ALANA JUNEAU | WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS

Once l asked a fellow artist, "How do I paint when I'm happy?" So l painted rooftops, boats and birds.

My work here shows the darker side and the duality of loss during the times in my life that pushed me to the edge. Loss has fueled my artwork for years. It has pushed me to explore unbearable grief. It has helped me to make sense of trauma and live with it in a new way. It has helped me become stronger. It has helped me heal.

My artwork investigates the loss and death of childhood, family relationships and my baby. Many of my works depict happy childhood memories as a way to heal the pain of family estrangement as an ad It. Remembering happier moments from childhood while creating dark atmospheres and faceless self-portraits help me release the anger and betrayal felt inside. My greatest loss was that of my daughter. Hurried brushstrokes, dark colors and ripped paper convey the emotional and physical pain felt days after we returned home from delivering her - healthy, beautiful and stillborn.

When I could not make sense of life, art helped me heal in a way I did not realize until years later. I've lost so much but I have gained more. I paint to release the pain. I paint to forget and let go.

I paint to remember.

I paint to heal.

Buried, 12 x 12 in., mixed media (oil paint, torn paper) $250.00

Hanging On, 16 x 20 in., mixed media (oil paint, torn paper) $325.00

You're Missing, 12 x 36 in., mixed media (oil paint, torn paper) $275.00