Print Contemporary Practice

Heather O’Dwyer

Be Gentle with Me

This imagery of the face, with likeness to that of a mask is about the Artist’s struggle with herself. After a build-up of years trying to improve or fix herself this project distilled as a means of acceptance of the self, the ego and others. This project looked to embrace the idea of the grotesque, accepting flaws and finding the good in them. It was a way for the artist to practise being kind to herself. The repetition of the face motif represents the cyclical nature of life and getting stuck in repetitive behaviours throughout life. There is a sense of vulnerability in her work through the bodies and faces she creates. The bodies shown naked and removed from realism show a human in its most vulnerable form. With nothing to hide behind, the artist created them facing toward the viewer, leaving them in their most natural state. Faces lacking in distinct expression are used as a direct message of feeling stagnant and being unable to create by fear of making mistakes. This project aims to represent how we are all just human and flawed by nature, and how it is important to embrace ourselves with gentle arms.

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