Madeleine Arthurs

Madeleine Hope Arthurs

My artwork describes my mind’s internal landscape, psyche-scape. I’ve been exploring my emotional mind by searching my soul, taking reference photographs, drawing, painting, folding, cutting and gluing. Emotional mind, rational mind and wise mind come from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT is a technique used to help people accept themselves. Once you accept yourself, it is easier to manage your emotions and move forward.

I call my self-portraits emotional mind portraits because they express my various moods. The way I choose to apply my paint also captures my internal feelings. The process of choosing words, structures, figures and abstract images for my art projects and the hands-on experience of actually making these artworks is cathartic for me. I hope my artwork also makes people reflect on their and others’ emotional states.

People like me with mental dis/Abilities often hide in our society because of a lack of understanding about mental illness, therapy, medicine and psychiatric hospitals. We would save more lives and the quality of people's lives if we were more open about mental health issues. Instead we who suffer are often isolated, misunderstood, and feared. I say “Hide NO More.”