what was this project?

This was my last project at DV8, we essentially had total creative freedom for his project. We had to come up with a concept and create a piece of work around this concept using whatever media we wanted.  

​

what did you choose to make for this project and why?

I chose to create a triptych around the word recovery, i am a big advocate for mental health and have been on a journey with my own mental health and struggles with addiction. Therefore i wanted to raise awareness around this issue and highlight that it can get better because there is hope. 

​

what techniques & materials did you choose to use?

I decided i wanted this project to be mixed media, to create different textures and layers, the main technique i chose to use was collage.

Techniques and materials for my backgrounds:

for all 3 i used different book pages to collage onto my blank canvases which i then painted over, for my first canvas i used a sponge to create brickwork, on my second canvas i used sponges to create more brickwork, the sky and grey clouds, on my last canvas i used sponges for the explosion of colours and flicked paint from paintbrushes for my splatters.

Techniques and materials for my portraits: 

for my first portrait i used white and black watercolours mixed to different pigments and applied with different brushes, i then used coloured watercolours to create bruising. Finally using biros and fine liners i added my final details.

for my second portrait i used coloured watercolours and acrylic applied with different bushes and added my final details using biros and fine liners.

for my last portrait i used watercolour brush pens as they have a brighter pigment and used brushes to blend, and finally i used biros, fine liners and paint pens to add my final details, including the flower overlay on acetate.  

every canvas also has book quotes and written statements about my life at the time, i used PVA to glue the statements onto the canvas and i used paint pens to write my statements and then PVA to glue them on also.

​

what is the story behind your first canvas titled "broken"?

My first canvas is the darkest one i created. The time period it conveys is from year 9 to year 11 (age 13 - 15) throughout this time I was being severely bullied and beaten up, I was self-harming every day and just felt like suicide was my only way out - I didn't realise how much I was loved by my family and by Jesus hence the use of black and dark colours to portray i'd shut out the light and was consumed by darkness. I decided to use book quotes that can link to what the piece is about and I collaged them in the cracks of the bricks because all the negativity was coming through the crack in my life and weighing me down until I felt like I was drowning, when I should have took control and kept my truth and listened to the people who cared instead of believing everything that people were saying. I also wrote my feelings on acetate to show how I actually felt at this time, i thought this was important a sit could help people see the signs and thoughts of people who could be struggling and are afraid to reach out and find help.

​

what is the story behind your second canvas titled "warrior"?

This canvas was titled Warrior and the time period it conveys is my last month of year 11 to September 2018 (age 15-17.) throughout this time I had started to fight my self harm addiction and by my 16th birthday I had stopped, I has relapsed a few times but that is so different from self harming everyday, but I had started using drugs and this became a whole new addiction - I had met some really lovely friends and started going back to church which was a big part of my uphill battle I let the light back in and had Jesus and my family fighting with me - but the drugs were a big problem which is why I thought this was such an important thing to show I was also in a really bad relationship it was really abusive both emotionally, physically and sometimes sexually, this is why I have put the bruising around my neck but also around my cleavage area which is a private place to me to highlight how violated I felt. There is a phrase on here I have written which is Fight, Flight, Freeze and put freeze in white because this is what I did in this relationship I didn't know what to do or how to stop what was happening.

Recovery isn't easy although I became a warrior, I still had my struggles not everything will get better at the same time. In this canvas I have still got the brick wall - it doesn't cover the canvas partly to show the wall I built around me was coming down but I was still reserved. The blue sky was to symbolise the light coming back in but with clouds to show not everything was okay. to some people i definitely will not look like a warrior to some people but to me and the people around me i was battling a lot at once, although sometimes it was two steps forward and one step back, i fought and i won.

​

what is the story behind your third canvas titled "survivor"?

This canvas was titled Survivor and the time period it conveys is from October 2018 to Now (age 17 - 18.) Throughout this time I have become so much happier, I have reconnected with Jesus and that has really changed my life how I view myself, I am so much closer with my family and know how to deal with my emotions, after dropping out of college and having two apprenticeships that didn’t work out I’m at a college that actually feels right and makes me feel like I belong. I have got an amazing boyfriend; I have got a lot more self-confidence and I don’t hate everything about me – I’m happy with who I am and I have kicked the drug addiction, the abusive relationship and the self-harm. I am in such a better place and I am proud of myself. My recovery is there on a canvas. In my portrait I have
used acetate to overlay flowers, this is visual representation of how I find my scars beautiful and important they show the battle I’ve been through and what i have survived; I won’t be ashamed of them. I used book quotes again, a few are from the Bible, I put a really important one on there that said; She is not 100% healed, I think this is important because I’m not 100% better yes I have recovered but I won’t ever be 100% better I will have my bad days and that’s okay because mental health isn't something that goes away and my recovery isn’t necessarily from my mental health conditions it’s from what has happened in my life, how I have dealt with it and actually I’m proud of who I am, I think my scars are beautiful, I’m not ashamed to say I’m a Christian and I put my faith and strength in God, I am Strong and yes I suffer from mental health but I didn’t give up, I am a survivor.

​

are you happy with how this project and the story it is telling?

I am happy I persevered through and finished it even when I hit bumps on the way. i made the point of: I am not fully recovered, I still have bad days, because mental health isn’t like a infection, it doesn’t clear up with a course of antibiotics, it is something that people have to live with, but that is okay, because there are healthy ways to cope, you do not need to be ashamed or feel like a burden, you dont have to be happy everyday, it is okay not to be okay, there is strength in asking for help. There is hope, things can get better. which was really important to me, i truly hope this piece of art inspires people and raises awareness.

​

was there anything else included in this project you haven't spoken about?

All of our projects are broken down into different criteria, which are a mix of sketchbook and research work and practical work. In this project we had to:

1. Artist Research - Research artists and art movements that have created art around your concept or similar concepts.

2. Initial Practical Experiments - experiment with 5 techniques and ideas you could use for your final project and annotate these studies.

3. Present your Ideas and Finalise your Project - Present your ideas to your tutor and gain feedback, with this feedback finalise your idea for your project.

4. Develop your Final Idea - Identify suitable media, materials and techniques best suited for use to produce  your final idea.

5. Project Proposal - You need to present a ‘project proposal’ to your tutors/peers using a suitable presentation format. From this you will gather final feedback and gain approval from your tutors to proceed.

6. Create your Final Piece - Produce a final outcome that meets the requirements of the project brief in line with feedback received throughout the term

​

what was your favourite part of this project?

My favourite part of this project was seeing my work all together as a triptych. And then actually realising the journey i have been on and being able to inspire others and show them that there is hope and help is real.