ARTIST STATEMENT
My artwork Drowning in the Depths, addresses my struggles with mental health. My final artwork depicts a humanoid figure sinking into a viscous fluid which represents depression and a downward spiral of emotions or lack thereof. The fluid surrounds them, leaking into the room surrounding them. They are trapped within the room, symbolized by the lack of doorknob on the inside. The house is bright and lively in the front, however the grass begins to rot and decay as it reaches the back of the house, where the viewers are confronted by the disparity of the mental illness, which often hidden by the sufferer.
ARTWORK PROCESS
I measured, cut and glued strips of balsa wood onto a cardboard base, layering them to create the illusion of weatherboards. I weathered the house using acrylic paints and inks and assembled it and glued it together on a plywood base. I painted the base with acrylic paint and impasto medium. I also adhered the mental health pamphlets onto the structure. I glued down the figure and poured on the resin, swirling red ink throughout. I used hot glue to create the drips on the side of the house. I then placed the nails and used watercolour on the pamphlets.
