Invisible Exterior

Acrylic, gouache, marker, water-based polyurethane, mirror

Invisible Exterior is a meditation on visible and invisible cycles of pain and healing, and their coexistence while recovering from trauma. The wide and shallow exterior of this vessel depicts the artist's physical body just before, during, and immediately after her 13-level spinal fusion surgery. Skin, hardware, instrumentation, and exposed muscle and bone are reflected in a mirror underneath the vessel, which both reveals and distorts the physical body portrayed. The interior of the vessel depicts the very early life cycle of a bean seed coming up from heavily rooted dirt. This is intended to celebrate the unseen growth that must occur underground, invisibly, before the sprouted plant bears flower or fruit.