(LCAD Trustee Choice Award 2023 Winner | Illustration West 61 Exhibit)
In this painting, I am visualizing my shadow self. A shadow self represents the parts of oneself that they find difficult to accept. For me, this is my struggle with anxiety and panic attacks.
Facial expression in my self portrait capture the difference from me and my shadow self. The side of my face in the light is neutral and isn’t yet affected by the shadow. The other side is emoting the anxiety and worry of my shadow self. Ultimately, my goal was for the viewer to be able to isolate each half of my face and see the two different versions of myself.
The colors I use in this painting also separate these two versions of myself. The warm, red toned world shines through on my face, but is quickly diminishing as the green, colder world takes over. While the warm light represents the real world and my real surroundings, I view the dark, cold world as the one my shadow self resides in.