Oil Portfolio

Painted in oil on a 16" x 20" inch canvas. This piece is my connection to the refracted self image I dwelled for too long on in my 20s. I chose to abstract my self portrait to showcase the identity I felt connected to, rather than relying on a realistic image. How I view myself is a collection of interpretations, and as such, I used my favorite colors to create an environment I associate my identity, as well as paint application in traditional layers as a metaphor for the soul that lays beneath my appearance. This painting is a nod to embracing my image, as well as a defiance to what look I grew into, to paint myself clearly yet with aspects only I truly understand.

8" x 10" Oil on canvas. This was a part of my sustained investigation to the creation of the Catholic Church. I used squares in the cloak to show the building of the religion. The ash tones of green and purple play with the contrast in the old and new interpretations of the abrahamic texts. And a yellowed eye to show the decay of the reliance of religion in the current world.

24" x 24 inch Oil, Acrylic, Encaustic paint on wood panel. This was about paying respect to the memory of adoration I had for the individuals represented by the Egret and Dalmatian. While they still hold a special place in my heart, peace followed with their removal from my life. Sanity was forged after I thought about our relationship with my head and not my heart, and although I still dream of them, I needed to put their memory to rest in order to find serenity.

I used heavy texture and cool tones to convey conflicted somber emotions. As well as a lighter burst of hue to show the light at the end of the tunnel in getting over what had bothered me about letting go of these people.

The Dalmatian’s heart is centered whereas the Egret’s head is. One connection was based off of the heart. The other was more based on consciousness.

Through these separate, yet somewhat similar experiences, I learned to never forsake yourself (or your respect) for connection. Let people go, or remove whoever doesn’t uplift you! Words are actionable and should never be taken lightly. (stuff can be that deep).

24" x 24" Acrylic, Oil, Encaustic paint on wood panel. Sleep Walking; The Mind. 24” x 24” Acrylic, Oil, Encaustic paint on wood panel.

A piece representing the minds role in sleepwalking. A subconscious haunting that lifts my body during my rest. Something depicted as supernatural in the media, yet natural to me.

I used acrylic to build up the texture of the background. The heavy layers representing a natural state, closer to grass. The legs I painted in sheer glazes to give a ghostly yet dreamy appearance. I then stumbled on a lace like texture in the dress, muddied by the subconscious. A shadow appears in the back, the real reason I can’t rest as night. All oil and acrylic was then encased and sealed with beeswax.

30" x 40" Oil and dry pastel on canvas. Purity is a concept that means to be free of sin. It is so often associated with a woman's relationship with intimacy, especially in religious settings. Purity culture is so often framed as a means of protection, as if a woman abstains and covers up that violence will never reach her, but that isn't reality. The perfect victim does not exist. Women should not have to be perfect in order to be safe. I used a watercolor esq style in application by thinning the oil with mineral spirits to show the tears I have cried over rape culture. I used heavy blue presence in the face because the topic is so somber and a strong saturation of pink in the hair as a symbolism of femininity. The religious symbolism in the woman's forehead is a connection to the role religion plays into purity culture, and the fact that Jesus was right in his statement to God that men do not know what they do, because I believe if they did, we were never worth the salvation of Christ.

24" x 24" Acrylic, Oil, Encaustic paint on wood panel.

The second in the series ‘Sleepwalking’. A representation of the body’s role in a restless night. The detachment of your mind being occupied as you walk unaware, and unprotected.

The dress and arm are much less depicted naturally because of the detachment from reality as I sleepwalk. The painting process matches the painting, ‘Sleepwalking; The Mind’. The building of texture with Acrylic paint, oil glazes for the dreamy figure, and a thick layer of beeswax to wrap the panel in.