Artist Statement and Bio

Artist Statement

I began using art as a therapy tool-- an expression of my feelings, calming mechanism, and a visual record of my thoughts. My mental state has been something I have constantly struggled with, always fighting with myself to act a certain way. I started making art when I realized that I can let go of this control, and some things are just created naturally. The more art I made, the easier it was for me to openly discuss the hardships of mental illnesses and the physical toll they take on one's body. Beginning with my own diagnoses, I began to explore different illnesses with a varying range of severity. I became very interested in the human body, especially in a state of distortion. Body dysmorphia is something that I continue to bring attention to through my work. I am able to ignore the stigma around mental health by putting it out into the open, using various media. I have done several works around these concepts, and I continue to learn and experiment with these ideas.

In my most recent series, "Feeling Anxious," I have created three, 18x20 in. pieces depicting the physical toll anxiety takes on the body. I wanted to capture the symptoms one may feel during a panic attack, and display where on the body (besides the mind) is affected by this mental illness. These works are created entirely of black and white charcoal. I emphasize the concept of battling mental illness by using a black-and-white color pallet, highlighting the parts of the body in which I feel are affected. 


Bio

Sophie Winiarz was born in Los Angeles, California. Her battles with mental health greatly impacts her drawing and painting. She is currently working towards getting her B.A. in Strategic and Corporate Communications, with a minor in studio art. Most of her works are done in graphite and charcoal, however, she occasionally experiments with a wide variety of media. She has presented her work at Beverly Hills High School and Chapman University and hopes to show her pieces in a friend's gallery in the near future. Her work is visible on Instagram (@sophiewiniarz).