TRANQUILIZER

Original painting. 16" x 19" canvas. Materials: acrylic paint graffiti paint marker mirror chrome paint oil pastels acrylic marker spray paint rainbow iridescent glaze epoxy resin gel medium mixed blue, pink, and green glow-in-the-dark pigment powder I painted this piece back in 2022 as a way to explore how pleasure serves as a distraction from the uncertainty that hovers over every other aspect of our lives. It came from a place of powerlessness to change the world around me, and how my coping mechanisms were veiled attempts to avoid facing the traumas and fears I had clung to for years. I wanted to capture those feelings with cacophonous colors, references to various corners of pop culture, and overload the audience with information.  I paint the fronts and backs of my canvases because, like people, I want the outward appearance to be impenetrable without careful consideration. If the viewer removes the canvas from the wall to see what's behind the mask - the back of the canvas - t