Thesis Defense: Spring 2019
This series of interrelated paintings and prints is an exploration and expression of my personal experience with anxiety. I’ve represented different forms of anxiety as monsters, demons, and other meddlesome creatures, building each of them a house to rest their feet, claws, roots, and wings. The creatures are depicted through copperplate etchings to embody the forms of anxiety most familiar to me. Acrylic, ink, and resin paintings on cardboard are cut into strips, bricks, shingles and near-perfect squares, then assembled into houses to provide a sanctuary for each creature.
My thesis seeks to recognize, welcome, and understand the intangible mind-states and disconcerting voices of anxiety with a sense of compassion, whimsy and humor. Rather than indulging them or shutting them out, I have identified, personified, housed, and cohabited with my various forms of anxiety. This process has been and continues to be truly cathartic for me. I hope that others can identify with and even gain a sense of relief from this body of work.
