Not In My Skin
Artist’s Statement
Sometimes I look at the mirror to find an unrecognizable image. Who am I? Perhaps if I shed my skin then I will find out who I am underneath all of these layers. If I am dissatisfied with what I see on the outside, can I find satisfaction in what lies underneath? I will tear at every single layer of skin until I can see myself. Or will I rip off everything to find that there is nothing left? I created Not In My Skin in an effort to visually represent the feeling of seeking identity. The background is a maze in order to represent the winding chaos of life. I wanted to illustrate the moments in self discovery where it feels like the skin you live inside does not belong to you. It makes you want to peel everything off in order to find yourself. The stretched face was drawn with Premier® Colored Pencils, then it was cut and pasted onto Crescent® Illustration Board. The maze-like background was created with POSCA® Paint Markers.
Meet the Artist
Katherine
Dunnagan
Hello, my name is Katherine Dunnagan! I am a Communication Arts major concentrating in Multimedia Production, and I am graduating from the University of the Incarnate Word in May this year! I've been an artist since I learned how to pick up a crayon. Now I use Premier® Colored Pencils to create my works of art. I am beyond thrilled for the opportunity to be featured on the cover of the 2025 Quirk issue.
Interview with the Artist
1. What was your inspiration for this piece?
I created Not In My Skin as a visual representation of seeking identity. The background is a winding maze in order to represent the chaos of life. In the foreground, I wanted to illustrate the moments in self discovery where it feels like the skin you live inside does not belong to you. It makes you want to peel everything off in order to find yourself.
2. What is your creative process? (How do you go about creating?)
After several sketches and rough ideas, I created this piece in the fall of 2020. The stretched face was drawn with Premier® Colored Pencils, then it was cut and pasted onto Crescent® Illustration Board. The maze-like background was created with POSCA® Paint Markers.
3. What are some influences on your artistic process?
My anxiety is one of the greatest influences of my artistic process. I definitely channeled my fear and overwhelming anxiety into this piece. Searching for yourself and looking for your identity comes with so much anxiety and uncertainty. Rather than wallowing in my fears, I find it helpful to draw it out in order to help the anxiety exit my system.
4. Is there anything more you’d like our readers/viewers to know about you or your work?
Not In My Skin is genuinely my favorite work of art that I have ever created. This piece is very personal to me, so I decided to get it tattooed on my arm in 2023. It holds so much meaning for me, so I decided it should carry it around with me forever.