Birthday Thoughts, post Sugar-rush Print

This piece is part of an ongoing series called "Rainbow Blues" where I explore the fictitious lives of deformed kids and sometimes adults that have some sort of genetic or man-caused deformity that impacts their ability to do certain things, but does not impair them from enjoying the little things in life, such as getting excited over taco Tuesday, hamburger Wednesday, their new kicks or their hand-me-down phone to name a few. It derives from my exploration of what was my road to self-acceptance through childhood and how we as children define our self-worth and self-image based on our peers’ view; we are what we are seen as. The series challenges the viewer to question and decide the aesthetic value in a portrait of a particular child enjoying trivial thoughts that only a child enjoys, much like in real life. The juxtaposition of hand written text in the portrait works as a tool to tell the story and allow room for the Viewer to engage and empathize.