Comfort in Your Arms

Acrylic and spray paint with thick mixed media on canvas.

Artist Statement: My highly textural original artworks focus on objects that can make us smile, clear our minds, and help us be resilient while provoking positivity within. In my teenage years, my father had a mental illness and became violent. We had no other choice than to leave. I experienced poverty, pain, frustration, betrayal, among many different emotions. But I made it, and it made me a stronger person to overcome any struggles I would later encounter in life! The inspiration behind my art is a mix of my reflection on the courage, patience, perseverance I had to display during my hardships, my multicultural hometown of Montreal, and my roots from Madagascar. Each artwork I create balances recognizable elements and the unknown. To make my signature texture unique to the art world, I use a combination of acrylic paint and mixed media, which I meticulously build up layer after layer. "If you look at my art and it makes you smile, gets you lost in deep thoughts, or takes you away from a negative state of mind, as an artist, I feel accomplished."