Fixated Mentalities, Polymer photogravure intaglio print, 16.5 x 16.5”
Mother Goose Chase, Polymer photogravure intaglio print, 16.5 x 16.5”
When Big mouth Billy Bass sings... Polymer photogravure intaglio print, 16.5” x 16.5”
Chased By My Junebug Kite, Photogravure intaglio print, 16.5 x 16.5”
Changing My Channel, Photogravure intaglio print, 16.5 x 16.5”
Artist Statement
With a combination of drawing and photo collage, I have created surreal environments using imagery of nature and toys that depict memories and fears. I use brain scans throughout my work to juxtapose the scientific evidence of mental illness with my hometowns it's all in your head mentality. The brain scan imagery is distorted, like many understandings regarding mental health. These misguided ideologies are notions and fears deeply rooted in the collective psyche, as well as my own. In several of the pieces, the brain scans act as terrain. And the contrasting plants growing within allude to the ideas implanted at a young age by the rhetoric used. Being in nature is very therapeutic for me; outside and looking for rocks is where I spent most of my time as a kid. Crystals appear throughout most of the artworks because the area I lived in is known for its abundance of gemstones and, hunting for rocks is still one of my favorite pastimes.
These digital collages are then exposed onto photopolymer plates to create intaglio prints. These works are the culmination of investigating my identity and living with mental illness, as I critically inquire about my beliefs during my transition into adulthood. In this series, I confront inherent biases concerning mental health within the collective psyche of my hometown.
