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Outside/Outsider - Artists confronting Mental Illness
on view May 21 - June 13 @ Local Project in LIC
an exhibition in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month
Curated by Karen Gormandy & Issa Ibrahim
(please see press release below)
Click to enlarge image and read more...
Artwork: Helena Holland Breger
Eva Brandenburg
“Even Witches Should be Careful Sometimes”, 2021
Watercolor, Marker, Pen
10 × 7"
$175
“I work as a Peer Specialist and make art but I don’t define myself as a mentally ill artist. My art is often described as “trippy” though it is not a response to any bipolar symptoms I have experienced in the past. What my art IS is a way to cope with and even capitalize on my ADHD as art has always helped me focus. In 2019 I tore my ACL skiing and I coped with recovery by using all the free time to make art and just see what happened. It turned out to be more fulfilling than I could have hoped.
I ended up creating an entire alter ego who’s usually lost in space and time but they never give up and take a humorous, sarcastic and ultimately positive view of life. Having an alter ego makes me feel less self-conscious as I explore the stranger styles and themes that come up in unplanned art. That might sound a bit "crazy" but I also understand the importance of disclosure and want to show that it's possible to have a mental illness and live a full creative life beyond just being "stable". - Eva Brandenburg
https://www.instagram.com/lord_fontleroy_hasitall/
Instagram: @lord_fontleroy_hasitall
Watercolor, Marker, Pen
10 × 7"
$175
“I work as a Peer Specialist and make art but I don’t define myself as a mentally ill artist. My art is often described as “trippy” though it is not a response to any bipolar symptoms I have experienced in the past. What my art IS is a way to cope with and even capitalize on my ADHD as art has always helped me focus. In 2019 I tore my ACL skiing and I coped with recovery by using all the free time to make art and just see what happened. It turned out to be more fulfilling than I could have hoped.
I ended up creating an entire alter ego who’s usually lost in space and time but they never give up and take a humorous, sarcastic and ultimately positive view of life. Having an alter ego makes me feel less self-conscious as I explore the stranger styles and themes that come up in unplanned art. That might sound a bit "crazy" but I also understand the importance of disclosure and want to show that it's possible to have a mental illness and live a full creative life beyond just being "stable". - Eva Brandenburg
https://www.instagram.com/lord_fontleroy_hasitall/
Instagram: @lord_fontleroy_hasitall
Matt Cauley
“The Chill (Self-Portrait)”, 2018
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 30”
$3,500
Matt Cauley (Dallas, United States) is a visual artist focusing on portrait and figurative painting.
My paintings are characterized by the use of everyday people in everyday settings. The subjects have usually never sat for a painting before, so this is a new experience for them. I ask them to tell me a story of their youth, of nostalgia or some distant memory. The subject relaxes as their attention shifts. Their eyes focus no longer on the room, but on that diversion of memory. Daydream fascination takes over their gaze. What is conveyed becomes deeply personal. Regardless of where they may be sitting in the real world, their mind is on a journey elsewhere. This is the moment that is portrayed on the canvas, creating a sense of separation between the subject and their environment, as well as between the viewer and the painting.
www.mattcauley.com
Instagram: @mattcauley
Twitter: @mattcauley
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 30”
$3,500
Matt Cauley (Dallas, United States) is a visual artist focusing on portrait and figurative painting.
My paintings are characterized by the use of everyday people in everyday settings. The subjects have usually never sat for a painting before, so this is a new experience for them. I ask them to tell me a story of their youth, of nostalgia or some distant memory. The subject relaxes as their attention shifts. Their eyes focus no longer on the room, but on that diversion of memory. Daydream fascination takes over their gaze. What is conveyed becomes deeply personal. Regardless of where they may be sitting in the real world, their mind is on a journey elsewhere. This is the moment that is portrayed on the canvas, creating a sense of separation between the subject and their environment, as well as between the viewer and the painting.
www.mattcauley.com
Instagram: @mattcauley
Twitter: @mattcauley
Jody MacDonald
Jody MacDonald | Outside / Outsider
“The Conjoined Twins”, 2019
Mixed Media
66 x 24 x 24"
$6,000
“There is a history of mental illness in my family. When I was 10 my paternal grandmother was admitted to a facility at Highbury hospital, jokingly referred to as the Highbury Hilton. This hereditary trait was not a topic of family discussion, so I was unaware of my dad’s own ongoing, and ultimately unsuccessful, struggle to manage his depression. When I was 17, my father took his life. Four years later, his mother took hers.
My journey with mental illness began in my early 30s. Due to the social stigma – and the fear to admit I was headed down the same path as my dad and grandmother – I did not allow myself to be diagnosed or labeled as “mentally ill”. Instead of seeking professional help I used the same tricks that my father did to manage darkness; exercising religiously for the endorphins, dry humor, finding respite in creative pursuits.
My practice and my illness are entwined. The mental issues that gut me also make me hyper sensitive. I honor this sensitivity in each piece.
www.jodymacdonald.ca
Instagram: @talk.to.me.jody
“The Conjoined Twins”, 2019
Mixed Media
66 x 24 x 24"
$6,000
“There is a history of mental illness in my family. When I was 10 my paternal grandmother was admitted to a facility at Highbury hospital, jokingly referred to as the Highbury Hilton. This hereditary trait was not a topic of family discussion, so I was unaware of my dad’s own ongoing, and ultimately unsuccessful, struggle to manage his depression. When I was 17, my father took his life. Four years later, his mother took hers.
My journey with mental illness began in my early 30s. Due to the social stigma – and the fear to admit I was headed down the same path as my dad and grandmother – I did not allow myself to be diagnosed or labeled as “mentally ill”. Instead of seeking professional help I used the same tricks that my father did to manage darkness; exercising religiously for the endorphins, dry humor, finding respite in creative pursuits.
My practice and my illness are entwined. The mental issues that gut me also make me hyper sensitive. I honor this sensitivity in each piece.
www.jodymacdonald.ca
Instagram: @talk.to.me.jody
Alyson Vega
“Urban Doorway”, 2021
fabric, photos on fabric, paper, ink, gesso, acrylic paint, machine sewn
42 x 32”
$3,250
“Following a stroke and brain surgery, I lost my job as a math teacher. Teaching helped keep my depression at bay. After I had brain surgery, my personality changed. I did not think or act the way I had before. Losing friends, being ostracized, and hospitalized left me afraid to leave my home. At the same time I was suddenly compulsively creating things. I had loved to sew and knit before my surgery but I couldn't follow a pattern anymore. I hoped what I was making was art but didn't know until I met the Director of Fountain House Gallery. I am an intelligent woman who struggles with cognitive impairments, depression and low self-esteem. While I didn't study art, I grew up in New York City and went to excellent schools. I am considered an Outsider Artist because of my lack of training or my brain damage or my mental illness. I am conflicted about the labels. Drawn to the beauty of damage, I am always making something. I want to be seen after feeling invisible.” - Alyson Vega
Instagram: @alyfiberartist
fabric, photos on fabric, paper, ink, gesso, acrylic paint, machine sewn
42 x 32”
$3,250
“Following a stroke and brain surgery, I lost my job as a math teacher. Teaching helped keep my depression at bay. After I had brain surgery, my personality changed. I did not think or act the way I had before. Losing friends, being ostracized, and hospitalized left me afraid to leave my home. At the same time I was suddenly compulsively creating things. I had loved to sew and knit before my surgery but I couldn't follow a pattern anymore. I hoped what I was making was art but didn't know until I met the Director of Fountain House Gallery. I am an intelligent woman who struggles with cognitive impairments, depression and low self-esteem. While I didn't study art, I grew up in New York City and went to excellent schools. I am considered an Outsider Artist because of my lack of training or my brain damage or my mental illness. I am conflicted about the labels. Drawn to the beauty of damage, I am always making something. I want to be seen after feeling invisible.” - Alyson Vega
Instagram: @alyfiberartist
Natalie Woodson
“Skulls & Souls: American Bison”
Pyrography ( Wood Burning )
24 x 24”
NFS
“It is the nature of both art and science to bring an understanding to the world around us.
Skulls & Souls is a series of work that is a constant evolution and reflection of my life’s journey to fulfill that desire. Graphite drawings evolved into pen & ink, acrylic, glass etching, and pyrography/wood-burning. The elements of working with/on wood have given the series the source it needed: a symbolic representation of the permanent mark we make on this earth. The use of nature is integral to the concept of Skulls & Souls, as both its muse and medium.
With nature dying before our very eyes, it is my soul’s responsibility (as in my ability to respond) to capture the likeness in both body and spirit of the beings that are on the many thresholds of life and death, now. Neither feather nor fur will fossilize as their skulls remain as shadows of the world’s fallen wanderers.” - Natalie Woodson
www.skullsandsouls.com
Instagram: @nataliewdsn
Pyrography ( Wood Burning )
24 x 24”
NFS
“It is the nature of both art and science to bring an understanding to the world around us.
Skulls & Souls is a series of work that is a constant evolution and reflection of my life’s journey to fulfill that desire. Graphite drawings evolved into pen & ink, acrylic, glass etching, and pyrography/wood-burning. The elements of working with/on wood have given the series the source it needed: a symbolic representation of the permanent mark we make on this earth. The use of nature is integral to the concept of Skulls & Souls, as both its muse and medium.
With nature dying before our very eyes, it is my soul’s responsibility (as in my ability to respond) to capture the likeness in both body and spirit of the beings that are on the many thresholds of life and death, now. Neither feather nor fur will fossilize as their skulls remain as shadows of the world’s fallen wanderers.” - Natalie Woodson
www.skullsandsouls.com
Instagram: @nataliewdsn
Kim Zack
“Until recognized”, 2021
Oil on canvas
16 x 20”
$1,500
“The bird fights Its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world.”--Demian by Hermann Hesse
Although the bird struggles to break the egg, the bird doesn’t break it. It just dies in the egg.
I would like to ask whether we should stop trying to move only forward in our minds or try to open a new world with different concepts about struggle. We live our lives in anxiety and compulsion because of the lack of minds caused by the trauma through the past experiences.” - Kim Zack
www.kimzack.com
Instagram: @kimzackart
Oil on canvas
16 x 20”
$1,500
“The bird fights Its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world.”--Demian by Hermann Hesse
Although the bird struggles to break the egg, the bird doesn’t break it. It just dies in the egg.
I would like to ask whether we should stop trying to move only forward in our minds or try to open a new world with different concepts about struggle. We live our lives in anxiety and compulsion because of the lack of minds caused by the trauma through the past experiences.” - Kim Zack
www.kimzack.com
Instagram: @kimzackart
Sarah King
Kick in the Ribs II, 2021
20x20 inches
Acrylic on Canvas
$1,200
“Motherhood has been my greatest transition and biggest challenge. My entire identity, day to day life, and art has all gone through an incredible transformation. Historically and through social media, pregnancy and motherhood are often idealized. My work reflects the honest struggle I have faced and my reaction to this imagery. Recently Covid-19 has magnified my feelings of love, joy, anxiety, fear, guilt, claustrophobia, and isolation. Navigating this experience while parenting has brought an added intensity to these pieces. With the birth of my second child in the spring of 2019 I felt as if I had come out of the haze of new parenthood and PPD. I had just started sleeping through the night and I felt a sense of regained freedom that comes as the baby ages. Then Covid-19 hit and all of the postpartum feelings I had experienced returned and were amplified through this new pandemic lens. These pieces are a reflection of this transition and my experience of motherhood during this time.” - Sarah King
www.sarahkingpaints.com
Instagram: @sarahkingpaints
20x20 inches
Acrylic on Canvas
$1,200
“Motherhood has been my greatest transition and biggest challenge. My entire identity, day to day life, and art has all gone through an incredible transformation. Historically and through social media, pregnancy and motherhood are often idealized. My work reflects the honest struggle I have faced and my reaction to this imagery. Recently Covid-19 has magnified my feelings of love, joy, anxiety, fear, guilt, claustrophobia, and isolation. Navigating this experience while parenting has brought an added intensity to these pieces. With the birth of my second child in the spring of 2019 I felt as if I had come out of the haze of new parenthood and PPD. I had just started sleeping through the night and I felt a sense of regained freedom that comes as the baby ages. Then Covid-19 hit and all of the postpartum feelings I had experienced returned and were amplified through this new pandemic lens. These pieces are a reflection of this transition and my experience of motherhood during this time.” - Sarah King
www.sarahkingpaints.com
Instagram: @sarahkingpaints
Helena Holland Breger
“Buff Women Series #1”, 2021
Mixed media on paper
18 x 24”
$1,500
“Buff Women Series #1” depicts a muscular woman with faded self-harm scars. This work is the first in a continuing series of mixed media/painting that challenges common representations of the female body in art and media. The “ideal female body” fluctuates throughout the decades and centuries, but regardless whether it is curvaceous or thin, it is always about appealing sexually to the viewer, never about having strength and capability for her own sake. These standards, working in tandem with male violence towards women, leads to a high prevalence of mental health issues among women, including PTSD, depression, dissociation, and self-harm. The subject of this painting, modeled after myself and my own recovery, gains confidence after struggling with self-harm and recovers from mental illness by eschewing typical femininity altogether and embraces athleticism and strength. She does not hide them, but admires her arms instead.
www.hhbreger.com
Instagram: @hhbreger
Mixed media on paper
18 x 24”
$1,500
“Buff Women Series #1” depicts a muscular woman with faded self-harm scars. This work is the first in a continuing series of mixed media/painting that challenges common representations of the female body in art and media. The “ideal female body” fluctuates throughout the decades and centuries, but regardless whether it is curvaceous or thin, it is always about appealing sexually to the viewer, never about having strength and capability for her own sake. These standards, working in tandem with male violence towards women, leads to a high prevalence of mental health issues among women, including PTSD, depression, dissociation, and self-harm. The subject of this painting, modeled after myself and my own recovery, gains confidence after struggling with self-harm and recovers from mental illness by eschewing typical femininity altogether and embraces athleticism and strength. She does not hide them, but admires her arms instead.
www.hhbreger.com
Instagram: @hhbreger
Susan Spangenberg
"Hung", 2015
acrylic, latex on unstretched Sanitest
72" x 48"
$2,000
“From personal isolation and trauma issues to the hot button topics of race and abortion, though I am not schooled I've always tried to have an eye on the news as well as representing as a person of color/mixed heritage. I feel my personal work dealing with mental health issues is universal and can be felt by everyone. Other themes of female subjugation and exploitation, racial cruelty and the womb to institution pipeline are things that I explore often and I believe are now ready to be discussed by the public at large.” - Susan Spangenberg
http://susanspangenberg.com
Instagram:@straitjacketsusan
Twitter: @idris_shyla
acrylic, latex on unstretched Sanitest
72" x 48"
$2,000
“From personal isolation and trauma issues to the hot button topics of race and abortion, though I am not schooled I've always tried to have an eye on the news as well as representing as a person of color/mixed heritage. I feel my personal work dealing with mental health issues is universal and can be felt by everyone. Other themes of female subjugation and exploitation, racial cruelty and the womb to institution pipeline are things that I explore often and I believe are now ready to be discussed by the public at large.” - Susan Spangenberg
http://susanspangenberg.com
Instagram:@straitjacketsusan
Twitter: @idris_shyla
Kaiser Kamal
“Inside your Mind”, 2019
Mixed Media on canvas
36 x 36”
$2,000
“In my artwork, the meaning is not absolute but suggestive. My influences are first and foremost everything I see, feels, experience and imagine. In my work, I try to create multiple layers of my own world. I like to invite my viewer to become the part of that imaginary emotional world. Instead of explaining a certain piece of work I would like the viewer to develop their own thoughts .Each individual sees something, little different from each other.” - Kaiser Kamal
www.kaiserkamal.com
Instagram: @kaiser_kamal_nyc
Mixed Media on canvas
36 x 36”
$2,000
“In my artwork, the meaning is not absolute but suggestive. My influences are first and foremost everything I see, feels, experience and imagine. In my work, I try to create multiple layers of my own world. I like to invite my viewer to become the part of that imaginary emotional world. Instead of explaining a certain piece of work I would like the viewer to develop their own thoughts .Each individual sees something, little different from each other.” - Kaiser Kamal
www.kaiserkamal.com
Instagram: @kaiser_kamal_nyc
Andrea Segatto
“Grenades”, 2021
Slip casting with plaster, glaze
3 x 2.5 x 2.5” Each
$300 Each
“One of the outstanding features of the artist Dea Segatto's production is the profusion of bright colors. In the serie “Hidden Feelings ”, created during the pandemic, the variety of colors are still present - but in a dark pallet. The delicacy of the pottery contrasts with the granade's possibility of damage and violence. The object is as much a metaphor for imploding the reasons that trigger the anxiety attacks as for a person about to explode. The object is isolated by the dome, suggesting the two paradoxical elements of mental health: insider - home, self, protection - and outsider - the people, the streets, the society, the public space.” - Andrea Segatto
Instagram: @Deasegattostudiony.Art
Slip casting with plaster, glaze
3 x 2.5 x 2.5” Each
$300 Each
“One of the outstanding features of the artist Dea Segatto's production is the profusion of bright colors. In the serie “Hidden Feelings ”, created during the pandemic, the variety of colors are still present - but in a dark pallet. The delicacy of the pottery contrasts with the granade's possibility of damage and violence. The object is as much a metaphor for imploding the reasons that trigger the anxiety attacks as for a person about to explode. The object is isolated by the dome, suggesting the two paradoxical elements of mental health: insider - home, self, protection - and outsider - the people, the streets, the society, the public space.” - Andrea Segatto
Instagram: @Deasegattostudiony.Art
Andrea Segatto
“Grenade”, 2021
Acrylic, mixed media
5 x 5.5 x 4”
$450
Acrylic, mixed media
5 x 5.5 x 4”
$450
Bryan Greene
“Interpretation of Vincent”, 2020
Aluminum Print
40 x 20”
$2,000
Bryan Michael Greene’s digital paintings investigate his place in societal narratives based on the materials around him. Greene weaves the iconography into a single image with multiple sources. These sources are song lyrics, movies, books, fine art, and social interactions in the real world. His intricate process includes dressing up as a character in costumes he creates, building models and even making oil paintings. He then photographs each element that will then composite into a digital painting. The image can range in meaning from a personal experience inspired from something in pop culture to ideas from exposure to something trending in US society.
www.bryanmichaelgreene.com
Instagram: @bryan.m.greene
Aluminum Print
40 x 20”
$2,000
Bryan Michael Greene’s digital paintings investigate his place in societal narratives based on the materials around him. Greene weaves the iconography into a single image with multiple sources. These sources are song lyrics, movies, books, fine art, and social interactions in the real world. His intricate process includes dressing up as a character in costumes he creates, building models and even making oil paintings. He then photographs each element that will then composite into a digital painting. The image can range in meaning from a personal experience inspired from something in pop culture to ideas from exposure to something trending in US society.
www.bryanmichaelgreene.com
Instagram: @bryan.m.greene
Kelly Han
“Balinese Farmer”, 2019
Digital photography
20" x 13-1/4"
$750
“My photography is a study of different cultures and how we perceive unfamiliar people and their customs. It confronts our pre-existing perceptions and promotes social change by prompting us to question our accepted values. My photographs invite viewers to reflect on the human condition in all of its exuberance and cacophony, often bringing awareness to social injustices existing in societies. I capture life in its natural state while discovering the extraordinary within the ordinary. My bold and dynamic photographs are intended to move viewers viscerally and make them reconsider the mundane reality as being charged with power for change. I am an artist living with mental health challenges who is aware and woke. I work outside of the outsider art, creating art that is intentional and worldly, not naive in any way. Suffering has led to spirit of resilience in my art. My work continues to grow despite my past traumas, a testament that healing is possible.” - Kelly Han
https://www.kellyhan.com
Instagram: @kellyhanphoto
Digital photography
20" x 13-1/4"
$750
“My photography is a study of different cultures and how we perceive unfamiliar people and their customs. It confronts our pre-existing perceptions and promotes social change by prompting us to question our accepted values. My photographs invite viewers to reflect on the human condition in all of its exuberance and cacophony, often bringing awareness to social injustices existing in societies. I capture life in its natural state while discovering the extraordinary within the ordinary. My bold and dynamic photographs are intended to move viewers viscerally and make them reconsider the mundane reality as being charged with power for change. I am an artist living with mental health challenges who is aware and woke. I work outside of the outsider art, creating art that is intentional and worldly, not naive in any way. Suffering has led to spirit of resilience in my art. My work continues to grow despite my past traumas, a testament that healing is possible.” - Kelly Han
https://www.kellyhan.com
Instagram: @kellyhanphoto
Junyi Liu
Pills, 2020
Colored pencil on paper
12 x 9”
$100 - sold
“I’m a female artist based in New York City, influenced by both traditional realism art and contemporary art. I believe that the artworks always reflect the artists themselves. I’ve suffered from depression for 9 years, and now I’m trying to have a graceful conversation with my mental illness. I painted these young women as if I was painting self-portraits. I create scenes that are visually intriguing, with unconventional compositions. Soft, feminine elements are included, as well as sharp, unsettling objects and forms. I know so well that many people who look happy and perfect are unhappy and fractured. My works acknowledges the pain both me and them are experiencing, and by facing this pain, we will slowly find strength and love. - Junyi Liu
www.junyiliuart.com
Instagram: @junyi_liu_art
Colored pencil on paper
12 x 9”
$100 - sold
“I’m a female artist based in New York City, influenced by both traditional realism art and contemporary art. I believe that the artworks always reflect the artists themselves. I’ve suffered from depression for 9 years, and now I’m trying to have a graceful conversation with my mental illness. I painted these young women as if I was painting self-portraits. I create scenes that are visually intriguing, with unconventional compositions. Soft, feminine elements are included, as well as sharp, unsettling objects and forms. I know so well that many people who look happy and perfect are unhappy and fractured. My works acknowledges the pain both me and them are experiencing, and by facing this pain, we will slowly find strength and love. - Junyi Liu
www.junyiliuart.com
Instagram: @junyi_liu_art
Hisayasu Takshio
“unconsciousness”, 2020
carved wood,graphite,velvet
24"1/8 x 33"1/2 x 10"7/8
$6,000
Hisayasu Takashio was born in Tokyo, and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He received a B.A. in Fine Arts from the Design School of Tokyo and later a Fine Arts certificate in Sculpture and Printmaking from the Art Students League of New York. He has been actively creating and exhibiting his work since 1991. Takashio’s work ranges from paintings, large scale prints and mixed media drawings to wood sculpture, installation and collaborative performance. Takashio has worked extensively on the subject of the human hands. His renderings of these are a combined symphony of nature and human anatomy.
www.shiotakashio.com
Instagram: hisayasutakashio
carved wood,graphite,velvet
24"1/8 x 33"1/2 x 10"7/8
$6,000
Hisayasu Takashio was born in Tokyo, and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He received a B.A. in Fine Arts from the Design School of Tokyo and later a Fine Arts certificate in Sculpture and Printmaking from the Art Students League of New York. He has been actively creating and exhibiting his work since 1991. Takashio’s work ranges from paintings, large scale prints and mixed media drawings to wood sculpture, installation and collaborative performance. Takashio has worked extensively on the subject of the human hands. His renderings of these are a combined symphony of nature and human anatomy.
www.shiotakashio.com
Instagram: hisayasutakashio
Anthony Newton
"I am God" 2019
Mixed Media
20" x 16"
$850
“My art is autobiographical in the sense of vantage point-drawing on personal experience and the broader Hip-Hop culture that I am apart of.
I'm diagnosed with schizophrenia with traits of P.T.S.D., depression and paranoia. I see visual delusions and hear voices severely. However these conditions creatively enhance my artistic vision. I was homeless for a couple of years and my art expanded in technique and tradition. Although I trained at various institutions such as the Fashion Institute of Technology my art was self taught since the age of about 7 before entering any establishment so my unique original signature style is not hard to notice. My mental illness gives me a raw statement of rendition and coloristic point of view. I have a grounding in realist life drawing, but I infuse this tradition with other influences, such as graffiti, street art, and the commercial imagery found in popular music magazine and CD covers.I sometimes work directly from photo references, facing life.” - Anthony Newton
ArtbyAnthonyNewton@Etsy.com
Instagram: @anthonynewtonart45
Mixed Media
20" x 16"
$850
“My art is autobiographical in the sense of vantage point-drawing on personal experience and the broader Hip-Hop culture that I am apart of.
I'm diagnosed with schizophrenia with traits of P.T.S.D., depression and paranoia. I see visual delusions and hear voices severely. However these conditions creatively enhance my artistic vision. I was homeless for a couple of years and my art expanded in technique and tradition. Although I trained at various institutions such as the Fashion Institute of Technology my art was self taught since the age of about 7 before entering any establishment so my unique original signature style is not hard to notice. My mental illness gives me a raw statement of rendition and coloristic point of view. I have a grounding in realist life drawing, but I infuse this tradition with other influences, such as graffiti, street art, and the commercial imagery found in popular music magazine and CD covers.I sometimes work directly from photo references, facing life.” - Anthony Newton
ArtbyAnthonyNewton@Etsy.com
Instagram: @anthonynewtonart45
Villo Varga
“Masks”, 2021
Oil on canvas
20 x 24”
NFS
“Isolation and closeness during the pandemic especially magnified personality disorders, that remained somewhat unknown earlier. My painting, titled "Masks" is about a person, who suffers from the well-hidden NPD ( narcissistic personality disorders), a covert form of it, that I try to show with a - very realistic face/mask - behind it an undeveloped young face hiding.The daffodils, that is the Narcissus flowers symbols of this illness. The 2nd mixed media picture titled "Epitaph - for me". A self-portrait in black, where I try to "cling on" art during these depressing, dark pandemic period.” - Villo Varga
villovargavisualart@site123.me
Instagram: @villovarga1
Oil on canvas
20 x 24”
NFS
“Isolation and closeness during the pandemic especially magnified personality disorders, that remained somewhat unknown earlier. My painting, titled "Masks" is about a person, who suffers from the well-hidden NPD ( narcissistic personality disorders), a covert form of it, that I try to show with a - very realistic face/mask - behind it an undeveloped young face hiding.The daffodils, that is the Narcissus flowers symbols of this illness. The 2nd mixed media picture titled "Epitaph - for me". A self-portrait in black, where I try to "cling on" art during these depressing, dark pandemic period.” - Villo Varga
villovargavisualart@site123.me
Instagram: @villovarga1
Chasity Colón
“Orange Ramuné”, 2020
Mixed Media on Watercolor Paper
7 x 4.5"
NFS
Mixed Media on Watercolor Paper
7 x 4.5"
NFS
Chasity Colón
“Gummy Couple”, 2020
Mixed Media on Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress
3.75 x 2.5"
NFS
“I believe that personal items can capture the essence of a person, and even act as tangible connections to the past. They can represent “pieces” of a person’s overall life, containing stories linked to their identity, personal history, and deeply emotional experiences. I create paintings and drawings featuring some of my personal items as symbolic fragments of my personality, personal timeline, and navigation through life while dealing with mental illness. I include mostly items reminiscent of positive memories and representative of therapeutic self-expression, but with an element of melancholy. The small details represent how I observe things very closely, appreciating the seemingly trivial details that come together to make up the whole (such as the stitches on a scarf or a little souvenir from a special trip). Each keepsake acts as a palpable existence of my past, creating a mental timeline of where and who I've been, what I’ve done, and how far I've come while enduring hardship.” - Chasity Colón
https://www.chasitycart.com
Instagram: @chasityc.art Twitter: Chasitycart
Mixed Media on Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress
3.75 x 2.5"
NFS
“I believe that personal items can capture the essence of a person, and even act as tangible connections to the past. They can represent “pieces” of a person’s overall life, containing stories linked to their identity, personal history, and deeply emotional experiences. I create paintings and drawings featuring some of my personal items as symbolic fragments of my personality, personal timeline, and navigation through life while dealing with mental illness. I include mostly items reminiscent of positive memories and representative of therapeutic self-expression, but with an element of melancholy. The small details represent how I observe things very closely, appreciating the seemingly trivial details that come together to make up the whole (such as the stitches on a scarf or a little souvenir from a special trip). Each keepsake acts as a palpable existence of my past, creating a mental timeline of where and who I've been, what I’ve done, and how far I've come while enduring hardship.” - Chasity Colón
https://www.chasitycart.com
Instagram: @chasityc.art Twitter: Chasitycart
Evelyn Gardiner
“When I Heard My Name”, 2020
Oil on Wood
34 x 22”
$6,000
“I began making these triptychs during a breaking point where I felt I had nothing to live for. Life felt full of brutal and meaningless forces beyond my control and I no longer wanted part of it. All I felt I could do was cry out for some sort of divine intervention. I have always had a deep connection to nature, and I found that no matter the illness, pain, or trauma I was enduring, or how much it felt like my world was crumbling, nature always persisted. The sun would continue to rise each morning. I wanted to be acknowledged by that energy and harness the power behind it. I created these individual and sacred worlds with imagery representative of my experiences and my search for divine truth in every leaf and stone. Though I had an inability to speak, these pieces allowed me to nonverbally reach out and invite others into my world. Turning mental turmoil into art continues to be the thread I hang onto. It’s my main form of coping and the reason I survive.” - Evelyn Gardiner
www.evelyngardiner.com
Instagram: @evie__marie
Oil on Wood
34 x 22”
$6,000
“I began making these triptychs during a breaking point where I felt I had nothing to live for. Life felt full of brutal and meaningless forces beyond my control and I no longer wanted part of it. All I felt I could do was cry out for some sort of divine intervention. I have always had a deep connection to nature, and I found that no matter the illness, pain, or trauma I was enduring, or how much it felt like my world was crumbling, nature always persisted. The sun would continue to rise each morning. I wanted to be acknowledged by that energy and harness the power behind it. I created these individual and sacred worlds with imagery representative of my experiences and my search for divine truth in every leaf and stone. Though I had an inability to speak, these pieces allowed me to nonverbally reach out and invite others into my world. Turning mental turmoil into art continues to be the thread I hang onto. It’s my main form of coping and the reason I survive.” - Evelyn Gardiner
www.evelyngardiner.com
Instagram: @evie__marie
Nancy Reghay
"IV My Tree in the Hospital'
Watercolor
$500
I had a mini-stroke after a neck manipulation in 2004. This watercolour and painted cane are artifacts my stroke and a very serious depression that followed. I painted them to help me feel joy and recover. I didn’t want to feel pity. I was first in a wheelchair, then a Walker and then with a cane when I returned to work. Painting the cane as a candy cane was my joke and my way of hope after the stroke. I have drawn and painted my whole life, yet lacked the confidence to display my work. I now wish to show my works.
Watercolor
$500
I had a mini-stroke after a neck manipulation in 2004. This watercolour and painted cane are artifacts my stroke and a very serious depression that followed. I painted them to help me feel joy and recover. I didn’t want to feel pity. I was first in a wheelchair, then a Walker and then with a cane when I returned to work. Painting the cane as a candy cane was my joke and my way of hope after the stroke. I have drawn and painted my whole life, yet lacked the confidence to display my work. I now wish to show my works.
Adele Shtern
"Hair Raising Situation with Zoom Overload, 2021", 2021
Mixed media collage
$500
After surviving multiple near death accidents and traumas, I began to formally heal myself by participating in body/mind/soul therapies. I am committed to the process of working through and developing my "emotional IQ". "Radical Acceptance" and "Core Energetics" empower me to continue to take responsibility for my recovery and wholeness. I trust my intuition, spontaneity and improvisation. I nurture myself through the process of artistic expression, attuning to unconscious and conscious manifesting as image, word, sound and dance. Predominant themes include: abuse, anger, sadness, fear, loss, mourning, inner child realities, relationships and tree of life awareness. I embrace my calling as an interdisciplinary artist, using traditional and digital media. Drawing from shadow and light, my exploration and documentation of life addresses physical, emotional, intellectual and transcendental realms.
https://adeleshtern.weebly.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myrrhmade80/
Mixed media collage
$500
After surviving multiple near death accidents and traumas, I began to formally heal myself by participating in body/mind/soul therapies. I am committed to the process of working through and developing my "emotional IQ". "Radical Acceptance" and "Core Energetics" empower me to continue to take responsibility for my recovery and wholeness. I trust my intuition, spontaneity and improvisation. I nurture myself through the process of artistic expression, attuning to unconscious and conscious manifesting as image, word, sound and dance. Predominant themes include: abuse, anger, sadness, fear, loss, mourning, inner child realities, relationships and tree of life awareness. I embrace my calling as an interdisciplinary artist, using traditional and digital media. Drawing from shadow and light, my exploration and documentation of life addresses physical, emotional, intellectual and transcendental realms.
https://adeleshtern.weebly.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myrrhmade80/
Eugenia Pigassiou
"The Scars of Emotional Abuse"
I have had post traumatic stress from the psychological abuse I experienced as a child. Post traumatic stress affects mental health and can last a lifetime. With talk therapy post traumatic stress no longer interferes with my functioning. However its effects linger in subtle ways.
In my video, The Scars of Emotional Abuse I focus on psychological abuse because its damage is not often emphasized in domestic abuse. Psychological abuse is violence against the core of the self particularly during a person’s formative years. A willingness to heal and get support can help one survive and thrive. This video is based on my personal experience.
www.visualwordplays.com
I have had post traumatic stress from the psychological abuse I experienced as a child. Post traumatic stress affects mental health and can last a lifetime. With talk therapy post traumatic stress no longer interferes with my functioning. However its effects linger in subtle ways.
In my video, The Scars of Emotional Abuse I focus on psychological abuse because its damage is not often emphasized in domestic abuse. Psychological abuse is violence against the core of the self particularly during a person’s formative years. A willingness to heal and get support can help one survive and thrive. This video is based on my personal experience.
www.visualwordplays.com
Neesa Sunar
Opening Performance for the Film Festival on June 11th, 2021
I am a person with lived experience with disability; my diagnosis is schizoaffective disorder. I am a musician, writer and artist, and I have worked as a peer specialist for the past 6 years. I also am a social worker (LMSW) licensed in the state of NY. In social work, I uphold an anti-oppression framework in service delivery.
As a child, I focused on classical violin and viola studies, and attended conservatory for college. After developing schizophrenia in grad school, I left the classical field and took up songwriting, performing at numerous open mics throughout NYC.
When becoming a peer in 2014, I reinvented myself as a writer. I released a collection of poems: "Memories of Psychosis: Poems on the Mental Distress Experience." I also have written articles for many websites. (See my Contently portfolio, linked above.) I engage in advocacy on Facebook, where I run a group: "What is Wellness? A Mental Health Discussion Group." As we discuss wellness, we find our personal truths.
https://neesasunar.net/about
I am a person with lived experience with disability; my diagnosis is schizoaffective disorder. I am a musician, writer and artist, and I have worked as a peer specialist for the past 6 years. I also am a social worker (LMSW) licensed in the state of NY. In social work, I uphold an anti-oppression framework in service delivery.
As a child, I focused on classical violin and viola studies, and attended conservatory for college. After developing schizophrenia in grad school, I left the classical field and took up songwriting, performing at numerous open mics throughout NYC.
When becoming a peer in 2014, I reinvented myself as a writer. I released a collection of poems: "Memories of Psychosis: Poems on the Mental Distress Experience." I also have written articles for many websites. (See my Contently portfolio, linked above.) I engage in advocacy on Facebook, where I run a group: "What is Wellness? A Mental Health Discussion Group." As we discuss wellness, we find our personal truths.
https://neesasunar.net/about
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