Hello I'm Stuti and I welcome you to the world of my creative expression. This collection represents my journey both as a self taught artist and as a psychology student, in my attempt to explore the transformative power of art in the healing process. Art therapy, for me, is a tool for personal expression and exploration. But beyond that it helps me with emotional release and confronting my own vulnerabilities through the use of various media — namely; painting, drawing, clay molding, digital art and photography.
Each piece in this portfolio has helped me reflect on the depth of my emotions, aided me with personal growth and the discovery that comes with the therapeutic process of art. To me, these pieces highlight a journey of healing, connection and transformation. Whether working with children or adults, I aim to create a safe and supportive space for clients to support them with their goals; be it exploring their inner landscapes, overcoming challenge and cultivating a sense of empowerment and wellbeing.
Thank you for taking the time to view my portfolio.
1. Unit
Material used - Acrylic on canvas
Size - 35 x 45 cm
Artwork made - Dec 2024
This was a piece made to pull myself out of a block and pour my thoughts on the canvas much like the colours.
The interplay between the faces and waves is to portray the contrast of the passive faces to the ever flowing and changing waves. As humans, we often strive for stability while at the same time yearning and hoping for change and nobility. Quite often ,the human desire for permanence and identity clashes with the inevitable nature of change, growth, and adaptation. Just as waves are unpredictable and uncontainable, so too are the forces that shape us - our emotions, lived experiences, and circumstances that are beyond our control. This shared difference is where we as a collective are a unit.
2. Codex
Material used - Acrylic on canvas
Size - 35 x 45 cm
Artwork made - Jan 2025
This star embodies a singular reassurance; to be in the now and to work with what we have. The uncertainty is a beauty I'm ever so often fascinated by while at the same time overwhelms me with my own abilities. Thus I made the draft as a way to give myself a set of my own directions, things that matter to me, the people around me and how I can use it as a way to reassure myself. "Codex" is the transference of the draft on the canvas in a manner that has given dimensions to the "tasks" laid out.
The pixelated look on the upper left of the star depicts connections, it shows how we ourselves are discernable in each and every interaction. The lower right is to depict the flow of the microscopic world, to show how every being yields to the universes laws and how spiritual work is much the same. The swiftly moving pieces at the bottom left depict a tackling of indecisiveness and moving forward. Everything along with the eye emphasizes my goal towards a healthy and calm nervous system.
3. In the weight of stillness
Material used - Pencil sketch on paper
Artwork made - Nov 2023
Through subtle lines and gentle shading, this piece was made to convey the beauty of human connection, capturing a transient moment that speaks to the deep need for love and security. I wished to capture the intimacy of being cradled - an act that represents more than just physical support; it is an emotional embrace, where the person being held finds refuge from the chaos of life. The hands that hold, steady yet tender, are not only offering comfort but also a sense of autonomy, a deep mutual trust.
Making this piece helped me to reflect on the warmth of being cared for and speaks to the sense of gratitude I feel for the relationships in my life. This is also an ode I drew to affirm myself of wants and desires. Of human connection and touch. To remain comfortable in my own safety while simultaneously craving an external affection.
4. Connection
Material used - Acrylic on canvas
Size - 21 x 30 cm
Artwork made - Jul 2024
Made from the same palate and on the opposite sides of the same canvas sheet, this work illustrates the feeling of lost connections. The first piece focuses on the concept of network, depicted through these abstract forms. These elements symbolize the intricacies that shape our modern existence — both organic and digital. In contrast the second piece centers on the eyes, representing a more vulnerable side of connection. It emphasizes the importance of this face to face interactions.
While the first painting represents distance and complexity, the second painting emphasizes closeness and vulnerability. Distance can be hard and everything that seems to make it easy fails to work at times. Making art during difficult times helps me clear my mind. This yearning to connect and to nurture wholesome relationships has been depicted through this piece.
5. Flow
Material used - Acrylic on canvas
Size - 30 x 21 cm
Artwork made - Nov 2024
Heart is often the symbol for blood, for life and love. There's the being within; divided: one side is rigid, with a flow that's structured representing stability, the logic of thought. The other side flows freely, with soft, running strokes, symbolizing the fluidity of emotion, spontaneity, and the unpredictable nature of life. Together, both these halves and these different types of flows illustrate the delicate equilibrium necessary for a full, vibrant life. The dynamic relationship of both order and chaos helps us thrive.
6. Train of soft thought
Material used - Soft pastel on paper
Artwork made - Jun 2024
These pieces were made with soft pastel, depicting a bit of mindless indulgences while practicing art. This exercise was simply about me putting my feelings on paper without much thought, something that's almost like journaling to me.
The softness of the pastels, which blend effortlessly, mirrors the fluidity of an unstructured stream of consciousness, where there are no clear destinations, only the journey of thought itself. There is just an organic flow of colors and emotions that spill across the canvas. Thus these pieces are an exploration of freedom; of giving into the ebb and flow of my own mental rhythms.
7. Self Portrait
Material used - Clay, foil and cotton. Scraps of old clothes
Artwork made - Dec 2023
My desire to create this doll in my own likeness was not just one to assert and immortalize my identity but something of a paradox that comes into play in the form of a blank face. A lot might be said by ones hair, clothes, their general presentation and I wanted that element to laid out but a blank face creates a void that invites deeper exploration into what truly constitutes identity. In a way, a blank face challenges the conventional understanding of identity.
This doll allows not just me as its maker but anyone observing it, an opportunity to project their own thoughts on the figure. To me this doll, in its simplest form, was a tool for self discovery and emotional exploration. A reminder that we are constantly redefining who we are, constantly evolving and reinterpreting ourselves. By removing the emotional signifiers of the face, its more than just a reflection of the self. It is a canvas and a space for personal reflection. As it has always been, the self shall remain elusive and fluid and thus not easily captured by extrenal representation.
8. Anatomy of a sensitive nervous system
Materials used - Acrylic on canvas
Size - 21 x 30 cm
Artwork made - Dec 2024
Most of my struggles since childhood can be narrowed down to the matter of sensitivity. In this piece I've tried to explore the human body through seemingly mundane yet deeply painful experiences which brings attention to the fragile nature of our physicality but with reference to my own sensitivity. At times, I find myself overwhelmed by being in my body and in those moments, I use art as my safe haven. Having embraced this sensitivity, this piece was made to affirm myself.
A broken tooth, for instance, is not just a dental injury but a profound reminder of how deeply our body can feel, amplifying every pulse of pain as nerve endings scream out in distress. In a similar notion I have drawn the open wound and the scab. I made this piece to affirm myself of my own sensitivity and use it as a lens to understand my own emotional responses.
9. Inner child
Material used - Acrylic on canvas
Size - 21 x 30 cm
Artwork made - Dec 2024
A bunny can be a lot of things. To me they have always carried a sense of unpredictability, a hidden nature, an anxiety waiting to overburden the onlooker. Bunnies as symbols carry this innocence or the veil of it, beyond which lies a mystery. This to me creates the similar feeling as to when confronting our inner child.
Like a bunny that flinches at a sudden movement, the inner child may be hypersensitive to external stimuli, reacting in ways that might seem out of proportion. Embracing the bunny means recognizing that healing required by us to confront both the light and dark aspects of our inner child. Ultimately, the inner child is not simply a figure of joy and innocence, but a representation of our ability to heal, to grow, and to integrate all aspects of ourselves, even those that are difficult to face.
At times we find that our inner child can be dark and brooding, mysterious to the same, needing some help to be pulled out and confronted in order to heal.
10. To (un)become
Material used - Acrylic on canvas, Acrylic markers
Size - 21 x 30 cm
Artwork made - Oct 2024
The overcoming of a fear can mean a lot of things; a new beginning, reopening of older wounds, a challenge as to what comes after or even a war within as we face something new, something different. This piece is made with that in mind, the unbecoming and the becoming.
This overbearing figure which represents the fear can be overcome by embracing it. The star behind is the "overcoming of the fear", under which are nurturing hands for the continuing support that is needed to achieve it and become it. The hands are stuck on top of the canvas, marking the crucial role they play. Our own actions are important for a transition as such to take place.
11. Molded Muse
Material used - Clay
Artwork made - Jan 2025
Clay molding to me, serves as a powerful tool for self expression and healing. Shaping and molding something in itself allows us to engage with our emotions in a more tactile manner, offering us a space to articulate difficult feelings. Water in itself has its own qualities that brings out ones vulnerabilities and when mixed with clay works as an invitation to confront and process internal struggles and traumas.
To me the two pieces presented above symbolize this nature of wet clay, an element difficult to manuvour that brings out our vulnerabilities yet this process of giving it shape encites a sense of control and release within us. I choose to work with clay only in moments when I am willing to encourage this vulnerabilities and face the difficult feelings within by first embracing them and putting them out through the medium of clay.
12. A Jagged Lament
Material used - Clay
Artwork made - Jan 2025
This piece has been molded in such a way to capture the imagery of jagged wings of this delicate moth-like creature on clay. For me it evokes a sense of movement and transformation. The malleable nature of clay mirrors an individuals ability to reshape and heal. Thus the act of molding clay can symbolize transformation
The sharp uneven edges of the wings evoke a sense of struggle and resilience. Its delicate nature yet jagged shape speaks to the very nature of transformation and the pain that sometimes accompanies change. Thie piece serves as a visual representation of emotional vulnerability.
Moments of struggle might leave marks but they do not diminish the possibility of growth; which is depicted in the emerging star within.