Elizabeth Dhanaraj

IG: @studiolizdhan

TITLE: In over my head, 2025 ($400)

MEDIUM: Acrylic paint on gesso primed fabric (28 in x 32 in x 0.75 in)

DESCRIPTIONS:
This painting was made in a time where I shed many tears. My brush felt heavy in my hand, my room was dimly lit and I sat on the floor staring at this piece consumed by my own emotions. After many perceived and literal losses in a short period of time, I felt like capturing the position I often found myself in after each event, as there was never enough time to properly process between each. Each sword symbolizes a major event or perceived loss of mine and a tarot card of "death" sits hidden in the haze: reversed to the viewer, upright to me. My disembodied hand grips a sketchbook as though I should be looking and adding to it, yet neither is occurring and the hand is not even attached to me, signifying the "death" of my own creations and ideas.

BIO/ARTIST STATEMENT:
I sit and stare often, or at least recently it feels that way. After enough emotionally challenging experiences, sitting still can unintentionally act as an invitation for feelings that I choose to suppress, rather than an act of relaxation. Unfortunately for me, you often have to sit somewhat still to paint with a steady hand. I no longer find this unfortunate, however, as I have realized that these feelings actually facilitate the work that I make. I try to capture the filters that appear in my vision as I experience my life. Here, that means a hazy darkness that engulfs my surroundings, and feeling swallowed up by the depths of my own emotions.