Gallery

Artist(s): Rachel Twoteeth-Pichardo and Joseph Pichardo

Description / Inspiration: My artwork shows a woman in different stages of her life, in which she was a user who breaks free and is on the path of sobriety. I wanted to touch on some of the mental health issues one might face while using and how hard it can be to break free from it; while also showcasing the positive side of choosing sobriety. In the first panel on the left, I have her sitting in a spotlight and the meaning for this is how people who tend use, are so focused on the addiction and can not see around them. But what someone on the outside can’t see is the mental issues one might be chained down to (meaning struggling with) such as depression, and addiction itself. In the second panel in the middle I have the woman struggling to break free from the “chains” which are the words. She is also holding the bud of sobriety in her hand. On the last panel on the right I have the woman holding the flower of sobriety and at her feet are other flowers that bloomed in result of her choice. I wanted to create the piece in a ledger style and I have the woman faceless so that the viewer can either picture themselves or someone they’d know in the image. I wanted to create the piece to inspire people to choose the path of sobriety and see what they can gain by choosing that path. As for material, I used exterior acrylic latex paint on 3 6ft by 4ft (12 ft total in length) panels.

County: Lewis & Clark

Location: Helena Indian Alliance 501 Euclid Ave, Helena, MT 59601

Thank Yous: Thank you to the Helena Indian Alliance for allowing me to showcase my mural.