Tendrils

Amara Sinclair-Hill

Year 11

School: School of Isolated and Distance Education

Medium: Watercolour on paper

Artist statement: This self-portrait was created to reflect the way pressure and expectations affect my mental and emotional states. Braiding has connotations of love as an act of service; this painting aims to subvert this, the hair pulled tightly causes tension and pain. I wanted to explore the way benevolent intentions can still have damaging consequences. The different directions in which the hair is being pulled reflect uncertainty and confusion, due to contrasting expectations, choices and pressures. The tightly knitted sweater has started unravelling, mirroring mental deterioration.