Sabrina Petrocco

Artist Statement

The intent of my work is to spread awareness on the difficulties and long lasting effects of mental illness and trauma through deeply personal experiences. These experiences serve as a reference that reflects my inner thoughts in relation to my outer experiences. This comes in combination with original free thought writing to create an intricate visual representation of my struggles in dealing, processing, as well as healing from years of being caged and chained down by my mental illness. These works serve not only as a way to personally reflect and heal from past traumas, but also as an outreach tool to connect with others who have experienced and lived with mental illness, with the intention of letting them know they are not alone nor are they confined by their struggles. 

This internal (thought) to external (experience) struggle is represented through layering and transparency techniques of oil on canvas with the purpose of overlapping text with realistic visual imagery. The text comes first acting as inspiration for the visual imagery. Although the text is key to the start of the creative process, as the imagery is being layered on top of the text it starts to become obscure and difficult to fully read. This is intentional as it metaphorically represents the want to mask the turmoil of negative thoughts and emotions that come with mental illness from being seen on the surface by an outside view.