Burnt and Bruised

This piece is about internal reflection and how outside influences—people, environments, and experiences—shape our sense of self. The viewer is called to consider who or what feels like home, and who is revealed when we look in the mirror. Identity is presented not as fixed, but as something continually formed through relationship and exposure.

The canvas was burned directly into the frame using a blowtorch, a gesture that references desire, and the intensity when becoming ones self- think of "phoenix from the ashes" The act of burning leaves permanent marks, suggesting how certain experiences alter us in lasting ways.

Mirrors embedded within the burn holes invite both literal and emotional reflection. They disrupt the surface of the work, asking viewers to locate themselves within it. These reflective points suggest that our understanding of self is shaped by how we are seen, how we see others, and how closely those reflections align—or fracture—over time.