As someone who hasn’t undergone addiction but has been a witness to several people with addiction I’ve seen the effects and the pain that happens. Addiction is a very sad and depressing part of life, with my work I really wanted to exemplify the emotions of not only the user but of their loved ones as well. I wanted to portray not only someone experiencing addiction but how addiction can affect the people around them. I also felt a connection with several artists works, including Laurie Simmons, Otto Dix and Meret Oppenheim. It was something about the obscure and abnormal nature of Dix’s work that stuck out to me the most. I loved the way Dix told a story through grotesque and dark work. About four of my pieces are inspired by the grotesqueness that Dix explored. Two of my pieces, both sculptures were inspired by Meret Oppenheim's use of unusual objects in art. And one of my pieces was inspired and modeled after Laurie Simmons work. All 8 pieces circle back to the overall theme of addiction.

I explored a variety of media and my exploration is fairly clear throughout my work, as most of my pieces display a different media. My sculptures are made of clay, pills and handmade cigarettes. I tried to extend out of my comfort zone by using watercolor, acrylic, oil pastel, digital, various forms of sculpture, charcoal and ink. It was definitely a challenge to use all these mediums but I am glad I did. The exposure I got from this was rewarding and opened my eyes to my love for sculpture work. 

I want my exhibition to be slightly vile and make people think. I want for people to dig deep in their thoughts and make interpretations from their own perspective. My intentions are not to make people feel bad for their personal life decisions. My exhibition is just to represent my own life and experiences’, my true intent is to tell my story and how the addictions of others affected my life. 

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