I Miss Helium Balloons

Medium: Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas.

[HxWxD] (69"x 85.25"x4") 

This piece reflects the experience of dating someone with PTSD and dissociative disorder and the subsequent end of that relationship. The balloons symbolize both the loss of innocence and allude to sperm cells. The innocence is depicted as floating away, wrapped around a mangled hand, while the female figure is tethered to a spinning object.

The male figure in the painting features an antenna in place of an ear, blending my figurative and robot-inspired work. This serves as a metaphor for an inability to hear and the masking of true listening, where what is heard is filtered through gendered communication. The telephone pole, lacking attached lines, appears almost as a religious icon, further emphasizing this theme.