SHAY'S PHOTOGRAPHY

"Verdurous"

20x30 (x3), printed on enhanced matte paper, mounted on plastic corrugated boards
Taken on Canon EOS R50 85mm

"The Execution of Lady Jane Grey"

A modern reinterpretation of the Painting by Paul Delaroche
Made for Assignment UVIC 155 Contemporary Art History

Shot on Canon EOS R50 28-70mm
Photoshop//Lightroom

"Sphaerechinus"
(Violet Sea Urchin)

16x20
Golden Acrylic on canvas
Gloss Varnish
I really love bunnies; I have a bunny tattoo, and I often incorporate them into my work. I find that sharing myself sometimes makes me feel unseen and more isolated. I have a lot of strong personality traits—I’m autistic, and I have many different interests. I feel like I often have deeper or more abstract feelings and connections within myself that I try to express through art, and I wanted to do that in a very personal way with this piece.

My favorite color is purple, I am often lonely, and I am very colorful and bright, though I have done a lot of hiding in my life. In high school i did a clay project about childhood where I made a bunny sculpted with spirals around it. I talked about my PTSD and how the piece felt like it represented my childhood. So I recreated something similar as an adult. Instead of black spirals that felt all-consuming, this piece uses purple and softer curved shapes, with swirls around me that feel quieter and more reflective. I feel like these two pieces really represent how I've changed and healed in the past few years. I'm very proud of this piece.

"Memories"

9x12
Golden Acrylic on canvas
Gloss Varnish
Inspired by Conan Grays song "Memories"

"Produced"

9x12
Winsor & Newton watercolor, iuile watercolors on canvas board

"bloom"

9x12
Golden Acrylic + raspberries on canvas board
Gloss Varnish

"Domestic Bliss"

9x12
Golden Acrylic, Mac lipstick on raw canvas
Gloss Varnish
Inspired by violence in beauty

"ABLE"

11x14
Mounted on a board, Mixed media paper, Tracing/Sheer paper.
Charcoal, graphite, and oil pastel
The artwork consists of three layered representations of the body. The first layer, created with oil pastels, is colorful, free, and light — representing how a person with a disability may appear in the world in a “normal,” almost simple way. The next layer is a charcoal drawing based on a real X-ray of my hips and spine, illustrating the internal structure and mechanical imperfections beneath the surface (for instance, my hip bones are different shapes and slightly misaligned due to my disability). The final, bottom layer is a rendered image of the body with tonal variations that evoke pain and bruising, representing how a disabled person’s body can feel internally. While the work draws from my own experiences, the figure itself is meant to be more formal rather than a self-portrait.