Asleep In The Deep
Asleep In The Deep is an ongoing body of work that serves as a metaphor for mental illness as a slumber at the deepest darkest part of the ocean, where one has become so accustomed to the deep, they have achieved aquatic respiration. I have taken inspiration from my own mental illness and the fragile beauty of the deep sea to create each painting. In many cases, the subject of a painting has progressed so far in their mental illness, they have literally become part of the environment (see “The Depths”, a painting where the main subject has fallen so victim to her illness, she has become embedded in coral, unable to move). I have also chosen to show the depths of a mental illness’s progression through the colors used (generally, the darker the colors, the deeper in the sea it is assumed to be) and through the way marine life have chosen to interact with the main subject, or through growths (some subjects will grow tentacles or other marine life appendages).
Asleep In The Deep first exhibited from October 20, 2021 to November 14, 2021. Please contact me at juliebphilly@gmail.com to inquire about purchasing any of the pieces from Asleep In The Deep. More paintings will be added to the collection in the future. Please check back here soon.