Self-Portrait with Open Eye Painting

This piece is an extension of my current work on a series called The Good Girls which examines issues surrounding motherhood, isolation and postpartum mental health. Inspired by the work of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (self-portraits) and the French sculptor Auguste Rodin (the Three Shades), in this painting I am documenting the personal through symbolic imagery and surrealistic distortions. This self-portrait is about emotional responses to the world around oneself. I am using a repetition of the gesture of the hands to heighten the feelings of an emotional shutdown. In doing so this central figure is isolated to the thoughts in her head yet has one open eye as the last vestige of communication with the world. The wallpaper of graphic Moringa leaves in the background remain like two-dimensional distant witnesses to this person’s turmoil. These leaves symbolize the resilience of life, and hint at a willful optimism to overcome this conflict. Note: This piece is the recipient of the Juror's award at the 2018 Kingston Fine Arts Festival, WA