Transformation

Hello!

I've created new work and I wanted to tell you the process behind it all...here we go!

The creative energy that goes into my work is my life force. It’s literally putting down onto paper what happens in my heart, how my mind works and the song that my soul sings. It’s a language that I’m trying to communicate with you through the eye, through light energy and hoping that you see it. 

For the last 11 years, I’ve been doing this, I lost my way a bit. I got stuck, I went through creative block and I went there a few times. This last time lasted a little longer than I would’ve liked and wondered if I was even an artist anymore. In a space of “uncreativity”, which feels like death, stagnation, and loss, I didn’t feel relevant anymore. I took some steps to break through all of this, in fact, they showed up for me. I went through an amazing course last year called ACE which started to break through the main chunks. Then this year, I had the opportunity to work with a life coach which has been the most amazing process. 

I’m so happy to be sharing my inner world with you again. For these three artworks, I chose to focus on transformation, rebirth, and spirituality. I created these snake illustrations as a symbol for this theme. My spirituality lives in nature, magical realism, and the cosmos. I hope you enjoy these illustrations as much s I enjoyed creating them for you.

About the Collection

This collection, called Transformation, has sent me on a path of self-discovery. I focused on the snake as a vehicle for this concept. The snake, a mysterious, elusive creature in mythology, has always fascinated me. Even in the natural world, the shedding of its outer layer of skin is a beautiful metaphor for us, how we can leave behind what no longer serves us as we grow.

Snake Charmer

The snake charmer artwork came to me after I finished the Serpentine artwork. I wanted to draw snakes amongst flowers and ended up having them rise out of the roses instead. I wanted to convey the feeling of beauty and danger together. The rose itself is already a symbol for this, with its soft vibrant petals but sharp, blood drawing thorns. I researched what roses and snakes symbolise together, and got: "the ultimate symbol of temptation. They also represent the loss of innocence and beauty." This is how I ended up giving it the name "snake charmer". With its bubblegum pink colour palette and beautiful roses placed in a heart shape, I wanted to tempt the viewer and capture them to look a little closer and see the beautiful danger.

Cosmic Serpent

The idea for the outer snake circle came to me while I watched a movie at the Planetarium about the Sun. There was a quick moment where they showed a circular calendar with a snake coiled, ouroboros-style, on the outside which evoked and piqued my interest. I used this as the starting point of the illustration. I illustrated the 8 phases of the moon to portray the passing of time. Next came the sacred geometry. I followed the points behind each moon phase and connected where it felt right. I feel like this created a kind of energetic web, where you could store a frequency. Lastly, the constellations in the centre are a nod to the cosmos and making the middle of the illustration feel as if it's a portal. The symbol in the middle was inspired by Croatian protection tattoos and serves the same purpose. I like to think of this illustration floating through space somewhere, turning and cycling through the darkness, only being illuminated by the odd star every now and then.

Serpentine

The one that started it all. I started with this illustration out of the blue. I love snakes, the reptile, the symbol and the folklore of them. I was in a space of trying to understand where I wanted to go with a new collection, what was I trying to say? It was at a random time and on a random day, I was doing other work, when I suddenly stood up and found a piece of paper and started drawing out the shape. I felt compelled. I hadn't had this feeling in a very long time and followed it. Over the next two weeks, I completed the snake. The detailing of the scales was labour intensive and hard on my eyes. (This is when I realised my age was starting to affect my work.)

This piece really is a symbol of breakthrough and recovery for me. I had finally come through the other side of artist's block and I could feel myself locking into a creative rhythm again. It might just look like a snake to everyone else, but I'm hoping that just by the amount of detail that went into the artwork, you can feel the type of journey I went on.