ARTIST STATEMENT
As someone who lives with chronic mental and physical illness, my artwork is always inspired, led, and challenged by my health. I am always excited to find exhibitions themed around mental health because I find that it is so important to normalize the struggles that so many of us battle in secret. Two of the pieces I selected (The Summer of 2022 and Covid Brain) are focused on my experience with Covid-19, but those pieces also speak to the daunting task of dealing with a temporary illness while already navigating the world with mental illness. The third piece (Opening Up) is inspired by my anxiety, PTSD, and depression and the experience of going through therapy and healing after trauma.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Alesandra Caroline (She/They) is an painter, animator, illustrator, and poet who lives in Western Washington with her six-year-old daughter and cattle dog mix. With a past life as a wife focused on stay-at-home motherhood, she is now a single-mother pursuing her creative dreams, currently working towards a double major in Creative Writing and Studio Arts at Western Washington University. Her work has been published in Jeopardy Magazine and shown in Seattle, Bellingham, and Chicago. Alesandra also illustrated the children’s book ‘Amy’s Brass Band’ which is currently the number one seller for brass publications on Amazon.
© Alesandra Caroline