Media used: plastic bottles, painted dowel rods, tape, fishing line, and soldering iron

Location: Brick City, Springfield, Missouri, until mid-May 2013

For Design II (3-Dimensional Design), project 2, inspired by Frank Gehry architecture, made simply of computer paper using an exact-o blade and scissors:

Graphite on 18×24″ drawing paper

Graphite on 18×24″ drawing paper

graphite on 18×24″ drawing paper

graphite on 18×24″ drawing paper

graphite on 18×24″ drawing paper

Parts one and two of a three-part two-dimensional design project using one’s initials. N uses analogous colors, while C uses complementary colors. Acrylics on 5×7″ Bristol paper

Psychological self-portrait, charcoal on 22×30″ Rives rag paper.

Flowers: my love of aesthetic beauty and color
Books: my imagination, love of fantasy, and stubborn belief in magic
Portrait of my mom: losing my mom at an early age has shaped me more than anything else, in both good and bad ways
She-ra’s tiara: my inner strength, courage, and feminist ideals
Medicine bottles: my vulnerability and need for help, however strong I may be on the outside; the internalizing of my grief and fears have created ongoing mild depression and moderate anxiety, contributing to my frequent migraines
Shoes: my constant struggle to overcome physical limitations

The restful scene: for the first time in a long time, everything feels moderately calm and under control; also, taking rest in my faith (“Be still and know that I am God.”)