Ashley

Breaking Free

Acrylic paint pens and water colour pencils on canvas; 9 x 12", $25 

Image Description:

A wall of brown bricks, each displaying a fist impression, with one central white fist outlined in black protruding outward.

Artist Description:

This piece called Breaking Free examines the struggle against internal and external constraints. The brick barrier represents the constraints of both myself (how I feel about myself) and society (the labels they give me, how they see me because I seem ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’ but they can’t see what’s happening in the inside with my brain). The fists punching the wall show the struggle of trying to break through that barrier. There are many fists to demonstrate the idea of not giving up and how you have to keep trying to get out. The larger fist in the middle shows that I finally was able to break free from the barrier. The piece captures both the feeling of being boxed in and the determination to break out. Giving up is not an option.

Disconnected But Still Beautiful (Right)

Acrylic paint pens and water colour pencils on canvas; 9 x 12", $75 

Image Description:

Abstract painting of a face composed of colorful, irregular shapes outlined in black, with green eyes and patterned backgrounds in dotted textures.

Artist Description:

This piece called Disconnected But Still Beautiful explores the experience of disconnection through the lens of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). A bold black line cuts through flowing neuro-connections, symbolizing the moment where connection breaks down. In the background, scattered dots represent overstimulation, contributing to this disruption. Despite this, bright, vivid colours assert that beauty still exists within disconnection. The colours also reflect emotional and physical states (blue for sadness, green for nausea, and swirly eyes for confusion) tying into the broader theme of becoming beautiful.

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