Anatomy Study #2

Author Information

Leigh AndersonFollow

Description/Abstract/Artist Statement

Artist Statement

Choking on the intrusive thoughts of the voices in your head while your mind is racing through the best ideas you’ve ever had while bricks crumble around you as you try to climb out of the pit feeling like a “lightbulb in a world full of moths,” as said by Carrie Fisher. This is my life with Bipolar Schizophrenia. My art started as a need for catharsis until I realized that it’s not about me. It’s about the conversation of stigma and the epidemic of ignoring mental health issues. It’s frightening, it’s exciting, it’s relaxed and anxious, it’s real and it’s raw and it’s my life.

Mental illness is seen as just that, an illness. While it can be cumbersome and unrelenting, mental illness can be celebrated because of its ways of making us feel such intensity that we lead richer lives. I like to use imagery that delivers a raw vision for the viewer to realize how this can feel and what it can look like. Things like pill bottles and evidence of self-harm are obvious; weight gain, a loss or confusion of identity, and the silent struggle to simply exist are not. This is why the conversation is so important. Mental illness can hide in plain sight or be glaringly obvious. Either way, it should not be ignored.

Most of my work is made through the printmaking process. The repetition, the constant inundation of images, and the quiet reflection of each work is what helps me discover myself in my art. I throw out everything I’m feeling onto the matrix and let the process heal me. Reproducing these images in a series also allows me to distribute my work to those who may be feeling the same, to show solidarity, to show hope.

Presenting Author Name/s

Leigh Anderson

Faculty Advisor/Mentor

Brendan Baylor

Presentation Type

Artwork

Disciplines

Fine Arts

Session Title

Art Exhibit

Location

Learning Commons @ Perry Library, Art Gallery

Start Date

2-8-2020 8:00 AM

End Date

2-8-2020 12:30 PM

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Feb 8th, 8:00 AM Feb 8th, 12:30 PM

Anatomy Study #2

Learning Commons @ Perry Library, Art Gallery

Artist Statement

Choking on the intrusive thoughts of the voices in your head while your mind is racing through the best ideas you’ve ever had while bricks crumble around you as you try to climb out of the pit feeling like a “lightbulb in a world full of moths,” as said by Carrie Fisher. This is my life with Bipolar Schizophrenia. My art started as a need for catharsis until I realized that it’s not about me. It’s about the conversation of stigma and the epidemic of ignoring mental health issues. It’s frightening, it’s exciting, it’s relaxed and anxious, it’s real and it’s raw and it’s my life.

Mental illness is seen as just that, an illness. While it can be cumbersome and unrelenting, mental illness can be celebrated because of its ways of making us feel such intensity that we lead richer lives. I like to use imagery that delivers a raw vision for the viewer to realize how this can feel and what it can look like. Things like pill bottles and evidence of self-harm are obvious; weight gain, a loss or confusion of identity, and the silent struggle to simply exist are not. This is why the conversation is so important. Mental illness can hide in plain sight or be glaringly obvious. Either way, it should not be ignored.

Most of my work is made through the printmaking process. The repetition, the constant inundation of images, and the quiet reflection of each work is what helps me discover myself in my art. I throw out everything I’m feeling onto the matrix and let the process heal me. Reproducing these images in a series also allows me to distribute my work to those who may be feeling the same, to show solidarity, to show hope.