"Appreciate the Void" 24x36, acrylic and modeling paste on canvas This piece serves as a dissertation on negative space. We observe it in outer space, witness it in art, and, if we are fortunate enough to possess the capacity for self-awareness, we may even recognize it within ourselves. These celestial bodies and our earthly forms share a similar predestined existence, orbiting around negative spaces while endeavoring to occupy them without disturbing the natural flow or order of things. This is not always easily accomplished, but as I have discovered, it remains a perpetual work in progress.
“Wild & Holy”, the first installation of my “Things They Told Me” series. 36x48, acrylic and modeling paste, on canvas. This piece is a reflection and an abstract expression of the balance that is womanhood- to be both free and sacred. It’s an homage to the women who have lived a life unbound, outside of the world’s parameters and limitations, who have made beauty from society’s ashes. “I learned that I could be both wild and holy”- Ana Forrest
“Timepiece” 2022 24x36, acrylic and modeling paste on canvas To time: We take you for granted, we measure and disregard, disrespect, we play with and on you, and yet you are the one thing we lose and never get back. It’s a intricate dance we choreograph, trying to use you without ever really understanding you. A weave of memories and a bottle of regrets are all we claim in the end, anyway. Words never said, opportunities never taken, moments lost in the abyss… but tomorrow is yet another day, or so we believe.
"Coloring Book" 24x36, acrylic and modeling paste on canvas Simply an homage to a youth never forgotten yet barely experienced. I can recall the days when I would doodle while listening to teachers, attempting to connect through textbooks and discourse, yet unable to reach me because my mind was consumed with poverty, displacement, and anger. And while my experiences before the age of nine drastically shaped my perception of life, one thing that forever remains is the love and the escape I found through art. 'Coloring Book' is an adaptation of a core memory of my youth. To a more youthful, free, and untainted version of myself.
“Scattered Pieces” 2022 20x20, acrylic and modeling paste It’s the space in between, the limbo between understanding and curiosity, between then and now. It’s a declaration of the ups and downs and what it may look like to redesign or redefine out of chaos. I, myself, have been letting the pieces be, letting them exist without the need to fully define or mold. I like them unformed. I am more flexible and free like this; I am more me like like this.
“First & Last Kiss” 2023 24x36, acrylic and modeling paste on canvas Life has been guiding me in many directions and I’ve been unable to dive into any new works at the moment. Today, I also realized I never posted my last piece, so here it is. Now, as I reflect, the space between this last piece and now, is parallel to the space I took for me since my last romantic encounter. A myriad of complex design and experiences, put together to tell a story… one that ended without fully being written- the connection and this piece are more alike than I previously understood.
“First & Last Kiss” 2023
“Timepiece” 2022
1. “Appreciate the Void” 2022 2. “Coloring Book” 2022
“Wild & Holy” 2022
“Scattered Pieces” 2022