Outside the Lines

"Outside the Lines" originates from a recent digital series of mine, created in the style of Pop Art, exploring childhood trauma through the lens of an artist living with PTSD. By recontextualizing nostalgic consumer goods; brightly colored, creative products marketed to children—I examine the gap between society’s idealized view of childhood and the often painful realities it can mask. Inspired by Marjorie Strider’s use of contradiction, each piece highlights the tension between surface-level innocence and the internal symptoms of trauma, challenging viewers to reconsider how joy, playfulness, and branding can obscure deeper psychological wounds.