Caught in a Memory

9" x 12" Wood block print - 2022

This piece began my initial exploration of my trauma in art. This was a project for a printmaking class, where we had to make a tricolor reduction woodblock print using at least three colors. At the time, I was constantly reliving my sexual assault due to PTSD, and I wanted to express this feeling of being trapped in a moment that tore you apart. I decided to depict myself as a rabbit, due to them being a well known prey animal that is often seen as defenseless, plus they are my favorite animal.

I felt gore would help convey the rawness of the emotions I was experiencing. The rabbit is jumping, but stuck in place by a hook in it's ear. Torn in two with her intestines hanging out, an arrow points to her back paw and says "lucky," a bit of juxtaposition. 

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Getting the colors right was a challenge, I wanted to have a natural yet muted pallet, something to make the horridness of the shadowbox palpable. I tried several test prints for each color, until I got it just right.