Identity and story have always been key concepts in the work that I have produced. This project was the perfect opportunity to express parts of my story that may have darker undertones. I settled eagerly on the idea of my past troublesome series of relationships, and abusive aspects they included. Both the mental and physical aspects were to be conveyed in illustrative format.The imagery included heavy emphasis on toxicity and tainting of a pure essence. The idea of not being too straightforward was a concept I strived heavily for, while using collage techniques and animals to represent aspects of abusive relationships. It follows a chronological order of events, with a start and finish. In essence, it was meant to have a narrative that told the story of my experiences in the situations.

Personal references such as a child put on center stage, medication to cope with trauma, and aspects of physical torment such as choking were included to the make the work stronger. The use of text was also an essential aspect because it conveyed an array of chaos within the mind. Nudity and uncomfortable depictions were a must in order to convey the disturbing reality of rape, mental and physical abuse, and a dark perception of love. The graphic quality with heavy lining and ink use contributed to this by emphasizing the key imagery and making it bolder in presentation. Collage was used for a beginning and end product to represent a linear, yet repetitive process that I have gone through and the state it left the mind in.

Several artists dealing with mental processes and darker subject matter were influential in the stylization and course of my artist’s book. Francis Bacon, Shawn Coss, Gentileschi, Amy Sillman, and Edvard Munch were the main muses for the work found in my finished product. I was heavily inspired by the mental health concentrations and morbid yet beautiful depictions of figure. The culture surrounding these artists was fascinating, and something I wanted to bring into my own pieces. The graphic quality and presentation of what may be considered taboo or uncomfortable is something I strive for. Any viewer can see heavy linework and glamorization of dark realities when viewing “Love in Black and Blue”.