Featured Artwork: There is so Much in my Head it Won't All Fit

There are times when I feel overwhelmed and paralysed by my thoughts and emotions. These can be both positive and negative, usually the negative is a crescendo of anxious chatter, whereas a positive feeling would be a swell of excitement and a rush of ecstasy, often following a moment of inspiration.

Moments like these can be difficult as they can stop me from doing anything or throw self-doubt on what I had planned. The feeling of being paralysed is often over quickly, but it has lingering effects.

Practicing meditation and journalling has helped me get thoughts and ideas out of my head and this helps me manage such moments and feel less stuck.

Once I get an idea, thought or worry out of my head and onto paper, whether written or drawn, it’s much easier to distance from it and handle it more rationally.

The piece is split into 3 sections, the bottom section depicts the lower third of a face, partly rendered in a realist style. This realist depiction represents the body from which our experience is born and where our emotions reside.

The middle segment of the painting is made of energetic lines and colourful paint splashes. This abstract painting represents the fleeting emotions and thoughts that rise and disappear, sometimes to such intensity that it feels like it’s about to explode out of us, often, paradoxically it can make us mentally seize up and feel helpless to its power, dragging our mood in any direction.

The top section of the piece is a part of a woven tapestry, based on another painting I made. This symbolises the processing of emotions and experiences, the transformation from one medium to another mirrors the transformations our thoughts and feelings can trigger in us.

I created each section separately, the tapestry with the help of a weaving studio in the US. I cut and sewed the pieces of fabric together and stretched over a wooden frame.

When I exhibited this piece, some people instantly connected with the text and the relation to the feeling and image, of thoughts and feelings bursting from them uncontrollably overwhelmed. The recognition of this experience in others is hugely comforting and validating to me, I feel less alone now when I experience the same thing, knowing it is not uncommon or abnormal. I want this piece to be a reminder that we share these mental phenomena, we are not alone in feeling how we feel and enjoying the moments of joy in our lives, whilst recognising that each experience shall pass. This is why I wanted to share this piece with you today.

‘There is so much in my head, it won’t all fit’ is available to purchase, for more details, please contact me.