My Brain: A Junior Self-Portrait Illustration by Nora Donovan (2013)

The two photos are connected by how people move forward from the past, and how sometimes we can get caught up in the past as well as not being aware of what’s already around you.

I used my love and connection with water to tie together this scene, with something you might see of of highway 1. The central california coast line inspired the cliff side vines and flowers. I used the diver/ mermaid to show how my perception of even diving into a body of water feels like to me. The brain represents how I can get so caught up in my interpretation of the world around me. Also the different shades of blue represent the water body one might dive into in reality. The human half of the mermaid is wearing a racing suit, that you might wear in a swim meet or race, while the other half is a mermaid which is what I feel like when I am in water, it really doesn’t matter if its the ocean or a pool. The overall piece describes how I can get lost fast in my own head, I would like to think that we all do sometimes, and get caught up in our own reality.