This portrait series depicts
the effects that living with mental illness has on real people. I spent careful time with each one to narrate their experience in an honest, respectful, and deeply poignant way. As I painted each work I was able to spend quiet, intimate hours with the subject- both the actual person and the illness. It’s amazing how much grief people carry around and how eager they are to crack open their hearts when someone shows they are willing to listen. Mental illness is a formidable foe that manipulates reality in such a way that those inflicted feel overwhelmed by everyday tasks, a decrease in self confidence and an increase in self loathing, confusing physical sensations, and consuming compulsions. I chose to represent this foe as a human hand because of how universally gestural hands are, and also to bring to mind such expressions as “losing grip”, “get a grip”, and in contrast, “lend a hand” and “helping hand”. This series illustrates unseen yet palpable experiences of those currently in the throes of mental illness. Whether you have mental illness or simply advocate for those who do, may it shift your conversational habits toward recognition, healthy coping, and revolutionizing medical care.