With art I create, I tend to stray from my initial plan and what I see in my imagination. My hand and the paintbrush have a mind of its own. While I’ve worked with acrylic paint my whole life, I still feel it’s something I have never been able to come close to perfecting or ever been content about my skills. The rhythm in my hand would give me confidence, but I was never satisfied with my application. I wanted to portray myself as what I feel I am in my soul, rather than whatever I actually look like on the outside. Going with the theme of resilience, this is a warped perspective of the way I truly view myself. This is why I have painted myself as almost whimsical folklore. The olive branch and leaf crown is to symbolize peace and tranquility, with a touch of elegance that is paired with the metallic gold paint and gold leaf. I took inspiration from renaissance style paintings, though it resulted in a more than modern take. It is more than clear that I am not a fairy-like creature on the outside, but on the inside this is what I truly have found myself perceived as after trauma, challenges, but most importantly, resilience.
Acrylic on canvas.