unnoticed; no matter where I am. Many of the pieces are autobiographical in some form. Some however, are simply whimsical curiosities.

Most of the references used for the work came from photos taken in my daily comings and goings.  Some pieces though, use sources of inspiration that have been altered during the artistic process, or my imagination. I deeply enjoy the process of taking a plain photo and turning it into something magical and calm.

I was drawn to using a lot of ultramarine blue and magenta in many of these pieces; it felt very vaporwave and reflective of my mood. I loved the idea of combining a colour scheme that was more tonally futuristic or unnatural with a more traditional medium like watercolour or acrylic paints. Expressionism, particularly works by Van Gogh with a heavy emphasis on mood, influenced my traditional work in this show as well. Van Gogh’s brush work was particularly inspirational.

I began my journey as an artist with abstract paintings, so abstract elements pop up in my work now.  As a survivor of trauma, abstract painting brought me a lot of inner peace. Adding these elements back into my work felt like coming home and made me remember late nights of painting on my kitchen floor. Being messy and free was a breath of

fresh air.

The work came to me very easily and helped me process emotions I had difficulty vocalizing. Disassociation is a common theme in many of my darker or more conceptual paintings. The women or woman with no face felt like a true expression of this emotion and how I was feeling during difficult days. I was not sure of who I was or where I was meant to be.

While this show has some more intense and tough pieces, it also has pieces that brought me so much joy and helped me figure out myself. Letting go of perfectionism was a big part of that. It allowed me to create unapologetically.

I hope you will see my journey toward calm and self acceptance in these works. While many of these pieces may have ecclectic subject matter, they each hold special significance to me, and show that survivors like myself are more than our trauma (it's not all darkness). I'd like to say Camomille Dreaming is: a journey of healing, confidence, letting go, having faith, slowing down, and discovering joy in the little things. I welcome you to find your own meaning in this body of work, and I hope the same wave of calm and healing comes to you; like an enjoyable cup of tea.

-Lotus