Dislocated

Dear Reader,

Due to the small work space provided I’ve decided to move on from sculpture into painting. This works out well as I have wished to refine my oil painting skills for the past couple of years now. Starting my portrait pieces out with a portait of my grandad provided an easy and less daunting jumping off point than painting oneself. As i’ve only painted a portrait once prior, I use this portrait of my grandad as a test piece to work on skin, texture, light and other techniques needed for my work.

I was suprised by how well I was able to capture his likeness although I believe I need to learn more about painting mediums. I felt like I fumbled my way through this piece a bit, going forward I need to broaden my understanding of how the paint behaves on the canvas and the best ways to apply it.

Dear Reader,

I have decided to start a new project leading on from my work at university.

Whilst at university I explored themes of disability and social standing. My work was an observation of how disability is portrayed and viewed by the general public. This work slowly became more of a feature piece on myself, my own disability and my real life experiences.

Since leaving university I have been thinking introspectivly about the relationship I have with my body. In my formitive years when I should have been gaining comfortability with my body and exploring my sexuality I experienced phyical trauma not once but twice, leaving me disassociated with myself. I was first raped on my way home from school at age 13 and then by 15 I was classified as disabled and unable to walk. The two events acted as a disruption to my sexual identity and added towards the physical interplay between trauma and illness. My body does not feel like my own.

Through art I plan to explore the complex dynamic between me and my physical self and gain some ownership back.