Into The Grim We Go

Hi Dreamscape Explorers!

Picture taken by Lauren Frances at Day and Night open reception

I hope you had a great month. I had a really fun and very busy month. I’d like to start this blog with gratitude and thanks to all of you. As well as welcome to all the new Dreamscape Explorers. The opening at Day and Night was amazing! There was such a great turnout, and I got to meet so many beautiful people. The open reception for “Abstraction” also went well. The opening unfortunately was on a very rainy and stormy day but we made the best of it. And the best of it was meeting some truly amazing women, who uplifted me and were so positively curious about me and my work. They were a bright warm light on a cloudy day. Words can't truly express how much I appreciate each and everyone of you.

For those of you who would still like to check out the work at Day and Night it will be up til the 29th, and there will be an artist talk on May 20th 7-10pm. “Abstraction” at Rado Market will be up til the end of June. And there will be another meet the artist and artist talk May 23rd from 2-4pm. Highly recommend you see them in person. Both are beautiful spaces that are great to grab food or coffee and just enjoy common space.

Since there are quite a few of you who are new I wanted to dip you into some of the lore behind some of the elements of my work. Plus it's very on theme for how I’m currently feeling. Some of you might already know that the inspiration behind my work is my own mental health. While in a bad depressive episode in 2023 I decided to use painting as a way to document my emotional experience. Allowing the infectious sludge to flow from me and spill into the canvas. Indulging in my sadness, to release my pain safely. And out of that Grim was molded. Grim is a place within my inner world characterized by deep colours, sharp contrasts, and echoing dot work that translates the dread in this realm. While born out of a dark place this liberated me from a prison of my mind's creation. Art constructed a bridge for connection. Displaying that volatile piece of myself not only made me feel less alone but empowered others to step away from the shame behind their own disorders. Removing the stigma saves lives. My own and I hope to extend that life line to others. 

If you ever feel alone in your struggles, know you're not. 

If you feel like hurting yourself or others call 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline