Acrylic on birch wood board.

36x24"

Inspired by the poem Black Girl Fly by professor, playwright and author, Funmilola Fagbamila, this text-heavy piece is intended to resemble a word cloud, except every single word spoken by the poet and author is of equal importance, and after listening to this poem for the first time, the artist found every word hung in the air with intense poignancy.

The artist wanted to communicate this feeling to the viewer by capturing the entirety of this inspirational message intended to uplift young black girls in a way that communicates the rhythm and musicality in which Funmilola Fagbamila narrates it through a balance of varying words, typefaces and colours that work together in harmony.

The natural finish of the wood board is incorporated into this piece in an attempt to suggest that the message behind this poetry makes sense in its purest and natural form - why wouldn’t a young black girl feel capable of achieving the levels of success the author speaks about when it seems like such an obvious opportunity, and yet, the lack of equality and opportunities across marginalized and minority groups creates an additional barrier for BIPOC girls and women to overcome. It should be easy, equality should come as naturally as the words that flow from Funmilola Fagbamila's lips and land on the surface of this piece naturally and easily.

This piece serves as a reminder to all girls, especially young black girls, that she can, and she will, especially under the guidance and influence of powerful women like Funmilola Fagbamila reminding us all what we’re capable of.


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The VOICES (That’s What She Said) collection is a celebration of the way women have used their words and voices to empower themselves and others.

Spray paint on raw canvas.

36x40"

Inspired by the voice of Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her words from the TedWomen’s stage in 2019 about how women will lead us to freedom, justice and peace, this piece makes a bold, unapologetic statement about how representation of women in professional roles is important.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was the first woman president of an African nation (Liberia) and continues to be a change-maker in her community - the ripple effect of her advocating for women to be included in positions of power has been celebrated world-wide.

This piece is the only one in the VOICES collection that highlights a single quote from an entire monologue, “Once the glass ceiling has been broken, it can never be put back together”, and has been communicated in large, bold, stencils on canvas in which letters from words spill from one line onto the next to encourage this sentence to be read aloud without pause.

The artist includes stencil imperfections and crooked edges as a reminder that moving forward and making changes is a clumsy and imperfect process that calls for transparency and resilience. Some letters appear upside down, crooked, overlapping with others…but despite these imperfections, the message is still received loud and clear.

The following quote from her speech struck the artists as particularly poignant: “I had my fair shares of criticism and toxicity. Nobody is perfect. But there's nothing more predictable than a strong woman who wants to change things, who's brave to speak out, who's bold in action…” Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s voice has reminded us all that with courage, persistence, and the dismissal of the ego, real change is possible.



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The VOICES (That’s What She Said) collection is a celebration of the way women have used their words and voices to empower themselves and others.

Acrylic, ink, spray paint, pencil on birch wood board.

16x20"

Inspired by the powerful words and live performance of Katie Makkai’s poem, Pretty, the artist created two pieces on wood panel drawing parallels between the medium’s solid exterior and the “hard truth” the author shares about women and physical appearances.

For this piece, Katie Makkai's entire poem was transcribed by hand in the artist’s penmanship as a way referencing how the same sentiments Makkai shares could easily have been her own thoughts one might find in the artist's journal. Makkai uses her voice in a compelling, theatrical way to address how at a young age she learned that the most important thing about herself was her appearance, and how her mother’s on-going efforts to doctor her appearance to make her more conventionally attractive left Katie wondering what her “real” face would have looked like.

The artist references the author’s aspirations for “physical perfection” by scribbling, re-writing, painting, crossing-out, hiding, revealing, highlighting and re-writing words from her poem to symbolize that despite the quest for perfection, a mess was made. There is a painful vulnerability in Makkai’s compelling delivery in which she admits that despite her mother having paid for physical adjustments to her daughter’s nose, teeth and overall appearance, an entanglement of emotions and overall sense of being "not-enough" remains; there's a deep feeling of being unwell despite having a flawless physical appearance.

The focal point of this piece remains the slightly obscured yet legible word “face” as the artist attempts to highlight that for many women, their most prioritized characteristic is the face (and their appearance in general) but there is little consideration given to the “messy” emotional impact that maintaining a perfect appearance that is intended to please others has on a woman’s psyche.



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The VOICES (That’s What She Said) collection is a celebration of the way women have used their words and voices to empower themselves and others.

Spray paint, ink, acrylic on raw canvas.

36x40"

Inspired by the voice and powerful words of Yesika Salgado, this piece is a celebration of the complicated and important relationship a woman has with herself. In reference to Salgado’s poem called Corazón Heals Herself, the prominent image of a large heart is the focal point of this piece. In other videos, Salgado explains that while the word corazón means heart in Spanish, it’s also a term of endearment meant to identify herself. This inspiring way of looking at oneself as one’s own heart prompted the artist to wonder what it would be like to imagine our own souls being directly linked to our most vital life-giving organ - the idea that we would cease to exist without our beating heart from a practical perspective but also that we may cease to love unless we're able to truly love ourselves.

Surrounded by the words “you” and “love”, the heart imagery in this piece is overwhelming, bold, bright and loud as the artist drives home the message that the viewer is his/her/their own love, and that the love we have for ourselves sets the pace at which we live our lives and dictates whether or not we’re able to receive love from others or able to give it freely.

The smaller images of heart-shaped grenades are copies of the artist’s early illustration work, Love Is A Battlefield, originally intended to represent the fear and danger that comes with giving one’s heart away, but has now been repurposed in this painting to represent how a lack of love for oneself is destructive.

This painting is a reminder to viewers that we are our greatest loves, and that the rejection and pain caused by others is unpleasant and unwanted, but at the end of the day, we walk through this life on our own, with our own hearts, and the way we speak to ourselves and show up for ourselves can be damaging or it can be expansive, empowering and joyful.

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The VOICES (That’s What She Said) collection is a celebration of the way women have used their words and voices to empower themselves and others.

Ink, acrylic, spray paint, graphite, pressed leaves, conte on canvas.

36x40"

She saw so clearly in the throws of pain.
The edges of anger so defined, obvious in its sharpness.

But now, the boundaries of peace are hazy and unclear, as if she’s laying in a bed of tropical fronds, unsure of where she begins and ends, enveloped in the sweet softness of safety.

She had no idea there was so much peace to be found in the shrugging of her shoulders, in the sweet release of ‘what if?’ and ‘so what?’

She has made a home in the uncertainty.




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The Mess Collection features a visual mapping of emotions, specifically the celebration of joy, surrender and peace that results from having endured the grieving process as depicted through abstract expressionism and florals.

Abstracted flower imagery along with the use of real pressed botanicals from the artist’s garden can be seen throughout this series as LaCaria explores the paradoxical symbolism behind flowers and how they’re exchanged at both time of celebration and mourning.

The floral elements draw parallels between the impermanence of seasons and life chapters, the ebb and flow of time and the ephemerality of emotions. The artist aims to evoke a nostalgia in the viewer by prompting the recollection of a memory in which flowers were present, for better or for worse.

LaCaria uses bold swatches of colour reminiscent of bouquets and garden beds along with heavy line work symbolic of the written words of eulogies, lost conversations and past self-talk. These expressive elements come together to communicate a visual mapping of the emotional cycles that accompany grief as one moves forward into a state of joy by paying respect to the past self that was left behind.

The resulting collection as a whole features compositions that embody a sense of ascension and levity as emotions appear to lighten and soften towards the upper parts of the canvas; or feature focal points of nothingness through the use of heavy negative space - an intentional commentary on the revelation that comes from the process of surrender, acceptance and the rebirth of the Self.

Pressed flowers, flashe, coloured pencil, spray paint on raw canvas.

48x48"

She threw a funeral for her past life and invited her Old Self as the guest of honour. She decorated the walls with the whispers, the moans, the screams, the pleas for peace that sat with her night after night.

She thanked her loneliness for keeping her company on the worst nights. Her grief is sacred, it reminds her she’s lucky to have felt it all, in all its imperfect perfection, in all its miserable beauty.




____________
The Mess Collection features a visual mapping of emotions, specifically the celebration of joy, surrender and peace that results from having endured the grieving process as depicted through abstract expressionism and florals.

Abstracted flower imagery along with the use of real pressed botanicals from the artist’s garden can be seen throughout this series as LaCaria explores the paradoxical symbolism behind flowers and how they’re exchanged at both time of celebration and mourning.

The floral elements draw parallels between the impermanence of seasons and life chapters, the ebb and flow of time and the ephemerality of emotions. The artist aims to evoke a nostalgia in the viewer by prompting the recollection of a memory in which flowers were present, for better or for worse.

LaCaria uses bold swatches of colour reminiscent of bouquets and garden beds along with heavy line work symbolic of the written words of eulogies, lost conversations and past self-talk. These expressive elements come together to communicate a visual mapping of the emotional cycles that accompany grief as one moves forward into a state of joy by paying respect to the past self that was left behind.

The resulting collection as a whole features compositions that embody a sense of ascension and levity as emotions appear to lighten and soften towards the upper parts of the canvas; or feature focal points of nothingness through the use of heavy negative space - an intentional commentary on the revelation that comes from the process of surrender, acceptance and the rebirth of the Self.

Spray paint, acrylic, ink, pressed flowers on raw canvas.

36x40"

The sun wakes up every day and shines her brightest because that is what she is meant to do. The sun isn’t worried about who she blinds. All she does is shine, shine, shine.




_______________
The Mess Collection features a visual mapping of emotions, specifically the celebration of joy, surrender and peace that results from having endured the grieving process as depicted through abstract expressionism and florals.

Abstracted flower imagery along with the use of real pressed botanicals from the artist’s garden can be seen throughout this series as LaCaria explores the paradoxical symbolism behind flowers and how they’re exchanged at both time of celebration and mourning.

The floral elements draw parallels between the impermanence of seasons and life chapters, the ebb and flow of time and the ephemerality of emotions. The artist aims to evoke a nostalgia in the viewer by prompting the recollection of a memory in which flowers were present, for better or for worse.

LaCaria uses bold swatches of colour reminiscent of bouquets and garden beds along with heavy line work symbolic of the written words of eulogies, lost conversations and past self-talk. These expressive elements come together to communicate a visual mapping of the emotional cycles that accompany grief as one moves forward into a state of joy by paying respect to the past self that was left behind.

The resulting collection as a whole features compositions that embody a sense of ascension and levity as emotions appear to lighten and soften towards the upper parts of the canvas; or feature focal points of nothingness through the use of heavy negative space - an intentional commentary on the revelation that comes from the process of surrender, acceptance and the rebirth of the Self.

Acrylic, ink and pastel on canvas.

40x44"

Seek Change - part of the From The Darkness Comes the Light collection
40" x 44"

The quantum physicist Max Planck said “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” You may not always be responsible for the changes that come into your life, but you are responsible for changing your outlook and your perspective, because it is through your own perspective that you form your reality.

If you don’t like the way things are looking, change the way you look at them, and then, without a doubt, the things you’ve been looking at will have changed, as well. Change is good. Stagnation is sadness, it is heavy, it is death. Change is hopeful, healthy and beautiful. Seek the change you want to see in your life. You’re the only one who is capable of changing things for yourself, you’re the only one who can truly affect your own reality.

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The From The Darkness Comes The Light collection explores the intense feeling of levity that finally strikes after a heavy period of pain and suffering. These works are a reminder not to be afraid of the darkness. In order to release the pain that you’re feeling, you have to feel it. Pain is unpleasant, emotional and physical pain alike. We have associated pain as being a negative emotion, but what if we accepted emotional pain as just another feeling? Just like happiness and joy, it is merely a feeling, and it won’t last forever. This series serves as a reminder that sometimes the greatest joy follows times of intense pain.

Acrylic, ink, conte, gold leaf on canvas.

47.50x47.50"

Strength in Softness - part of From The Darkness Comes the Light collection
47.5" x 47.5"

May we learn to be strong by being soft. May we gain our strength from the courage it takes to let our guard down; by letting others in and showing vulnerability; by allowing fear to come pouring out so that healing can begin.

To be soft is to be without hard edges, without daggers, without swords or blades. Softness is gentle like the petals of a flower. Gentle like the downy carpet of a grassy field. Softness is always strong in its collective. One petal alone cannot guard the pollen of a flower, but many together form a barrier. One blade of grass is meaningless and insignificant, but many together make for a breathtaking surface of movement and colour that protects the Earth beneath it.

In numbers, softness is strong. And in this vein of thought, I invite you to collect all the soft parts of your heart, mind and soul and celebrate them for their collective strength. For me, these parts of myself come together to create a strong person - not an invincible person, but one who has become strong in her conviction and truth.

Your softness is your superpower: your ability to bend, break, crumble and come back again afterwards, tougher than before. Your softness makes for gentle hugs from strong arms, soft cushioning upon a courageous chest, gently rounded curves of the shoulders that have carried the burdens of others without hesitation.

Your softness IS your strength.

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The From The Darkness Comes The Light collection explores the intense feeling of levity that finally strikes after a heavy period of pain and suffering. These works are a reminder not to be afraid of the darkness. In order to release the pain that you’re feeling, you have to feel it. Pain is unpleasant, emotional and physical pain alike. We have associated pain as being a negative emotion, but what if we accepted emotional pain as just another feeling? Just like happiness and joy, it is merely a feeling, and it won’t last forever. This series serves as a reminder that sometimes the greatest joy follows times of intense pain.

Flashe, acrylic, coloured pencil on canvas.

40x50"

Red Flat - Love Letters (To My Exes) Collection
40" x 50"

It was there all along. I saw it on day one. I turned a blind eye because of that smile, those dimples. Those blue eyes. Those arms. Oh man, those arms. I convinced myself the red could have been green, could have been gray, could have been violet. But it was red. And it was flapping in the wind. I didn’t want to see it because then I’d have to admit I was addicted to the toxic. Toxic was familiar. Toxic felt safe.

And I had a red flag of my own. And he turned a blind eye, too. Turns out we were two red flags flapping in the wind, pretending to heal each other when we just needed to heal ourselves.

I still think of him.

*This painting was inspired by the song #1 Crush (Nellee Hooper Mix) by Garbage

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This collection is a cheeky exploration of “love” and dating from the artist’s perspective as a confident, hetero, intellectual woman in her mid-30s. The artist playfully reflects on past romantic encounters to examine which were ruled by the heart vs. the mind. The heart is the true centre of human intelligence, not the brain. The heart is all-knowing, in its intuitive ability to discern when to push or pull, expand or retract. The brain’s tendency to overthink and overanalyze is not a sign of intelligence, but an anxious attempt to intellectualize emotions in order to avoid actually feeling them.

This playful collection explores the themes of identity, attachment, moments of clarity and cathexis that are prevalent in the search for love. The artist aspires to be vulnerable in exposing the various ways she has celebrated or abandoned parts of herSelf in her past relationships and encounters, and the feelings of triumph, shame, growth and sadness that have been part of her journey in dating.

The short excerpts that inspired the works in this collection were taken from the artist’s personal journal and paintings were created with specific songs in mind.

Acrylic, flashe, ink on canvas.

40x50"

Could Have Been - Love Letters (To My Exes) collection
40" x 50"

I can’t help but think of what could have been. We could have been great. We could have rewritten the stories our broken hearts held onto. We could have been the ones to make it. I wonder if he thinks of me as the one who got away. Is he the one who got away from me? To think of him as “getting away” means at some point he was mine to keep, but he never was. I will always think of him and what could have been. I will always wonder if he thinks of me.

*This painting was inspired by the song Grow Old With Me by Tom Odell

____
This collection is a cheeky exploration of “love” and dating from the artist’s perspective as a confident, intellectual woman in her mid-30s. The artist playfully reflects on past romantic encounters to examine which were ruled by the heart vs. the mind. The heart is the true centre of human intelligence, not the brain. The heart is all-knowing, in its intuitive ability to discern when to push or pull, expand or retract. The brain’s tendency to overthink and overanalyze is not a sign of intelligence, but an anxious attempt to intellectualize emotions in order to avoid actually feeling them.

This playful collection explores the themes of identity, attachment, moments of clarity and cathexis that are prevalent in the search for love. The artist aspires to be vulnerable in exposing the various ways she has celebrated or abandoned parts of herSelf in her past relationships and encounters, and the feelings of triumph, shame, growth and sadness that have been part of her journey in dating.

The short excerpts that inspired the works in this collection were taken from the artist’s personal journal and paintings were created with specific songs in mind.

Acrylic, ink, coloured pencil on canvas.

40x50"

Conquests - part of the Love Letters (To My Exes) collection

My pain. My plans. My hopes. My regrets. My shortcomings. My triumphs. My conquests. My heart. My mind. My head. My body. My turn. My time. Get on board or get out of my way. My choice.

*This painting was inspired by the song Look Who's Crying Now by Jessie Murph
_______
This collection is a cheeky exploration of “love” and dating from the artist’s perspective as a confident, intellectual woman in her mid-30s. The artist playfully reflects on past romantic encounters to examine which were ruled by the heart vs. the mind. The heart is the true centre of human intelligence, not the brain. The heart is all-knowing, in its intuitive ability to discern when to push or pull, expand or retract. The brain’s tendency to overthink and overanalyze is not a sign of intelligence, but an anxious attempt to intellectualize emotions in order to avoid actually feeling them.

This playful collection explores the themes of identity, attachment, moments of clarity and cathexis that are prevalent in the search for love. The artist aspires to be vulnerable in exposing the various ways she has celebrated or abandoned parts of herSelf in her past relationships and encounters, and the feelings of triumph, shame, growth and sadness that have been part of her journey in dating.

The short excerpts that inspired the works in this collection were taken from the artist’s personal journal and paintings were created with specific songs in mind.

Acrylic, spray paint, poppy seeds, coloured pencil on raw canvas.

36x40"

Have You Seen My Poppy Seeds? 36" x 40" (part of the Hold Collection)

"It’s on you to make it happen. Hold tight to the parts of yourself that believe in you. Hold onto the parts of yourself that need you the most. Hold onto the dream, the goals, the joy, the peace, the love, the happiness. Let the pain go. It’s on you, now. You’re the only one who can truly decide what is worth carrying."

The Hold collection is inspired by the concept of baskets - vessels that were designed to hold and carry items only of a certain size…not everything was meant to be carried. Grains of sand, water, soil, beads, pebbles, leaves, berries… still slip through the cracks. The baskets are meant to hold onto what truly matters, and release whatever doesn’t. The cracks are there to let whatever shouldn’t be contained slip away. The history of basket making has been lost - the basket couldn’t even hold onto its own story. This collection explores the paradox that exists in the moments of time when letting go is essential in order to be able to carry on with what matters. Not everything or everyone was meant to be kept.

Mixed media on raw canvas.

50x70"

Says Who? 50" x 70" (part of the Hold Collection)

"You can’t put that there. You can’t do it that way. You can’t build it like this. That isn’t supposed to happen that way. You aren’t doing it right. It’s too big. You’re too small. It’s too weird. It’s too slow. She did it better. He hates it. She says it’s ugly. He stopped watching.

It’s actually incredible. It’s better than that. It’s worth more. She’s impressed. He loves it. It’s just perfect as it is. It’s not supposed to be pretty. He gets it. She doesn’t care. "



The Hold collection is inspired by the concept of baskets - vessels that were designed to hold and carry items only of a certain size…not everything was meant to be carried. Grains of sand, water, soil, beads, pebbles, leaves, berries… still slip through the cracks. The baskets are meant to hold onto what truly matters, and release whatever doesn’t. The cracks are there to let whatever shouldn’t be contained slip away. The history of basket making has been lost - the basket couldn’t even hold onto its own story. This collection explores the paradox that exists in the moments of time when letting go is essential in order to be able to carry on with what matters. Not everything or everyone was meant to be kept.

Flashe, acrylic, spray paint, coloured pencil on raw canvas.

40x60"

Fortitude 40" x 60" (part of the Mirror Collection)

"To see good in others is to see good in yourself.
To see strength in others is to recognize strength in yourself.
To see pain in others is to honour the pain your own heart holds.
To see fragility in others is to make peace with your own vulnerability.

To embody Fortitude, is to be at ease with the exhaustion that comes from being resilient.

One final homage to the Mirror collection is this painting that celebrates the strength and fragility of the people who make up the city of Hamilton. The strong and powerful, the meek and fragile, the wealthy and the working class. The communities who work together, the groups who clash. The tall rises with glass windows that look down on the steel mills and paved roads that support them. A reminder that glass can be cracked, fractured and chipped, and yet, still remain intact; a reminder that steel can be bent, warped and dented, but it cannot be broken."


The Mirror collection is an exploration of who people are according to themselves vs. who people appear to be to others, and whether these two "identities" are actually one in the same or entirely different personas. The artist asks the question of whether or not one's sense of Self can exist without the context of who she is according to other people.

The reflection one sees of themselves in a mirror is an inverted image of what others see - a mirror, the tool we use to view ourselves, is not even an accurate depiction of what we look like to others.

The mirror is an unreliable source of reflection but it's ironically used daily to ensure "we look our best" or "look like ourselves" before facing other people. The artist is exploring the concepts of truth and perception as it relates to the Self, and whether or not the identities people claim as their own are naturally formed and inherited at birth or fabricated and curated over the years as a result of life experiences and the influence of other people.

The artist used personal items including clothing, shoes and cosmetics to create these pieces, focusing on the juxtaposition between line work and fluid forms to express the tension between the varying degrees of masculine and feminine energies the artist has identified in herSelf.

Spray paint, flashe, incense, colored pencil, acrylic on canvas.

36x40"

Burn 36" x 40" (part of the Mess Collection)

"…and just when you thought you burned the memory of her out of your mind, the sun will shine through the window and it’s warmth will dance on your skin and the memory of her touch will come rushing back; because all the fire and smoke in the Universe couldn’t erase the memory of the way her hands moved across your skin.

You cannot escape the haunting of her, no matter how hard you try."


The Mess Collection features a visual mapping of emotions, specifically the celebration of joy, surrender and peace that results from having endured the grieving process as depicted through abstract expressionism and florals.

Abstracted flower imagery along with the use of real pressed botanicals from the artist’s garden can be seen throughout this series as LaCaria explores the paradoxical symbolism behind flowers and how they’re exchanged at both time of celebration and mourning.

The floral elements draw parallels between the impermanence of seasons and life chapters, the ebb and flow of time and the ephemerality of emotions. The artist aims to evoke a nostalgia in the viewer by prompting the recollection of a memory in which flowers were present, for better or for worse.

LaCaria uses bold swatches of colour reminiscent of bouquets and garden beds along with heavy line work symbolic of the written words of eulogies, lost conversations and past self-talk. These expressive elements come together to communicate a visual mapping of the emotional cycles that accompany grief as one moves forward into a state of joy by paying respect to the past self that was left behind.

The resulting collection as a whole features compositions that embody a sense of ascension and levity as emotions appear to lighten and soften towards the upper parts of the canvas; or feature focal points of nothingness through the use of heavy negative space - an intentional commentary on the revelation that comes from the process of surrender, acceptance and the rebirth of the Self.

Ink, acrylic, colored pencil, spray paint, pressed leaves on canvas.

36x40"

Homecoming 36" x 40" (part of the Mess Collection)

"She used to be friends with pain. It took up residence in her heart, left signs of its visits in her eyes. The day she asked it to leave, it begged to stay, both of them comfortable in each others’ presence. It loved the home she’d built in her soft heart.

Pain’s visits were bittersweet in their frustrating familiarity; its presence better than the vacancy it left behind. One day she made friends with peace, and she finally learned what it feels like to come home to HerSelf."



The Mess Collection features a visual mapping of emotions, specifically the celebration of joy, surrender and peace that results from having endured the grieving process as depicted through abstract expressionism and florals.

Abstracted flower imagery along with the use of real pressed botanicals from the artist’s garden can be seen throughout this series as LaCaria explores the paradoxical symbolism behind flowers and how they’re exchanged at both time of celebration and mourning.

The floral elements draw parallels between the impermanence of seasons and life chapters, the ebb and flow of time and the ephemerality of emotions. The artist aims to evoke a nostalgia in the viewer by prompting the recollection of a memory in which flowers were present, for better or for worse.

LaCaria uses bold swatches of colour reminiscent of bouquets and garden beds along with heavy line work symbolic of the written words of eulogies, lost conversations and past self-talk. These expressive elements come together to communicate a visual mapping of the emotional cycles that accompany grief as one moves forward into a state of joy by paying respect to the past self that was left behind.

The resulting collection as a whole features compositions that embody a sense of ascension and levity as emotions appear to lighten and soften towards the upper parts of the canvas; or feature focal points of nothingness through the use of heavy negative space - an intentional commentary on the revelation that comes from the process of surrender, acceptance and the rebirth of the Self.

Flashe, acrylic, ink, spray paint on raw canvas.

36x40"

Good Start 36" x 40" (part of the Mess Collection)

"To blame the rain in a storm is as silly as banishing love because it accompanied the hurt.

She punished love because it walked in tandem with pain, not realizing that in doing so, she had wished a lifetime of numbness upon her worthy, yearning heart."


The Mess Collection features a visual mapping of emotions, specifically the celebration of joy, surrender and peace that results from having endured the grieving process as depicted through abstract expressionism and florals.

Abstracted flower imagery along with the use of real pressed botanicals from the artist’s garden can be seen throughout this series as LaCaria explores the paradoxical symbolism behind flowers and how they’re exchanged at both time of celebration and mourning.

The floral elements draw parallels between the impermanence of seasons and life chapters, the ebb and flow of time and the ephemerality of emotions. The artist aims to evoke a nostalgia in the viewer by prompting the recollection of a memory in which flowers were present, for better or for worse.

LaCaria uses bold swatches of colour reminiscent of bouquets and garden beds along with heavy line work symbolic of the written words of eulogies, lost conversations and past self-talk. These expressive elements come together to communicate a visual mapping of the emotional cycles that accompany grief as one moves forward into a state of joy by paying respect to the past self that was left behind.

The resulting collection as a whole features compositions that embody a sense of ascension and levity as emotions appear to lighten and soften towards the upper parts of the canvas; or feature focal points of nothingness through the use of heavy negative space - an intentional commentary on the revelation that comes from the process of surrender, acceptance and the rebirth of the Self.

Spray paint, acrylic, colored pencil on raw canvas.

36x40"

Dawn Chorus 36" x 40" (part of the Mess Collection)

"Even though the moon has witnessed all the pain and injustices that come with the night, she continues to shine her brightest in the darkest of times.

The dawn chorus reminds her it's time to rise again and again and again."


The Mess Collection features a visual mapping of emotions, specifically the celebration of joy, surrender and peace that results from having endured the grieving process as depicted through abstract expressionism and florals.

Abstracted flower imagery along with the use of real pressed botanicals from the artist’s garden can be seen throughout this series as LaCaria explores the paradoxical symbolism behind flowers and how they’re exchanged at both time of celebration and mourning.

The floral elements draw parallels between the impermanence of seasons and life chapters, the ebb and flow of time and the ephemerality of emotions. The artist aims to evoke a nostalgia in the viewer by prompting the recrecollection of a memory in which flowers were present, for better or for worse.

LaCaria uses bold swatches of colour reminiscent of bouquets and garden beds along with heavy line work symbolic of the written words of eulogies, lost conversations and past self-talk. These expressive elements come together to communicate a visual mapping of the emotional cycles that accompany grief as one moves forward into a state of joy by paying respect to the past self that was left behind.

The resulting collection as a whole features compositions that embody a sense of ascension and levity as emotions appear to lighten and soften towards the upper parts of the canvas; or feature focal points of nothingness through the use of heavy negative space - an intentional commentary on the revelation that comes from the process of surrender, acceptance and the rebirth of the Self.

Pressed flowers, flashe, coloured pencil, spray paint on raw canvas.

48x48"

Offbeat 48 "x 48" (part of the Mess Collection 2024)

"She threw a funeral for her past life and invited her Old Self as the guest of honour. She decorated the walls with the whispers, the moans, the screams, the pleas for peace that sat with her night after night.

She thanked her loneliness for keeping her company on the worst nights. Her grief is sacred, it reminds her she’s lucky to have felt it all, in all its imperfect perfection, in all its miserable beauty."


The Mess Collection features a visual mapping of emotions, specifically the celebration of joy, surrender and peace that results from having endured the grieving process as depicted through abstract expressionism and florals.

Abstracted flower imagery along with the use of real pressed botanicals from the artist’s garden can be seen throughout this series as LaCaria explores the paradoxical symbolism behind flowers and how they’re exchanged at both time of celebration and mourning.

The floral elements draw parallels between the impermanence of seasons and life chapters, the ebb and flow of time and the ephemerality of emotions. The artist aims to evoke a nostalgia in the viewer by prompting the recrecollection of a memory in which flowers were present, for better or for worse.

LaCaria uses bold swatches of colour reminiscent of bouquets and garden beds along with heavy line work symbolic of the written words of eulogies, lost conversations and past self-talk. These expressive elements come together to communicate a visual mapping of the emotional cycles that accompany grief as one moves forward into a state of joy by paying respect to the past self that was left behind.

The resulting collection as a whole features compositions that embody a sense of ascension and levity as emotions appear to lighten and soften towards the upper parts of the canvas; or feature focal points of nothingness through the use of heavy negative space - an intentional commentary on the revelation that comes from the process of surrender, acceptance and the rebirth of the Self.

Flashe, acrylic, spray paint on canvas.

48x30"

I don’t have any regrets. But I would never do us again.

*This painting was inspired by the song Smug Fuckface by Laura Jane Grace*

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The Love Letters (To My Exes) collection is a cheeky exploration of “love” and dating from the artist’s perspective as a confident, intellectual woman in her mid-30s. The artist playfully reflects on past romantic encounters to examine which were ruled by the heart vs. the mind. The heart is the true centre of human intelligence, not the brain. The heart is all-knowing, in its intuitive ability to discern when to push or pull, expand or retract. The brain’s tendency to overthink and overanalyze is not a sign of intelligence, but an anxious attempt to intellectualize emotions in order to avoid actually feeling them.

This playful collection explores the themes of identity, attachment, moments of clarity and cathexis that are prevalent in the search for love. The artist aspires to be vulnerable in exposing the various ways she has celebrated or abandoned parts of herSelf in her past relationships and encounters, and the feelings of triumph, shame, growth and sadness that have been part of her journey in dating.

The short excerpts that inspired the works in this collection were taken from the artist’s personal journal and paintings were created with specific songs in mind.

Watercolour, acrylic, ink on canvas.

40x50"

And the people who never really knew me said, “We like the new you!”
And the people who knew my heart long before it shattered said, “She’s back!”

I still don’t know if I‘ve changed or if I have finally come back home to myself. Maybe I’ll never know and maybe it doesn’t even matter. I'm here now.

*This painting was inspired by the song White Flag by Bishop Briggs*

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The Love Letters (To My Exes) collection is a cheeky exploration of “love” and dating from the artist’s perspective as a confident, intellectual woman in her mid-30s. The artist playfully reflects on past romantic encounters to examine which were ruled by the heart vs. the mind. The heart is the true centre of human intelligence, not the brain. The heart is all-knowing, in its intuitive ability to discern when to push or pull, expand or retract. The brain’s tendency to overthink and overanalyze is not a sign of intelligence, but an anxious attempt to intellectualize emotions in order to avoid actually feeling them.

This playful collection explores the themes of identity, attachment, moments of clarity and cathexis that are prevalent in the search for love. The artist aspires to be vulnerable in exposing the various ways she has celebrated or abandoned parts of herSelf in her past relationships and encounters, and the feelings of triumph, shame, growth and sadness that have been part of her journey in dating.

The short excerpts that inspired the works in this collection were taken from the artist’s personal journal and paintings were created with specific songs in mind.

Acrylic, flashe, ink, coloured pencil on canvas.

32x46"

A wave of hatred flooded my body on the day he told me the truth.
And I clung to it. The hatred protected me. Sheltered me.
Kept me safe, until it was too heavy to carry.

Hate was never meant to be a part of my heart, mind, or my body.

I worked up the courage to let the hate go, accepting that it might make room for the love I once held for him to rush back in.

Instead, when I asked the hatred to leave, it took the love I had for him with it. And the most beautiful, brightest light of clarity filled the void instead. I didn’t know I had so much space for freedom. I had forgotten that I am sovereign. I am truly free.

*This painting was inspired by the song Gorgeous by X Ambassadors*

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The Love Letters (To My Exes) collection is a cheeky exploration of “love” and dating from the artist’s perspective as a confident, intellectual woman in her mid-30s. The artist playfully reflects on past romantic encounters to examine which were ruled by the heart vs. the mind. The heart is the true centre of human intelligence, not the brain. The heart is all-knowing, in its intuitive ability to discern when to push or pull, expand or retract. The brain’s tendency to overthink and overanalyze is not a sign of intelligence, but an anxious attempt to intellectualize emotions in order to avoid actually feeling them.

This playful collection explores the themes of identity, attachment, moments of clarity and cathexis that are prevalent in the search for love. The artist aspires to be vulnerable in exposing the various ways she has celebrated or abandoned parts of herSelf in her past relationships and encounters, and the feelings of triumph, shame, growth and sadness that have been part of her journey in dating.

The short excerpts that inspired the works in this collection were taken from the artist’s personal journal and paintings were created with specific songs in mind.

Acrylic, coloured pencil on canvas.

36x40"

I sing love songs to myself. They used to make me sad because I thought I was alone. But I’m not. I’m just by myself. I am with myself. On my own. I don’t know how I got from there to here, but now I sing all the love songs to myself. In the mirror. In the car. On a walk. In the grocery store. I hum along, I belt it out. And they can’t haunt me anymore. I have fallen in love with myself and it had nothing to do with anyone else. Now all those songs remind me of me. And no one else.

*This painting was inspired by the song Love It If We Made It by The 1975.*
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The Love Letters (To My Exes) collection is a cheeky exploration of “love” and dating from the artist’s perspective as a confident, intellectual woman in her mid-30s. The artist playfully reflects on past romantic encounters to examine which were ruled by the heart vs. the mind. The heart is the true centre of human intelligence, not the brain. The heart is all-knowing, in its intuitive ability to discern when to push or pull, expand or retract. The brain’s tendency to overthink and overanalyze is not a sign of intelligence, but an anxious attempt to intellectualize emotions in order to avoid actually feeling them.

This playful collection explores the themes of identity, attachment, moments of clarity and cathexis that are prevalent in the search for love. The artist aspires to be vulnerable in exposing the various ways she has celebrated or abandoned parts of herSelf in her past relationships and encounters, and the feelings of triumph, shame, growth and sadness that have been part of her journey in dating.

The short excerpts that inspired the works in this collection were taken from the artist’s personal journal and paintings were created with specific songs in mind.

Flashe, soap, acrylic, spray paint on raw canvas.

70x50"

That moment when you get everything you’ve wished for. When it all starts to happen. Moments that are imagined to have the impact of a loud clap of thunder or a huge reveal, but are actually many small experiences that come together all of a sudden. Silently, quietly. Brace for impact, get ready, it’s all happening now, it’s all happening for you.

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The Hold collection is inspired by the concept of baskets - vessels that were designed to hold and carry items only of a certain size…not everything was meant to be carried. Grains of sand, water, soil, beads, pebbles, leaves, berries… still slip through the cracks. The baskets are meant to hold onto what truly matters, and release whatever doesn’t. The cracks are there to let whatever shouldn’t be contained slip away. The history of basket making has been lost - the basket couldn’t even hold onto its own story. This collection explores the paradox that exists in the moments of time when letting go is essential in order to be able to carry on with what matters. Not everything or everyone was meant to be kept.

Ink, acrylic, coloured pencil on canvas.

12x12"

Nothing screams as loud as your silence.

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Just because a story was told, does not mean it was heard.

The Pieces Of The Whole collection explores story-telling and how narratives about women are rewritten/edited/retold to benefit the listener, whoever that may be, for better or for worse. The idea that women are not always in control of the narratives of their own lives, or how their stories are shared with others, depending on context, is expressed through this collection using the unifying imagery of peaches.

This series began as studies of peaches for an upcoming collection entitled She’s A Sweet Peach (working title). As the artist’s work is performative in nature, these paintings were part of larger canvases that were later cropped and assembled with both intentional and unintentional approaches to editing - an exercise for the artist in detachment regarding the need to control the narrative. This physical re-assembling of canvases on smaller frames is an attempt to explore how many smaller stories can contribute to the “bigger picture”, and it can still be beautiful, even if there are parts missing.

Intriguing parts of certain paintings were left behind while other parts were included due to dimensional limitations of the frame. These limitations that were beyond the artist’s control reinforced the importance, as well as the potential harm, behind censorship.

Ink, acrylic, coloured pencil on canvas.

12x12"

Those long, lazy, hazy drives towards an adventure that is full of promise. The beginning of a journey, the start of a memory. The feet-on-the-dash part of the trip when everything is still shiny and golden.

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Just because a story was told, does not mean it was heard.

The Pieces Of The Whole collection explores story-telling and how narratives about women are rewritten/edited/retold to benefit the listener, whoever that may be, for better or for worse. The idea that women are not always in control of the narratives of their own lives, or how their stories are shared with others, depending on context, is expressed through this collection using the unifying imagery of peaches.

This series began as studies of peaches for an upcoming collection entitled She’s A Sweet Peach (working title). As the artist’s work is performative in nature, these paintings were part of larger canvases that were later cropped and assembled with both intentional and unintentional approaches to editing - an exercise for the artist in detachment regarding the need to control the narrative. This physical re-assembling of canvases on smaller frames is an attempt to explore how many smaller stories can contribute to the “bigger picture”, and it can still be beautiful, even if there are parts missing.

Intriguing parts of certain paintings were left behind while other parts were included due to dimensional limitations of the frame. These limitations that were beyond the artist’s control reinforced the importance, as well as the potential harm, behind censorship.

Acrylic, spray paint, watercolor pencil on canvas.

20x12"

She is deeply aware.
She is in touch with her emotions.
But she is no longer burdened by them.

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Just because a story was told, does not mean it was heard.

The Pieces Of The Whole collection explores story-telling and how narratives about women are rewritten/edited/retold to benefit the listener, whoever that may be, for better or for worse. The idea that women are not always in control of the narratives of their own lives, or how their stories are shared with others, depending on context, is expressed through this collection using the unifying imagery of peaches.

This series began as studies of peaches for an upcoming collection entitled She’s A Sweet Peach (working title). As the artist’s work is performative in nature, these paintings were part of larger canvases that were later cropped and assembled with both intentional and unintentional approaches to editing - an exercise for the artist in detachment regarding the need to control the narrative. This physical re-assembling of canvases on smaller frames is an attempt to explore how many smaller stories can contribute to the “bigger picture”, and it can still be beautiful, even if there are parts missing.

Intriguing parts of certain paintings were left behind while other parts were included due to dimensional limitations of the frame. These limitations that were beyond the artist’s control reinforced the importance, as well as the potential harm, behind censorship.

Ink, acrylic, spray paint on canvas.

36x16"

The very word “history” favours HIS perspective.

He believed that Her Story never stood a chance - it wasn’t at risk of being shared, it was never even recorded to begin with.

Until she found herself a pen. And paper. And a paintbrush. And canvas. And a microphone, a radio, a television, and a group of others like Her who were ready to make good on what has been accepted as History.

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Just because a story was told, does not mean it was heard.

The Pieces Of The Whole collection explores story-telling and how narratives about women are rewritten/edited/retold to benefit the listener, whoever that may be, for better or for worse. The idea that women are not always in control of the narratives of their own lives, or how their stories are shared with others, depending on context, is expressed through this collection using the unifying imagery of peaches.

This series began as studies of peaches for an upcoming collection entitled She’s A Sweet Peach (working title). As the artist’s work is performative in nature, these paintings were part of larger canvases that were later cropped and assembled with both intentional and unintentional approaches to editing - an exercise for the artist in detachment regarding the need to control the narrative. This physical re-assembling of canvases on smaller frames is an attempt to explore how many smaller stories can contribute to the “bigger picture”, and it can still be beautiful, even if there are parts missing.

Intriguing parts of certain paintings were left behind while other parts were included due to dimensional limitations of the frame. These limitations that were beyond the artist’s control reinforced the importance, as well as the potential harm, behind censorship.

Spray paint, acrylic, colored pencil on canvas.

20x20"

Eyes searching for the sun, neck craning towards the cracks in the curtain where the light is fighting to get through. The smallest sliver of sunlight brings her joy.

Leaf her alone, she’s busy blooming.

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Just because a story was told, does not mean it was heard.

The Pieces Of The Whole collection explores story-telling and how narratives about women are rewritten/edited/retold to benefit the listener, whoever that may be, for better or for worse. The idea that women are not always in control of the narratives of their own lives, or how their stories are shared with others, depending on context, is expressed through this collection using the unifying imagery of peaches.

This series began as studies of peaches for an upcoming collection entitled She’s A Sweet Peach (working title). As the artist’s work is performative in nature, these paintings were part of larger canvases that were later cropped and assembled with both intentional and unintentional approaches to editing - an exercise for the artist in detachment regarding the need to control the narrative. This physical re-assembling of canvases on smaller frames is an attempt to explore how many smaller stories can contribute to the “bigger picture”, and it can still be beautiful, even if there are parts missing.

Intriguing parts of certain paintings were left behind while other parts were included due to dimensional limitations of the frame. These limitations that were beyond the artist’s control reinforced the importance, as well as the potential harm, behind censorship.

Ink, acrylic, pastel, coloured pencil on canvas.

54x32"

She stopped hiding the soft parts of HerSelf.
The tenderness, the tears, the giggles, the hope.
The rolls, the curves, the folds, the creases.
The soft parts of her feel safe now; she realized they have always been the parts she loved the most.

____
Just because a story was told, does not mean it was heard.

The Pieces Of The Whole collection explores story-telling and how narratives about women are rewritten/edited/retold to benefit the listener, whoever that may be, for better or for worse. The idea that women are not always in control of the narratives of their own lives, or how their stories are shared with others, depending on context, is expressed through this collection using the unifying imagery of peaches.

This series began as studies of peaches for an upcoming collection entitled She’s A Sweet Peach (working title). As the artist’s work is performative in nature, these paintings were part of larger canvases that were later cropped and assembled with both intentional and unintentional approaches to editing - an exercise for the artist in detachment regarding the need to control the narrative. This physical re-assembling of canvases on smaller frames is an attempt to explore how many smaller stories can contribute to the “bigger picture”, and it can still be beautiful, even if there are parts missing.

Intriguing parts of certain paintings were left behind while other parts were included due to dimensional limitations of the frame. These limitations that were beyond the artist’s control reinforced the importance, as well as the potential harm, behind censorship.