"Night and Day: The Lovers" by Kosmik Kandy
Arielle Kidhardt "Mavis" 8"x8" Watercolor and ink. This is a graphic portrait of my service dog. Open for commissions.
"I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2008. I came out of the hospital with terrible hand tremors (so bad that I couldn’t write my own name). I started taking art classes to improve my hand strength. I hold two botanical illustration certificates and am a Certified Zentangle Instructor. I teach classes both professionally and artistically and available for commissions. - Stephanie Oliver
"My niche superpower: mending broken eggshells kintsugi style. I gently repair these shells with handmade gold leaf paste and a steady hand! Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold--a metaphor for embracing your flaws and imperfections. To me, my kintsugi eggshells represent strength borne from fragility. They also resonate with my own experiences of rebuilding and rebuilding myself living with bipolar disorder: When it all feels broken, there is still potential for renewed unity, strength, and beauty." - Nicola Burton
Self-Portrait at 21 2022 Watercolor and Graphite on Watercolor Paper 8"x8" "Self-Portrait at 21 is an 8”x8” watercolor and graphite painting on watercolor paper. The inspiration came to me as I was thinking about milestones and how the age of twenty-one is hugely significant in the United States. The painting portrays a portrait of myself alongside my lithium prescription, AirPods, my teeth which are painted three times throughout the composition, birthday candles in the shape of ’21’, and the key to my first apartment. These components all felt like essential parts of my everyday life. The theme relates to growing and healing from insecurities and struggles, and using the resources I have to strive as an adult. The background is bold, light and filled with greens, yellows, pinks, and blues. This choice was intentional as I felt often times when portraying imagery relating to mental illness and endurance artists choose to use dark and foreboding colors. I didn’t want to imply suffering or anguish. I wanted to show my everyday existence, including the way I am affected by my mental health."
Elida, a bipolar, queer, Latinx artist created this water color painting on paper in the Summer of 2019, before a series of manic episodes that led to numerous hospitalizations. In this work, she was inspired by a table cloth, the Summer warmth, and fellow artists that encouraged her to simply create. Since then, she’s stabilized on a long acting injectable, and has continued her art journey, painting in mostly acrylics on canvas. Her work will be displayed at Grounded NW in April 2023 and at the 1Moto art show, in Portland, OR also in April of 2023. Give her a follow @elida789 for more art, Lego, plants, food, and PNW adventures.
Adventure into Prayer & Creativity Prayer is something that has always interested me, even back in childhood. Particularly again as an adult after I've learned much about intentions and affirmations and meditation so I wanted to dig deeper and find some clear definitions or the various methods of prayer to ponder over. I took the logic based approach at first. What are the benefits of prayer or meditation or even creativity? Anything proven, anything studied? I have always loved reading the research happening relating to the mind and well being, especially since I have a background working in healthcare. I have an inquisitive mind, so naturally as I spent time with these topics, I began to question my own faith. What are my ways of devotion and how I have prayed, gave thanks, or leaned into my creativity throughout the years. Also to whom do I pray to? & Why create? It was a bit scary for me to seek more information on prayer and spirituality as a person with bipolar. Balancing my delicate chemistry can be like walking on a tight rope some days. As some of us may know grandiose delusions can occur while manic and often times can be religious or spiritual in nature. An example may be that we strongly and spontaneously believed we were Jesus, a Prophet, "highly connected" to angels etc etc. Has this happened to you? It was years ago for me when I went through my first episode at age 18. Some days if my mind wanders to that summer I still find it to be a frightening, traumatic memory from my adolescence, but over time I have learned to normalize this experience instead of stigmatize. It's wild to have our minds just go there, fast and furiously. Ya know? In these past few months, & age 34 now, managing well, building a healthy foundation for my own spiritual life and practices that felt good became important. As someone who wasn't raised in a religious family or in an artistic family - I was especially drawn to discovering these aspects of life for myself, and claiming them. I will be honest here I felt a spiritual emergence, identity crisis and an intense period of growth over December. It was truly difficult for whatever reasons (& there could be many) to integrate new beliefs + understandings, to feel confident about a new direction in life and "glow up." I've landed here with Little Lotus Paper Prayers. I pray and I create I feel great about these neat conclusions following my adventure too -- I've grown a a stronger sense of connection, gratitude and guidance, an openness and softness to life's mysteries, and a way to express through my origami art. Thank you for reading. I am excited to start my new project and reach people all over the world. That's the dream 🙏🏻 @little.lotus.paper.prayers
Sophie Capshaw-Mack is an experimental artist who investigates the nature of consciousness. Sophie imagines vibrant dreamscapes as an attempt to respond to questions such as: How do non-human species think and process information? Do plants have feelings? Can machines be self-aware? What states of consciousness arise from conditions classified as psychiatric disorders? As an artist and advocate living with bipolar disorder, Sophie seeks to reduce stigma surrounding mental health.