Faculty of Art

Cross-Disciplinary Art: Life Studies

Christina Doroshyn

Woodland Repose

My work is inspired by the concept of the shadow, which is a psychological term for the repressed parts of the self in the subconscious mind. Although facing the shadow can be terrifying, real healing comes when we understand the anatomy of our subconscious mind and all that lurks inside it. Many avoid it as it brings the death of what you know about yourself, but it is also imperative for a healthy psyche, in the same way that death is an important process in the natural world. Without death, there would be no room or nourishment for meaningful life.This drawing is my attempt at excavating my psyche and mapping what I find. I had always had a severe fear of self-expression, and the process of healing it was by no means easy. I had to cooperate with my shadow self no matter how difficult it was being. As I nurtured those unloved parts of myself, I was rewarded: the drawing seemed to blossom in my mind’s eye. In the center is the shadow, seeping into the landscape around it. Its blackness gives the world shape and form, the same way conflict can help define a person. Around it is a myriad of thoughtforms in flux: old, deeply rooted ones that inform how I think and act, vague ideas that have not yet blossomed, and beings of conscious light, bringing hope and love to the dark parts of my mind. I hope this work inspires the viewer to enter the threshold themselves and have the courage to love what awaits them.

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