"On the Spectrum (Grandiose Delusions)"

Aloha Friends,

I took a little unexpected hiatus these past few weeks in order to finish up a mural and get all my grading done! But thankfully summer is in full swing and I am back to my printmaking series On The Spectrum.  I have finished up the letter "G" and am hoping to get back into the studio a few more times before I start traveling for the summer. My goal is to finish this series by 2016! I've still got to find ideas for the letters Q, U, V, X, Y, Z so if you've got suggestions, or better yet a story, please message me or write a comment!

Thanks for looking!

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On the Spectrum is a 26 part print series, one for each letter of the alphabet, that explores interactions of mental illnesses, developmental disorders and perceived normalcy as abstract landscapes. Please read my artist statement for more details.

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Artist Statement: There is a strange disconnect between mental illness and normalcy – as if there is a stark dividing line between the two: Black and white, us and them, completely separate. I believe this arbitrary classification, ill, healthy, recovering... is very similar to how we catalog our colors: blue, red, green... The visible color spectrum reflects the human experience. An experience where colors cannot be contained as single, definable points. The spectrum is one band of ever shifting, transitioning hues, as are we – our lives and our experiences are continuous and overlapping, yet discreet.

We all exist in a world with other people. We interact daily with a wide range of personalities. It is not possible to limit your experience to “normal.” We are but one piece in the cosmos. No one exists in a vacuum. So instead of pushing past others whose mental or physical health might not reflect exactly our own, we must embrace.

We are made of many parts: our personalities, our bodies, and our world.

***

On The Spectrum (Grandiose Delusions)

2015

Screen Print on Paper

15" x 11" 

$100 (unframed)

Details:

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Characteristics:

Grandiose delusions or delusions of grandeur are principally a subtype of delusional disorder that occurs in patients suffering from a wide range of mental illnesses, including two-thirds of patients in manic state of bipolar disorder, half of those with schizophrenia and a substantial portion of those with substance abuse disorders. GDs are characterized by fantastical beliefs that one is famous,omnipotent, wealthy, or otherwise very powerful. The delusions are generally fantastic and typically have a supernatural, science-fictional, or religious theme.

Research suggests that the severity of the delusions of grandeur is directly related to a higher self-esteem in individuals and inversely related to any individual’s severity of depression and negative self-evaluations.

Expansive delusions may be maintained by auditory hallucinations, which advise the patient that they are significant, or confabulations, when, for example, the patient gives a thorough description of their coronation or marriage to the king. Grandiose and expansive delusions may also be part of fantastic hallucinosis in which all forms of hallucinations occur.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth edition Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) American Psychiatric Association (2000)

Knowles, R.; McCarthy-Jones S.; Rowse G. (2011). "Grandiose delusions: A review and theoretical integration of cognitive and affective perspectives". Clinical Psychology Review 31 (4): 684–696. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2011.02.009. PMID 21482326.

Smith, N. et al. (2006). "Emotion and psychosis: Links between depression, self-esteem, negative schematic beliefs and delusions and hallucinations". Schizophrenia Research 86(1): 181–188. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2006.06.018. PMID 16857346.

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Don't forget to follow me on instagram if you'd like!

Mahalo for looking!

Boz Schurr

All work is copyright 2015 Boz Schurr. Please do not use without my permission. Mahalo!

The Light Inside the Bell Jar - show in Savannah, GA!

Aloha Friends!

I have been selected to have some work featured in an upcoming show! When I first saw this show on the Collage Art Association website it really jumped out at me as something I had to apply for. As some of you know the majority of my artwork addresses how the western culture (my POV) views and categorizes mental health and mental illness. I believe there are many misconceptions and misunderstandings that surround mental health and it can effect our interactions and relationships in sometimes adverse ways. Below is the show's call to artists which really spoke to me and I feel relates directly to the ongoing themes in my art practice.
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The Light Inside The Bell Jar is a female-identified group juried show exploring themes of mental illness in women. It will be held at Sulfur Studios, located at 2301 Bull Street in Savannah, Georgia, May 7th through May 10th. This exhibition is being undertaken as a challenge to the clichés of “hysterical women,” showcase strong female-identified artists, and create further awareness of mental illnesses.

This show is being curated as part of Savannah College of Art and Design Master of Arts candidate Sara Uhlig's Arts Administration graduate thesis project.

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"Aurora"

Dimensions Variable

Acrylic, Ink, Graphite and Mixed Media on Paper

2015

Installed:

Final Piece:

Details:

Gallery Space:

"In ancient Roman mythology, Aurora is the goddess of the dawn, renewing herself every morning to fly across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun. She meets death everyday at the hands of the night, only to be reborn. She is resilient but she is also generous, spreading her light over everyone she meets, day after day after day."

Don't forget to follow me on instagram if you'd like!

You can also follow the exhibition blog HERE!

Also check out this cool write up about the show in Connect Savannah!

Mahalo for looking!

Boz Schurr

All work is copyright 2015 Boz Schurr. Please do not use without my permission. Mahalo!

"On the Spectrum (Excoriation Disorder)"

Aloha Friends! 

This is the fifth print in my series! I am so excited to have made it this far! If you red my last post you know that the On the Spectrum series is following the colors in the ROYGBIV visible light spectrum. The first prints used more red and this print is the first print that is using orange. The intention is to create a subtle color shift through out the print series (which can only be really seen when they are all lined up together). 

I really enjoy this print because the use of clear gloss ink invites the viewer to further interact with the print (see what I mean in the detail sots below). Thanks for looking! Feedback is always welcome! If you have a personal story with the illnesses and disorders I've chosen, please share, I would love to hear about your personal connections and your suggestions. Mahalo.

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On the Spectrum is a 26 part print series, one for each letter of the alphabet, that explores interactions of mental illnesses, developmental disorders and perceived normalcy as abstract landscapes. Please read my artist Statement for more details.

***

Artist Statement: There is a strange disconnect between mental illness and normalcy – as if there is a stark dividing line between the two: Black and white, us and them, completely separate. I believe this arbitrary classification, ill, healthy, recovering... is very similar to how we catalog our colors: blue, red, green... The visible color spectrum reflects the human experience. An experience where colors cannot be contained as single, definable points. The spectrum is one band of ever shifting, transitioning hues, as are we – our lives and our experiences are continuous and overlapping, yet discreet.

We all exist in a world with other people. We interact daily with a wide range of personalities. It is not possible to limit your experience to “normal.” We are but one piece in the cosmos. No one exists in a vacuum. So instead of pushing past others whose mental or physical health might not reflect exactly our own, we must embrace.

We are made of many parts: our personalities, our bodies, and our world.

***

On The Spectrum (Excoriation Disorder)

2015

Screen Print on Paper

15" x 11" 

$100 (unframed)

Details:

Characteristics:

Excoriation disorder is defined as "repetitive and compulsive picking of skin which results in tissue damage."

Research has also suggested that excoriation disorder may be thought of as a type of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).[5] Excoriation disorder and OCD are similar in that they both involve "repetitive engagement in behaviors with diminished control" and also both generally decrease anxiety.

Dell'Osso B, Altamura AC, Allen A, Marazziti D, Hollander E (December 2006). "Epidemiologic and clinical updates on impulse control disorders: a critical review". Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 256 (8): 464–75. doi:10.1007/s00406-006-0668-0. PMC 1705499. PMID 16960655

Odlaug BL, Grant JE (September 2010). "Pathologic skin picking". Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 36 (5): 296–303. doi:10.3109/00952991003747543. PMID 20575652

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Don't forget to follow me on instagram if you'd like!

Mahalo for looking!

Boz Schurr

All work is copyright 2015 Boz Schurr. Please do not use without my permission. Mahalo!

"On the Spectrum (Cotard Delusion)"

Aloha Friends,

This print is the third in my ongoing On The Spectrum series. This print was featured in the 87th annual Honolulu Printmakers Juried Exhibition! I also won an award for excellence! Plus the print sold! CheeHoo!!! It was a lovely evening and I am very grateful for getting the chance to show some work again. The show is up till March 20th and was curated by the amazing Chicago-based screenprinting duo Sonnenzimmer! Don't miss it!

***

On the Spectrum is a 26 part print series, one for each letter of the alphabet, that explores interactions of mental illnesses, developmental disorders and perceived normalcy as abstract landscapes. Please read my artist Statement for more details.

***

Artist Statement: There is a strange disconnect between mental illness and normalcy – as if there is a stark dividing line between the two: Black and white, us and them, completely separate. I believe this arbitrary classification, ill, healthy, recovering... is very similar to how we catalog our colors: blue, red, green... The visible color spectrum reflects the human experience. An experience where colors cannot be contained as single, definable points. The spectrum is one band of ever shifting, transitioning hues, as are we – our lives and our experiences are continuous and overlapping, yet discreet.

We all exist in a world with other people. We interact daily with a wide range of personalities. It is not possible to limit your experience to “normal.” We are but one piece in the cosmos. No one exists in a vacuum. So instead of pushing past others whose mental or physical health might not reflect exactly our own, we must embrace.

We are made of many parts: our personalities, our bodies, and our world.

***

On The Spectrum (Cotard Delusion)

2015

Screen Print on Paper

15" x 11" 

$100 (unframed)

Details:

Characteristics

The Cotard Delusion (also Cotard's Syndrome and Walking Corpse Syndrome) is a rare mental illness, in which the afflicted person holds the delusion that he or she is dead, either figuratively or literally.

The delusion of negation is the central symptom in Cotard's syndrome. The patient afflicted with this mental illness usually denies their existence, or the existence of a certain body part, or the existence of a portion of their body. Cotard's syndrome is in three stages: (i) Germination stage—the symptoms of psychotic depression and of hypochondria appear; (ii) Blooming stage—the full development of the syndrome and the delusions of negation; and (iii) Chronic stage—continued, severe delusions and chronic psychiatric depression.

Berrios G.E. and Luque R. (1995) Cotard's delusion or syndrome?. Comprehensive Psychiatry 36: 218–223

Yarnada, K.; Katsuragi, S.; Fujii, I. (13 November 2007). "A Case Study of Cotard's syndrome: Stages and Diagnosis". Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 100 (5): 396–398. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0447.1999.tb10884

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Don't forget to follow me on instagram if you'd like!

Mahalo for looking!

Boz Schurr

All work is copyright 2015 Boz Schurr. Please do not use without my permission. Mahalo!

"On The Spectrum (Asperger's Syndrome)"

Aloha Friends,

I've started a new print series that should keep me busy through the rest of the year. On the Spectrum is a 26 part print series, one for each letter of the alphabet, that explores interactions of mental illnesses, developmental disorders and perceived normalcy as abstract landscapes. Please read my artist Statement for more details.

***

Artist Statement: There is a strange disconnect between mental illness and normalcy – as if there is a stark dividing line between the two: Black and white, us and them, completely separate. I believe this arbitrary classification, ill, healthy, recovering... is very similar to how we catalog our colors: blue, red, green... The visible color spectrum reflects the human experience. An experience where colors cannot be contained as single, definable points. The spectrum is one band of ever shifting, transitioning hues, as are we – our lives and our experiences are continuous and overlapping, yet discreet.

We all exist in a world with other people. We interact daily with a wide range of personalities. It is not possible to limit your experience to “normal.” We are but one piece in the cosmos. No one exists in a vacuum. So instead of pushing past others whose mental or physical health might not reflect exactly our own, we must embrace.

We are made of many parts: our personalities, our bodies, and our world.

***

On the Spectrum (Asperger's Syndrome) 

2015

Screen Print on Paper

15" x 11"

$100 (unframed)

Details:

Characteristics

As a pervasive developmental disorder, Asperger syndrome is distinguished by a pattern of symptoms rather than a single symptom. It is characterized by qualitative impairment in social interaction, by stereotyped and restricted patterns of behavior, activities and interests, and by no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or general delay in language. Intense preoccupation with a narrow subject, one-sided verbosity, restricted prosody, and physical clumsiness are typical of the condition, but are not required for diagnosis.

American Psychiatric Association (2000). "Diagnostic criteria for 299.80 Asperger's Disorder (AD)". Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) ed.). ISBN 0-89042-025-4. Retrieved 28 June 2007.

Klin A (2006). "Autism and Asperger syndrome: an overview". Rev Bras Psiquiatr 28 (suppl 1): S3–S11. doi:10.1590/S1516-44462006000500002. PMID 16791390.

Mahalo for looking!

Boz Schurr

All work is copyright 2015 Boz Schurr. Please do not use without my permission. Mahalo!