This digital self-portrait 'Escapist' tells the untold story of my life, expressed through Surrealism. The central figure in the painting is a childlike, innocent girl who is floating between the ground and a sky filled with roses and thorns. The floating balloons, containing substances such as hallucinogenic mushrooms and marijuana, pull the girl closer to the thorny branches. This painting illustrates my use of addictive substances for escaping responsibilities and challenges in my life, and a wake-up call to myself that I need to stop before it is too late.
To begin, the young woman is drifting aimlessly in space, wearing a pink dress that symbolizes innocence and youth, in complete contrast to her choices of using addictive substances. Her body appears to be limped, while disregarding the harmful things pulling her. Beneath her feet are the objects in her real life: education (books), passion (the piano keys), family and school (the buildings). These responsibilities should be cared for, but have been neglected. The hands represent the people around who are trying to hold her. As you look closer, most of the hands seem unreal. The old, worn teddy bear full of patches of mold represents my childhood and the traumas I have still suffered from. The chains that wrap the colorful balloons tightly bind my bleeding arms, which keeps me trapped. The balloons draw me closer to the roses with thorns, which depicts the euphoria after using the forbidden substances. The thorns illustrate the side effects of the substance, which is slowly killing me.
In conclusion, this self-portrait depicts my darkest secret and fear, and the way I escape reality and my responsibilities.
