Betwixt

36 x 48. Oil paint and foil paper on canvas. 2024.

Abstract

This work illustrates the limbo between leaving adolescence and becoming settled into adulthood. Exploring the turbulence of our early 20’s, Betwixt seeks to demonstrate how we are forced to confront the fact that everyone experiences life at a different pace. Throughout these years of our lives, it can feel as though we are simultaneously outgrowing our previous selves, while also being left behind by those we grew up with. Often, we end up feeling lost and detached from our lives. As every day becomes less familiar, I find myself absorbed in the people and safety of my past. I began this work by creating collages with images from my present that felt connected to my past. Spending time with these images helped me combat my self destructive habits. Dwelling on nostalgia and the grieving of my childhood blinds me to the joys of my present. This work presents the safety of childhood intertwined with the turmoil of young adulthood and the empirical fear that accompanies it.