to highlight both artists styles and as a visual representation of how one can have two opposing ideas. I also reversed the photo as a way of turning the table on the artist (now becoming my subject) as well as to illustrate looking at things differently.

The bottom (blue) quote is from Andy Warhol, a man who likely thought of himself as healthy, and 'normal' despite never fully recovering - physically or mentally - from being shot in 1968. The quote on top is from me (my name intentionally redacted as I often feel redacted from society and this is one of the pieces I did under the pseudonym 'Red Acted' Artist). We often hold conflicting ideas about our bodies and our health (For example: I am grateful for my body but wish it could be different). I agree with Andy's idea of "health is wealth" but no one goes from the cradle to the grave healthy. We all experience illness. Our society devalues people with illness/disability, does that mean they can't have a rich, fulfilling life?

created 23 March 2022

Isolation

8" x 10" coloured pencil and watercolour on canvas board

Being or thinking differently from others can lead to alienation, isolation, being ostracized, and feelings of loneliness. While people like to think that they are inclusive of all different races, genders, religions, abilities, body types etc.; often people feel "othered" and excluded because they don't fit into what society deems as "normal".

created 26 March 2022