In the Artwork Spotlight series of blog posts, The Layered Onion highlights a specific work by an artist in the community. These works could range from short stories to visual art, music, and more!
Today, Clara Christensen (she/her) will be sharing several images from her “Space Lava Lamp.” Before we delve into the art, a little more about Clara in her own words:
Hi, I’m Clara, a graphic artist. I have been doing graphic/digital art for about 6 years now, and have been mostly influenced by pop art. I am usually shy, so being able to use my creativity to express myself has been beneficial.
Clara Christensen, Space Lava Lamp 1, 2, and 3. Digital Art (Illustrator). February 2022.
Clara participated in a Q&A with The Layered Onion, expanding further on the piece:
How would you describe your artistic style?
My artistic style is mainly from pop art, and I added my own spin of using no black outlines and adding gradients to create a more clean, light look.
What is your favorite part about art?
My favorite part about art is being able to visually share my ideas and concepts that I would have otherwise struggled to explain in words. It’s like a window into my mind and creative ideas.
Where did you get your inspiration for this piece?
I was originally inspired by Roy Liechtenstein, a pop artist who used many contrasting colors to make certain parts of his pieces pop. I was also inspired by retro posters from the 50s-60s, when they were trying to promote space travel. I then added my own spin with concepts of how lava lamps appear weightless and fluid to add to the piece.
You use contrasting colors of orange and blue that catch the eye. What led you to these colors?
I was mainly inspired by how space contains a lot of cool colors, and lava lamps are usually warmer colors. I landed on blue and orange as good contrasting colors for this piece to help establish foreground and background as well.
Talk a little about the panels. How does that work for this piece?
I have always loved the idea of having multiple pieces of art that could make up one giant piece when placed together, but could also stand on their own. I also feel like with this particular piece, you could rearrange the panels out of order and it would still look nice next to each other. This began as an experiment with that idea, and I ended up loving it, and plan on having multiple panels for my art in the future.
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You can see more of Clara’s work on her Instagram @claradianedesign or in her portfolio. Go check it out!
In the Artwork Spotlight series of blog posts, The Layered Onion highlights a specific work by an artist in the community. These works could range from short stories to visual art to music and more!
Today, Danni Blackman (she/they) will be sharing her work “i miss my body.” Before we delve into the art, a little more about Danni in her own words:
“Hello! My name is Danni and I am a self-taught visual artist. I have been working with acrylics on canvas for almost 6 years.
The journey towards my style started when I was 17. I had a random urge to paint and collected the supplies I could find from my childhood leftovers. The goal was to paint a landscape, but as the process continued along, I noticed I was falling for the palette more than the painting itself. I began using my canvas simultaneously as the palette ever since.
I listen to live or recorded music, envision colors, and allow the brush strokes to be led by my awkward dance moves. I enjoy embracing the nonsensical. Creating for the sake of creation creates freedom.”
In a Q&A with The Layered Onion, Danni expands further on her style and her piece:
What led you to art?
Art is a therapeutic and soul feeding activity. I grew up with art. My Dad’s family is very artistic in nature – lots of music and I also have a few aunts who are painters. Being an artist is inherited for me.
When I was 17, I needed to paint and went to paint a landscape, that didn’t turn out at all like I imagined.
After, I was gifted a record player. The first album I had was “The Bends” by Radiohead and I listened to that while painting for at least a year. I started focusing on the palette and was inspired. I started painting sounds, which to me matched brush strokes.
You have an interesting process with sound and visuals. Can you describe what that is like?
It’s very mind’s eye but also instantaneous. I can vividly picture what colors go with the melody and the feel. It feels like I’m able to capture the energy and the essence of the sound. Sometimes I do full albums and sometimes just 1-2 songs. I play the album on repeat until it ends up on paper. You can see this in “i miss my body.”
Danni Blackman, i miss my body. Mixed media, acrylics, and cloth. 2020.
What inspired you for the piece “i miss my body?“
It started with an exercise book designed to get your creativity going. One of the thoughts was to paint or draw something that you know really well with your eyes closed. I painted my parents and I thought it looked cool but my Mom didn’t like it.
During that time I was gaining weight and going through an experience where I was just seeing myself changed. I didn’t feel like myself. I missed my body. The thought and feeling was in my headspace an unhealthy amount. With that in mind I painted over my mom’s face and painted the body in the piece. It reflected the disconnect that I felt between myself and my body. I didn’t feel connected.
I can’t help but ask – why hot pink for the upper right hand corner? Was it associated with sound? It keeps drawing my eye back in in a really interesting way as I try to see what I’m looking at.
That portion of the piece reflects the brain with a halo wrapped around it – the symbolism of losing my mind. This head is in the past becausethis body is gone. The brain was hard to paint and I hadn’t used hot pink yet so I incorporated it.
What mediums do you often use?
Acrylics are my favorite – they match my personality. They dry very quickly. They are adaptable and can be changed in many ways. Very versatile. I’m a very impatient person and watching paint dry is crazy making so I like how acrylics dry quickly.
I’m also getting into collage and starting to do mixed media. “i miss my body” has a choker necklace on the piece.
I was inspired by an artist (whose name escapes me) who repurposed trash that she found and made it valuable by transforming it in art. I’ve been incorporating things like broken jewelry and film since 2014. I also make zines that include visual art, collages, and poetry.
Do you have themes that inspire your work or that you find particularly impactful?
I really get inspired by my spirituality. I’m agnostic but feel very spiritual and connected to nature. I paint a lot about lessons I’ve learned or am learning. I have a series called “The Almighty is non-binary.”
I tend to start my pieces in the middle and I’m not sure where it will end. As I keep going it makes more or more sense. My subconscious is telling a vivid story and I’m not supposed to know what the beginning is until I do.
Anything else about the work that you would want to share or say?
With this piece or any piece tied to weighted experience, the process and result of painting makes it more livable. It becomes something I can appreciate and it helps me accept the thought. “i miss my body” was a big seed of self-love that I planted – you’re worth it and lovable.
Something we can all relate and aspire to – a goal to better understand ourselves and own our experiences through our art or hobbies. Acceptance is hard, but to quote Danni, “you’re worth it and lovable.”
You can see more of Danni’s work on her Instagram @danniblackmaaan or on her website. Her website has a unique display of her art using models – I highly encourage you to check it out!
In the Artwork Spotlight series of blog posts, The Layered Onion highlights a specific work by an artist in the community. These works could range from short stories to visual art to music and more!
Today, Carrie Ravenscroft (she/her) will be sharing several images from her project “ADHD.” Before we delve into the art, a little more about Carrie in her own words:
“Hi there! I’m Carrie… an artist and mental health advocate from London. I identify as queer, poly and living with a chronic disability which translates into my work.
More recently, I consider myself neurodivergent, as I have gone through a therapeutic journey that has enabled me to use my experience to support others. I aim to address discrimination, stigmatisation and ignorance in my work, in a way that is tolerable through colourful, whimsical and nonsensical paintings.”
Carrie holds true to these words in her ADHD project.
Carrie Ravenscroft, “ADHD” series. Watercolor, highlighter, black fine liner, and Sharpies on A3 paper. June 2021+.
She describes it as:
“What I have put on paper is a direct expression of what is going on inside my head and the truth is that I don’t know which thing is relevant. It’s a misconception that people with ADHD simply lack attention span, when the reality is closer to lacking attention span to the ‘correct’ things, within the ‘correct’ context – the inability to correctly filter out the world. I have so much going on inside my head that I can rarely prioritise what needs to be focused on, which feels chaotic. Often this leads to overwhelm and shutting down entirely.
This series is called ‘ADHD’, which involved me pouring out of my mind as much as I could! After 33 years of dealing with mental health struggles and not knowing how to appropriately handle my thoughts, feelings and sensitivities, my body was hurting. I was tired, aching, my skin burning, my brain buzzing in all the wrong ways. All that trauma and the concerns I had for the world needed exporting into imagery, and this was the result.”
Carrie Ravenscroft, “ADHD” series. Watercolor, highlighter, black fine liner, and Sharpies on A3 paper. June 2021+.
Carrie participated in a Q&A with The Layered Onion, expanding further on the work:
What medium and materials did you use for the work? Was it the same for both?
They’re both watercolour illustrations on A3 paper. I mixed it up a little by also using highlighters, black fine liners and sharpies. Watercolour is my way of expressing and releasing emotions, but I recognise that I’m always drawn back to outlines and control. I’m ok with that for now. I use small paper because of practical reasons and painting in a small space (my bedroom)…. making a series of images helps me create that big artwork, piece by piece.
Are there other images in this project for people who want to explore more?
Yes, there are currently five in total, although this remains an open-ended project, therefore when the mood sparks I may continue…. Eventually, I plan to stack and display them in the form of a tall doll house, featuring lots of individual rooms and stories. You can see the series at www.carrieraven.com/pandemic.
I love the contrast of the grey and brown background with the pops of color. It brings to life the concept of a busy mind that shifts around to different topics. What inspired your use of particular colors?
Thank you! That’s something I enjoyed creating and want to expand as a style. It does kind of feel like it symbolises lots of passion & hard work combined with giving up and not finishing what I started. That represents the chaos in my mind, how it’s so full of ideas and memories, and how it intermittently stops functioning when overloaded with info. It’s not fun, yet I’m also aware that shutting down helps me cope.
Your art has a well-balanced sense of space. You use a combination of written text and visuals to create a nuanced and intimate picture of the inside of your head. What guides you when you are designing the composition?
I listen to music a lot (mostly trip-hop) and podcasts on psychology whilst painting, which really keep me in the flow. It also balances and regulates me; simultaneously silencing the nonsense in my brain whilst filling in the painful blanks that will ultimately follow. The text must subconsciously derive from those, haha! But also, a lot correlates directly to the ideas of each image, kinda like I can’t risk the unknown or ambiguous. I used to get frustrated at my literal depictions but actually, it’s very self-soothing, so I think I will do this more.
You use a variety of spaces – how did you choose which rooms (bathroom, etc.) that you did?
I tried to keep a consistently simple room structure to let my imagination run wild within. It reminded me of art therapy, where I was building myself a safe boundaries space, before giving myself permission to offload my thoughts. These spaces are all imaginary though and perspective skewed, however the concepts still remain truthful. I guess the room ideas came from lockdown and seeing the same rooms over and over again. And how I wanted to bring some meaning and depth to my physical surroundings. Or to get the thoughts glued inside my head…. Somehow outside me, but keeping them contained to some extent because they’re fragile and private.
There are also surrealist elements that stand out in the pieces. Do you use elements like this a lot in your work?
Although I sometimes struggle with symbolism and the unknown, for some reason I absolutely love surrealism!! Maybe it’s a form of sublimation, twisting reality and taking control of my thoughts… through art, which isn’t unhealthy for me. It’s an escapism from the pain of life. It gives you the freedom to play and make mistakes because you create the rules, no one else! The things I struggle with artistically, ie correct perspective, colour tones, neatness, finished pieces, or drawing hands & faces (uggh)… I dont have to be perfect. I can mess up and still have fun.
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You can see more of Carrie’s work on her website and Instagram @ravenscroftcarrie. Go check it out!
In the Artwork Spotlight series of blog posts, The Layered Onion highlights a specific work by an artist in the community. These works could range from short stories to visual art to music and more!
Today, John Gerrard (he/they) will be sharing his piece “More in Both Directions.” John took the time to participate in a Q+A with The Layered Onion, but before we share the dialogue, here’s a little bit more about John in their own words:
“I am a multidisciplinary artist, with a focus on visual art.
As a visual artist I’m currently focused on making drawings that are text based and speculative. The work is meant to be enjoyed for its form and aesthetic quality, but also invites investigations into the strands of literal meaning. The text is readable in linear and non linear ways, and is themed on subjects such as the mind, free will and how that relates to whether we discover or create identities.
Formally, the work usually consists of compositions of multiple panels. I draw each panel by hand and then invert the black and white digitally. After they are inverted and in a grid, I mirror the piece both vertically and horizontally. This symmetry gives
order to the disorderly nature of the vast and varied text. It holds the tension of a middle zone. The finished work is presented as an image that is playful with the rational and the chaotic. There is structure and randomness coexisting with design.”
John Gerrard, More in Both Directions. Fine art rag paper, archival pigment-based inks. January 2021.
Want to see it closer? John has some zoomed in views available here that are worth digging into to engage further with the piece.
Getting into the questions:
This piece is so meticulous and detailed. How did you approach creating it? What were your initial starting thoughts?
I had pieces of paper that were cut into triangles which I used to draw/write about some of my experiences in the psych ward as well as my mental health journey in general. It’s meant to be a speculative zone where I can explore ideas and memories in a way that helps me organize and reflect.
I find the use of shapes, both the diamonds and the diagrams fascinating in how they break up the piece and emphasize certain statements. What was your thought process behind these?
I think using the shapes is a good way to highlight and emphasize like you said. It’s a way to organize the content as well as give the eyes something else to look at.
What inspired you in terms of color scheme?
I really love the aesthetic of white line on black. For me, it evokes a sort of chalkboard feel, as well as the line being like light in the dark.
I notice you kept cross outs throughout the work. Did these start out as intentional or a combination of spontaneousness?
I keep the cross outs to be honest with the process. There are some things I don’t feel comfortable keeping on the page, or places where I make mistakes. It’s human!
You repeat the title throughout the work. Is it a representation of a constant thought? A mantra?
I live with a type of bipolar, and the title represents that excessive happiness as well as sadness that I deal with sometimes. Finding a balance between the lows and the highs can be hard when you have bipolar.
Anything else about the work that you would want to share or say?
There are a lot of painful moments that I signify in this piece. It was therapeutic for me to process them on the page, as I changed my relationship with them as I went. If people have felt similar things I hope they feel less alone looking at the drawing.
Definitely a message that I can get behind. Thanks for sharing, John! You can see more of John’s work at their website.
In the Artwork Spotlight series of blog posts, The Layered Onion highlights a specific work by an artist in the community. These works could range from short stories to visual art to music and more! Today, Kai Kirby (they/them) will be sharing their piece “Mother.” Kai took the time to participate in a Q+A with The Layered Onion, but before we share the dialogue, here’s a little bit more about Kai:
Kaius Kirby is a disabled, mixed-media, working artist in west Chicagoland. Currently their work focuses on vessels that can be meaningfully “encountered” by the disabled body. Their works are brightly colored (for low-vision), textured (for stimming), and unmounted (for low mobility).
Kai Kirby, Mother. Puffy paint and glass. July 2021.
What is the name of this piece?
“Mother.” I call it that because it is my first piece that I created out of textured pointillism style that had real potential to it. I was kind of in awe after I created it. I was creating while in pain as a meditative act and making something new.
How did you approach creating and thinking of pointillism?
I was kicking around with materials last summer and had created a couple of masks in pointillist style. I put dots on a bunch of weird stuff – I created a lizard head. The style is something that could be done incrementally – it was more flexible. I could do it while in bed with pain and could pick it up and start it again – working with limitations of myself. I could put it down if I was feeling fatigued.
What is the medium? It looks like it has texture – what does it feel like?
I work in children’s puff paint – the stuff used to make camp t-shirts (laughs). For the glass at the base I use found and recycled glass. I go to thrift stores and garage sales or source from friends that are throwing things away. Using seconds is important to the work as it is tied into how disabled people are viewed and given seconds in society.
I want pieces to feel just as interesting as they look. I encourage people to touch them at my house (and whenever the gallery isn’t looking). This piece is a little slick and in places raised higher and thicker. You can trace the circles and feel it go concentrically out. I think of the yellow part as a water dragon – kind of curled out almost like a tail.
How did you settle on the use of a color? My favorite color is yellow, so I’m a fan. The colors also seem to promote harmony. How do you get color to turn out on something like this?
I contemplated for a while mixing my own paints, but have been sticking with children’s puff paint. I really like the limitation that the children’s paint forces upon me – I have to use really jubilant colors and work within a limited color palette. It forces me to make sophisticated and interesting material that isn’t considered sophisticated by default.
What’s it like to create a tactile piece of art like this?
This piece took so long to make – around a month. It was a tough month. It was a vessel of suffering, which is such a contrast to how it looks. There are layers to peel back. Whenever I finish with a vessel, all pain and suffering is poured in and I’m left with a whimsical piece. It’s a gift for myself at the end – like a congratulations!
It’s really interesting to see people interact with the piece without knowing the history. Looking at it and figuring it out, you can’t tell – that’s what pain is like for a lot of people. We walk around in our daily lives and unless someone asks or is really attentive, they can’t tell what is going on inside.
I love the concept and phrasing of “encountering” a piece of visual art. What led you to the space where that was a key influence for you?
I wanted to use that word because I was using words like seeing or touching – a phrase that limited someone to a particular sense. It seemed to exclude someone that couldn’t see or touch – I wanted each person to be included in the experience of the work. It’s an inclusive word to use.
You can engage with the piece to the level that you want – you can say “cute vase!” or spend more time with it and get to know it.
What other kinds of texture do you use in your work?
Mostly puff paint, though I’ve dabbled into googly eyes and children’s craft materials. I made little monster balls. Occasionally I will cover things in resin – for the wet look or to really seal things. That takes a long time though.
Anything else you would want to share?
When I think about this piece, I don’t share everything about it every time and I think that is okay. Similarly with mental health – I don’t tell everyone everything all the time and that’s ok. Not everyone wants to encounter a piece the same. Sometimes when people ask how you are doing it is more of a passing phrase. It is ok to share these layers of itself. Honestly – The Layered Onion (laughs). Really healing for me.
What a piece that resonates. You can check out more of Kai’s work on their Etsy shop. Thanks, Kai!
In the Artwork Spotlight series of blog posts, The Layered Onion highlights a specific work by an artist in the community. These works could range from short stories to visual art to music and more!
Today, Kat Gibbons shares her piece Virginia Woolf preparing for her death in the River Ouse.
Kat Gibbons is a self-taught artist and Educational Therapist working with exceptional and at-risk youth through the arts. Kat works with multiple mediums and is constantly accessing new creative parts of herself as well as supporting others in accessing their own self-expression in a manner that supports healing, a positive self-concept and tools they can use in their own lives to stay connected to themselves.
Kat Gibbons, Virginia Woolf preparing for her death in the River Ouse. Oil paint, April 2022.
Kat also took the time to participate in a Q+A with The Layered Onion:
How would you introduce this piece to folks viewing it?
I suppose this is a piece about water and the power of water to draw us in, literally, to the spaces in between, where we might find peace. It’s also about water in ritual and specifically death rituals.
What inspired you to paint Virginia Woolf?
I am English, in part, and am drawn towards the waterways of England and Ireland. I find a lot of calm and relief from grief in those landscapes. I was interested in showing what might be going through her mind, as she prepared for her own death in the river nearest her home in Sussex. I am always wondering about these brilliant women coping during times when they felt boxed in by societal norms and expectations and how art sustains them for a period of time. I also spend time exploring this idea of “Madness”, how it is crafted and cultivated by society and systems, and how divergent individuals of that time turned to taking their own lives. I often think the sanest people are those living between these worlds of the living and the dead and I think the water holds those in between spaces.
She looks so resigned and the background atmosphere with her. Her eyes are tired and her mouth is set. It conveys a lot of emotion as she holds up the rocks that will symbolically and literally hold her down. How did you approach starting and creating it?
For me, the river was the central starting point of creating the piece, as it had to reflect the darkness and beauty of her own mind and she stands in contrast with her white skin and hand. I know that she was wearing her beloved fur coat when she drowned and that very much represents the vehicle for her death, in conjunction with the rocks she collected. I think about the ritual she created by slipping on her wellies and coat to collect stones to drag her further away from her own “madness” towards some kind of peace.
Anything else you would want to share about the work or your engagement with it?
I’ve been working with death and dying in art as well as “Mad Studies”, which I describe as an area of study that attempts to carve out new spaces for the voiceless who experience mental health challenges by moving away from labels provided by psychology and psychiatry. The intersection of “madness”, death and dying through my art has led me back to the water and land of my birth place and thus is helping prepare me for my inevitable death at some point. I feel that our relationships to death can really shift how we honor ourselves and others, especially when we experience suffering and we can express this in complex ways through art.
Thanks, Kat, for sharing this thought provoking historical piece. It really makes me think about how far the world has come in understanding mental and emotional health. Progress is power.
In the Artwork Spotlight series of blog posts, The Layered Onion highlights a specific work by an artist in the community. These works could range from short stories to visual art to music and more!
Today, Ashley Showalter (she/her) will be sharing her mural “And Yet We Rise.”
Ashley is an self-taught artist and peer mental health advocate with lived experience with mental illness. She began creating artwork as a survival tool for her own mental health and now uses her creative abilities to start conversations about the topic of mental health. Ashley is currently living in Oklahoma City. She hopes by sharing her work, someone might find hope and confidence in their path, feeling less isolated while managing or processing mental health struggles.
In February Ashley participated in the Recovery Mural Project community art program in coordination with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. The goal is to spread the message of recovery through the visual impact of art. The murals promote recovery, reduce stigma and bring awareness to mental health and substance abuse services within reach. And who doesn’t love outdoor art?!
Ashley Showalter, “And Yet We Rise.” Posca paint pens on board, February 2022.
Ashley Showalter is the first local artist to contribute to the project. Her mural, “And Yet We Rise,” was installed Thursday, Feb. 24, at HOPE Community Services, Inc., 6100 S. Walker Ave., in Oklahoma City.
“I wanted this mural to be a realistic depiction of having hope in recovery,” said Showalter.
“Throughout my healing journey, I have had many difficult seasons where emotions were not fun to feel that were followed by periods of joy. I think we can all relate to having different experiences of feeling in life.”
“Recovery isn’t linear,” she added. “My goal is for this mural to serve as a reminder that hope is always there, even when we don’t think it’s possible in the present moment.”
The excerpt above comes from the full press release here.
Ashley also took the time to participate in a Q+A with The Layered Onion:
What influenced your choice of color for the piece? I find it bright and inspiring. The face is so expressive of the struggle but also positivity and hope.
I usually don’t draw smiling faces but they wanted the piece to be positive and represent Hope in recovery. The face reminds of a smile where you are faking it til you make it – which seems fitting as sometimes you have to work through difficult times in recovery and fake your smile. My art style is always bright colors with bold black lines so of course I went for a bright look for the mural as well!
What medium did you use?
I drew the original painting with posca paint pens on a board. Then, it was photographed, turned into a large vector that was printed on vinyl and installed onto a surface called “Alupanel” that was screwed into the wall.
How did you decide to break up space in the piece?
I drew the sun first since it was the center piece of the mural then the other sections behind. I wanted to break the background into different patterns representing different aspects of mental health recovery. The rain represents “stormy” or difficult times which lead to the flowers for “growth” or times of posting change. The black and white stripes represent the challenge of black and white thinking in recovery and the clouds represent how our judgement can be clouded sometimes.
Any other info you would like to share about how the project came about?
I was sitting on a mental health recovery coalition when a state mental health department representative mentioned the idea of starting a recovery mural project. I’m known for my art and doodling during meetings and trainings. I reached out and got an interview for the mural. The partner organization loved my art and recovery story and I was hired for the project!
As a neat addition, you can watch a short video of Ashley creating “And Yet We Rise” here which gives you unique insight into the process.
You can check out more of Ashley’s work on her website and her Instagram – @ur.fav.trash.
Thanks, Ashley, for sharing this inspiring mural! No matter where we are at, we have the power within us to rise.
In the Artwork Spotlight series of blog posts, The Layered Onion highlights a specific work by an artist in the community. These works could range from short stories to visual art to music and more!
Today, Calvina Morgan (she/her) will be sharing her piece Med Compliant. Calvina took the time to participate in a Q+A with The Layered Onion:
How would you describe yourself or want to introduce yourself to The Layered Onion community?
I start with the phrase “a lot bipolar-a little artsy” because that is how I identify myself, an artist who struggles with Bipolar 1 Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder, GAD, and ADHD. I’m extremely med compliant though. I used to go on and off my medicine but I realize now, after several times of ruining my life, that medicine is key to my stability.
I’m an artist who tries to explore my fantasy world as well as my reality. Some of my art is cutesy and cartoons while other pieces are emotionally driven and speculative. I also write nonfiction and poetry as a way to cope with my feelings and complex inner life.
I currently live in East Nashville, TN, with my wife, 2 dogs, and 3 cats. It’s definitely a zoo here but my animals help keep me grounded.
Calvina Morgan, Med Compliant. Ink and paper, March 2022.
What inspired you for this piece?
This one was inspired by my struggle to be med compliant. Even though I am, it’s still a frustrating thing to have to take medication every day. Sometimes it feels like my mental illness can be a burden but I try to deal with it in a way that is healthy.
I like the use of color and the different types of pillsplit lines onthe different pills. What made you decide to put which pill where?
The pills are from my own experiences with medications. I’ve tried the gamut of different medicines and currently take 6 different medications to be stable. One of the larger pills reads “Self Doubt” because that is something that is the forefront of my mind. I’m always doubting my abilities as an artist and writer. The rest of the pills are labeled with other negative thoughts and feelings that I experience on a daily basis, even with being med compliant.
Is there symbolism to the tongue being stuck out and reaching for the “bitter” pills? How did you decide the composition of the page?
I wanted the tongue to extend out as a symbol of my willingness to be med compliant. I’m determined to stay on my medications and wanted to convey this. As far as composition, I wanted it to be stark and monotone. I wanted the emphasis to be on the content and not the elements, though I feel both are important in creating art.
What mediums of artwork do you like to use? Is there anything unique that you’ve particularly enjoyed out of different tools you’ve tried?
I enjoy using a wide variety of mediums. My favorite is acrylic paint, but I also heavily use ink for the details. I also enjoy incorporating various mediums in one piece to give it a dynamic appearance. Probably the most unique medium I’ve used is tattooing. It is very different drawing something versus tattooing something.
Do you have any favorite tattoos you’ve designed?
Probably my favorite tattoo I’ve done is my Wanderlust tattoo on my left hand. It’s a simple line design of a camper, trees, and the moon but the significance of it is heavy. I’m constantly feeling the urge to uproot and move so this one is to remind me that no matter where I’m at, I need to find happiness in that.
You also mention that you dabble in writing. What kind of things do you like to write? What do you find most rewarding about it?
I write poetry and nonfiction mainly. Sometimes I will also write lyrics, though I’m not musically inclined. The most rewarding thing about writing is the expression of my feelings and the ability of writing to help me process those feelings. My mental illness makes me very aware of emotions and feelings, and I feel these things to extremes. I’m particularly sensitive to others’ feelings, which have a way of affecting my own emotions.
Thanks, Calvina, for sharing this bold piece! You can check out more of Calvina’s work at the following sites:
In the Artwork Spotlight series of blog posts, The Layered Onion highlights a specific work by an artist in the community. These works could range from short stories to visual art to music and more! Today, Julie Kitzes (she/her) will be sharing her piece Panic Cattack.
Julie took the time to participate in a Q+A with The Layered Onion, but before we share the dialogue, here’s a little bit more about Julie:
Julie grew up in a remote wooded area of western Canada where she became accustomed to living in the wilderness and developed a deep respect for animals and the environment. She’s loved drawing and creating since the time she could hold a pencil, and would often take inspiration from observing the natural world around her. She originally set out to study veterinary medicine, but when a neurological condition left her too ill for the physical demands that entailed, she decided to pursue art seriously. After enduring six brain surgeries, Julie graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration in December of 2017. Currently residing in northern Colorado, she uses her personal work to examine the connections between life, death, growth, and decay, as well as the various plights faced by our natural world. Julie specializes in pet portraiture and animal art, and believes in creating impactful work that touches her audience while keeping art affordable and accessible to everyone.
Julie Kitzes, Panic Cattack.
Now on to the Q+A portion…
I love the inspiration of nature and animals in your pieces. I’m a cat person myself and love how you captured emotions and overlapped different parts of the cat body. It captures the complexity of emotion. How’d you approach painting this piece? What was your inspiration?
I approached this piece by sketching out different faces/poses on tracing paper and playing with layering them until I got a composition I liked. Once I solidified it I traced it onto bristol board and finished it with watercolors and colored pencil. I really wanted to capture the range of emotions encompassed by anxiety, and give it a frantic energy. My inspiration comes from having panic attacks myself, but also watching my cat Roger experience anxiety and restlessness when a family of barn swallows had decided to nest right outside our apartment door one spring.
Do you use live subjects for all of your work or also rely on some abstract?
I tend to blend the two in a lot of my work. I feel adding abstract or surreal elements makes the work more interesting.
What led you to the project of representing anxiety in pets?
This actually was a rejected piece of work for a pet anxiety clothing company, so I retained the rights to use it personally, and now it’s part of a bigger project I’m working on.
Are there any other series like this that drew on similar inspiration?
Yes! So the bigger project I’m working on is an illustrated book about mental health with my cat Roger as the main subject. He guides the reader through everything from emotional regulation to the importance of setting and maintaining healthy boundaries with others.
Anything else you would want to say about this work?
I’m excited to keep working on this project and to keep producing more pieces like this for it. I really hope the book, once finished, is able to be of some help to even a few people.
Any websites or links you’d like us to share?
Absolutely. My work can be seen at www.juliekitzes.com, or on Instagram at @juliekitzes. My book has it’s own Instagram where you can get behind the scenes peeks and tidbits from the book, and you can follow along with that one at @butwithcats. I’m always open to commissions and do a lot of pet portraits, so people can feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] for more info or even just to say hi!
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In addition to pet portraits, Julie works on a wide variety of diverse projects, including but not limited to children’s literature to custom tattoos to hand-painted needlepoint canvases!
Julie also maintains a blog, where she explores her experience with mental health and wellness and how it interacts with and influences her art. Her post on ADHD is particularly accessible, honest, and enlightening. Julie is currently working on a book project.
In the Artwork Spotlight series of blog posts, the Layered Onion highlights a specific work by an artist in the community. These works could range from short stories to visual art to music and more!
Today, Emma Paunil (she/her/hers) shares Soul Flame, a song and music video that reminds us that even in our darkest hour, there exists hope and purpose to re-ignite our “Soul Flame.” The song debuted on World Suicide Prevention Day, September, 10, 2021, and goes beyond the music as many of the cast and crew involved shared their personal experiences with suicide in a series of companion interviews.
Emma Paunil, Soul Flame Album Cover
Emma herself is a pianist and musician of over 20 years. Her passion is emotional intelligence and healing, and integrates her various art forms – including her self-help and children’s book authorship, her acting, directing, and other creative outlets – in order to inspire this emotional understanding. Soul Flame embodies this passion and is rooted in her experiences. Emma is making it a mission to demystify and de-stigmatize available therapy techniques available for those who need help.
The music video features a story-teller (the artist), painting the experience of a young girl who experienced loss, bullying, and other emotional trauma. In the end, after we witness the harmful emotional effects of burying emotions as the young girl becomes a teen, we learn that even in our darkest hour, there exists hope and purpose to re-ignite our “Soul Flame.”
The video offers each of us the chance to watch and engage with our own thoughts and struggles and find our own meaning. From Emma, “As Soul Flame has been played across the world, there have been many interpretations as to what actually happens in the music video. People ask me if the father commits suicide in the music video, or if the mother does. I’ve even had a group reflect upon watching the video that, ‘this is exactly what happens with many teens — they feel they cannot reach out to anyone, sometimes even if they have the best parent in the world. Parents need to reach out to their teens.’” The video highlights experience and perspective to allow us, the viewers, to reflect on our own.
The accompanying interviews here expand on creators’ experiences and engagement in this work. The cast and crew reflect on their own experiences and offer thoughts (“Does my life look like what I want it to look like?”, “There is no set formula for [mental health]”, “a new angle/view/perspective can help”) and pull in experiences from past professional life as well, including a look at law enforcement and mental health and where we can keep striving for better. For me, watching the videos and the interviews gave me the chance to engage with myself and think about my own struggles and what I’ve been working on in therapy as I engaged with the story and the words. In Emma’s words – “I feel that whomever watches the music video will take the perspective in which they need the most for their well-being.” Words have power, but we also have the power to reframe them and support ourselves by finding our Soul Flame.
Emma’s art engages with many formats – including children’s books, music, and crafts. If you would like to see more of Emma’s work, visit her website here and check out the Etsy shop EPMCreatives.
