Fluttering Daydreams

Alicia Smith

Art Submission

“Art has been my outlet for my entire life. There have been many times when I do not know how to express myself through words. So, I express myself with a canvas, paint, and a brush. To me, creating art is allowing myself to be free in showing who I am and what I love. The materials I use are oil paints, acrylic paints, and gouache as well as paper, collage, and embroidery to bring a three—dimensional aspect to my paintings. Currently, much of my art consists of incorporating paper collages into the composition. I have started to explore the idea of imagination and daydreaming and showing that through various situations. Imagination seems to have been lost in adults but is quite important in our daily lives to get away from the chaos that is life. I also enjoy painting women in their natural beauty and bringing focus to things society believes should not be seen such as stretch marks and stomach rolls. Another influence for my art is my psychology background. I enjoy incorporating various mental disorders and illnesses within my work to portray what it is like living with various illnesses. A future project of mine is to interview an individual with a serious mental illness and portray that in my artwork. I believe it is important to tell a story through my art as it can help people better understand real issues and concerns of the world. Recently, I have started experimenting with illustrations and creating portraits for people. This is a way that I can use my art to help people appreciate being an artist as a way of income since many people view artists as being poor. I plan to create art for the rest of my life—continuing to develop my skills and confidence, expressing my voice and blessings, and inspiring others.”