Anne Garvey "What Do You Want From Me?" 8x10 Painting

8x 10 inch oil painting on wood panel

My artwork focuses on anxiety, trauma, and resilience. Tangled elements, such as cords, yarn, and seaweed serve as metaphors for different states of mind, and invite the viewer to contemplate our common struggles. I see the instinctual, human desire to problem-solve as a beautiful thing, regardless of our inability to have all the answers. Recently, these concepts take on new meanings and intensities as we continue to develop ways to cope with uncertainty in both our external and internal worlds.

"What Do You Want From Me" is a reflection on the complicated emotions that arise from the emotional expectations of others. The source for the painting is a close-up of a larger sculptural form that was created using cords, ribbon, and strips of journal pages. The intensity of the red-orange can be interpreted as either happy or angry and is in direct contrast with the cooler whites of the tangled “thoughts” trying to make sense of the situation. Working in this way I hope to represent the self-reflective process as well as a cathartic experience for viewers, and extend the possibilities for deeper, psychological connections on a human-to-human level.