The beginning of my portfolio features me (a caricature) I am often representing myself through my art and one of my most reoccurring metaphors is the heart in pants. He is me. He is simply an exposed heart wearing a pair of pants. He has no defenses. I also put with him the pieces of art that represent my love. The first series of pieces is a series done in 2019. While it was more than three years ago, it well represents what i have been able to represent in my art and what i would like to revisit in terms of art that contains broader social commentary. "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue" is supposed to represent a juxtaposition of "first-world" problems with larger social issues. The issues are represented through the wedding saying-an old social issue, a newer social issue, 'borrowed issue' (national debt), and something blue-pollution. Throughout the rest of the portfolio i am showing my progression in what i feel are traditional markers of progression in art-portraiture, masters copies, realism-and my heavy use of experimentation and casual art. I have placed a heavy emphasis on the overall maximalist at times messy feel of my art-apropos as it is a representative of me. I am particularly enamored with mixed media as a whole, works of collage, working with oil pastels, and to a lesser extent oil paint itself (i enjoy it the most when paired with oil pastels). There is something about the malleability that really speaks to me during my process. Overall, my pieces of art are somewhat found objects (a piece not featured is a hubcap i hang on my wall-found on the side of the road-cleaned and painted. Its now where i place my stickers so i do not have to lose them). I am constantly compiling things for art projects that i have not even conceived yet. I always want to have options and chances for inspiration. Often i start creating piece and the meaning reveals itself to me during the process. I have a very back and forth relationship with the pieces i create. i have a vision-follow it at the start and then listen as i go. Whether a light bulb will flash once i cut out the correct piece or set of words or if the piece will reveal a metaphor i didn't even necessarily know i was creating at the beginning. Another reoccurring motif is the figure in "it must be exhausting". This is another representation of the artist (me) especially in the quest for love and belonging (i have chronic imposter syndrome). For this character I have plans to create a series of different metaphors featuring him to show in my senior show at the end of this semester. (the middle section of my port is art made while studying art in liverpool)