Under the Radar

Vanessa Fehrenbach

Degree: BFA

Area: Painting

Thesis Statement

Although mental health awareness is increasing, the topic still causes many people discomfort. Problems arise from the various types people may experience. No one person is the same. Therefore, mental illnesses can be stimulated by problems specific to a person, the illness expresses itself in different forms, and will also affect people in different ways. Mental illness is more common than people may think, especially if they do not know what to look for. Some people may not notice the signs in themselves, as it is easy to overlook especially if they are seemingly managing their daily lives. However, simple daily tasks can start to feel impossible for some. The monotonous routine of showering and brushing your teeth can sometimes be the biggest thing you could manage some days. Anxiety can be triggered even when there is nothing tangible; a trick of the eye can leave you paranoid.

I heavily lack confrontation skills, so I am using my self portraits to be confrontational with the viewer. I begin by approaching these paintings with specific viewer(s) in mind for each piece, yet some of these people will most likely never see my paintings. All my life I have managed to slip under the radar, and yet so do they. I am picking from my personal experiences with mental illness and painting self portraits. Pulling from my behaviors and thinking about the feelings attached to those behaviors and where they came from, I paint. At first glance the figures appear to be executing menial tasks, but really they are performing tasks that some may see as brave and strong. How we see the world shapes who we are, and opening your mind to different perspectives can frame the way we treat each other.