Description
‘The Sea Hates a Coward’ by Alyssa Schadhauser
Artist: Alyssa Schadhauser
Title: ‘The Sea Hates a Coward’
Medium: Ink, gesso, graphite, and collaged tracing paper on watercolour paper
Dimensions: 9″ x 12″
Framing: Unframed
Year of Creation: 2022
About the Artwork:
“I’ve been having frequent dreams about the ocean in its full fury; this piece is a manifestation of just that. Images of whirlpools, vicious tides, and water overtaking myself or others have been recurring themes, yet I am always led back to a conflicting sense of dreadful wonder despite the water’s wrath.
Using dreamwork is a practical tool that helps me understand my own inner world. By doing so, I’m able to analyze my dreams and pick apart motifs to assess where I am in my subconscious. While the actual “meaning” of our dreams that others suggest may just be hearsay, or purely opinion based, I feel as though it helps me connect with my humanity a bit more; I find it interesting how we sometimes create similar situations projected from our subconscious, with symbols that are sometimes attached to universal feelings. Some suggest that a tumultuous ocean signifies hardship, or a complicated struggle with close relationships. In my case, the sea acts like a mirror: it projects my worries and frustrations back onto me.
Creatures from the realm seem unkind– they are sharp, I don’t feel welcomed by them. I find myself with spikes, too, just like the conches; no one can touch me, I am safe in here.” – Alyssa Schadhauser
About the Artist:
(Artist Bio)
Alyssa is an artist and educator based in the greater Boston area with a background in illustration, from which she carries a BFA in from Montserrat College of Art. She currently teaches ceramics and other 3D art forms at the high school level.
Her work is inspired heavily by the macabre reality of our world. She particularly finds fondness in representing the mundane through depicting ordinary “slice of life” moments; she’s a natural people watcher, her work is driven by the human condition— both in practice, but also in observation. A frequent theme that often comes up in her work is the existentialism that is paired with the passing of time. Her work often walks along a thin line between blissful nostalgia and baneful ruminating thoughts.