Betrayal of the Brain

May 5th, 2025

Oil pastels and pencil on paper, captured by Samsung Galaxy S4

This is one of the earliest pieces I worked on, without being prompted to by a school or another institutionalized reason, that I spent multiple days to work on. The materials I used to procure it were number 2 pencils and oil pastels on paper. I was 19, studying the science of Psychology and created the piece as a commentary on how our own thoughts and feelings can “choke” us and make us feel trapped. The choice to make the subject a blue skin tone not only came from the imagery of blue as a “sad” color, but also in part to push inclusivity, as there is no race on earth that has a naturally blue skin color and I felt this would make it easier for people to identify with the character. Though now looking back on my decision, I could also see how this presence could appear almost too alien for representation.

Oh, the choices we make.

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