The time for acceptance is grim and still. With the ever changing circumstances of chronic illness and disability, it’s a constant activity to adapt to the new normal.

"Awake" is a self-portrait depicting the (not-so-subtle) ways in which the very state of being awake can be fraught with contradictory feelings. As an artist, I am full of whimsy and wonder, but as enticing as the playful rainbows may be, they can quickly become harbingers of chaos if left to their own devices.

The frustration involved in trying to understand or follow the rules imposed by a world whose norms are so far beyond my comprehension, understanding, and ability is probably the very thing that helps make the creative magic happen.

As challenging as having a nonverbal learning disability (NVLD) coupled with ADHD may be at times, I wouldn't change it for the world because it's what makes me me.

Seek to understand the unknown.

This piece may be small, but it packs a punch, and its creation was no small feat, taking two years to complete. Working with alcohol ink poses significant challenges, particularly when striving for realism, and my limited peripheral vision of 5 degrees hinders my ability to discern finer details. To overcome these obstacles, I rely heavily on photographic references and my mental image to fill in the gaps. The crow depicted is a familiar visitor to our backyard, captured in the moment it takes the last peanut.

When I took a trip to the Gulf Islands, we hiked up a trail, and this was the view from the top of the trail. It was a hot summer day, and I wanted to show that in my painting. Something about the view caught my eye. I liked how the brightness of the water brought out the greens in the trees.

“Jealousy” is a representation of wanting to feel and appear as everyone else. Being a person with mental disabilities, there are times I wish I could just be “normal”. Although I’ve learned more about myself, I’ve learned that every individual is beautiful in a different way.

“Alienated” represents feeling as though you are an outcast. As a Neurodivergent individual, people will often see us as different, which causes a feeling of being an “other” and appearing unusual.

Broken Branches, Frozen Roots is the relationship I have with my body. Primarily, my left leg. I broke it as a teen, and due to negligence of the health care system, my leg has chronic pain, and my mobility is restricted to the point where I cannot run. Some days I feel like I've grown past it since I don't rely on a wheelchair anymore, and some days my leg is a dead tree trunk since I can't move like my peers. People see me with a cane, but because I don't have deep wrinkles or greying hair, they don't see me as someone permanently disabled or needing assistance. I've come to accept my body and limitations, and I hope that this new perspective blossoms new possibilities and raises awareness of youth with disabilities.

The piece "Ouroboros" deals with the emotional experience of self-loathing and self-acceptance that comes with the desire to make visible changes to my body as a trans and queer person. The green figure is covered in markings that extend over their arm to create a sort of mask-like look over their obscured face, revealing a “painted” smile over their concealed mouth. Behind them is a gnarled creature, bearing teeth and a face composed of chaotic psychedelic shapes, revealing the barely concealed tumultuous state of the green figure. They too bear teeth, but in the form of a smiling wound across the chest, obscuring whether they would present as male or female. The gnarled creature desires to consume the green human, but the human desires to control the chaotic nature of the creature, accepting their changing body in the process.

An arching dandelion, which spreads throughout the painting, with its large leaves almost touching the edges of the canvas. Sitting atop one of these large dandelion leaves is a whited-out roach. This piece is centred around the theme of feeling unseen, unheard, and overlooked because of my oddness and inability to fit myself into a palatable form. Over time, I have learned to force myself into an inauthentic and palatable identity of the idea of “perfect”. However, this “perfect” is layers of white paint over my true form. My form is less than palatable; my existence and the way I go about my life are ones that question norms and societal standards. I don’t see these as bad things; they just are. They are reminders that existing is so much more than the systems we force ourselves into to be accepted.

Sometimes, when pain and inability to perform certain tasks, or depression get the better of us, we need to remember to soar above these, be brave, and remain strong.

The Sainted Raven series explores the tension between sanctity and instinct through vivid, haloed portraits of ravens rendered as icons, rebels, and ritual figures. Drawing on religious symbolism, celestial imagery, and the mythology of corvids as messengers and witnesses, each work examines themes of transformation, defiance, ascension, and sacred consumption. The raven becomes both saint and shadow - a creature suspended between devotion and hunger, reverence and rebellion. Through luminous colour and devotional composition, the series invites viewers to reconsider what is worthy of holiness.

This artwork is meant to feel atmospheric, depicting a forest with a waterfall that takes center stage. Although light and dark may seem in tension, it is a place where you find quiet revelation. The watercolors have been reworked, scraped, and dragged, and then softened, creating a tactile, gestural quality. The viewer is first drawn in by the white waterfall in the center, but as the viewer examines the artwork, the marks and gestures in deep blues, greys, and black reveal treasures such as partially defined trees that seem to dissolve into the mist.

This is based on a video my friend took on the last day of our residency. There was a bench overlooking the creek as it poured. The weather was miserable, but through the video, only the soothing sounds of birds and water came across. I tried to capture that feeling of tranquility within this painting through blending away harsh lines, soft colours dancing around as we sat next to the graveside.

This piece is an otherworldly landscape created with unconventional patterns and colours. Neurodivergent people are expected to exist in a world that their brains aren't designed for, and we create systems to cope. Art is my coping mechanism.

Sustainability is important to my art practice. Neurodivergent brains pick up on patterns easily. This abstract piece is made of the leftovers from other projects. I love to create patterns and find patterns in unsuspecting places.

Out of Focus is an exploration of the internal processes of the mind affected by but not limited to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Through a layered process of collage, Photoshop, cyanotype print making, and oil painting using objects found or dear and photography of both past and happening, this piece echoes the multifaceted cognitive landscape and the accompanying perspectives of navigation within.

This artwork was created during a period of heightened anxiety. As an autistic artist, Castro experiences a vivid, intense, and sometimes overwhelming visual world. Through vibrant colours, geometric forms, and bold outlines, he transformed that inner world into art. As his anxiety symptoms improved, this distinctive style gradually faded. This piece offers a glimpse into the powerful intersection of autism, anxiety, and creativity. Castro is a 15-year-old BASES student at Grandview Heights Secondary School.

This image is part of a series of gel plate prints I created to leave a testimony behind for the younger generation. Every colour of this work, along with the process, is intentional to convey feelings, wisdom, and important physical markers.

The perception and experience of the body, both inwardly and outwardly, is harsh and varied. In an environment where struggles with physical pain push us further away from human connection, "Fetal" brings us back to a tranquil closeness, like being back in the womb. Through textural brushstrokes capturing realistic qualities of a human form, as well as expressive sculpting of botanical elements, my work gives insight into this feeling of isolation, pain, and ultimate outreach for connection.

“Skin and Bone” is a piece about the journey a loved one made through surgeries for spina bifida, once at birth and once as a teen, as well as their scoliosis. It is a work about the scarring that repeated surgeries can cause, and the beauty in the people who carry them.

We often react to and police other people’s bodies, especially when they push beyond what is expected of others. However, scars are a pain that we carry; they are not always sexy or aesthetic, but they are the stories of those we love. Leather-outcropped porcelain showcases the delicate beauty beyond marred skin, that which exists within us all.

The piece depicts different textures of scarring through wet molding. Scoliosis is depicted through commissioned porcelain vertebrae with a Jaipuri pattern. These are set in a custom maple frame with a satin finish.