“Merging the Sides of Myself” is an explorative multimedia art series and virtual experiencesynthesizing the various sides of my mind, psyche, body, and soul with abstract expressive painting and self portrait boudoir photography.

This series started with a vision of uniting my intuitive, expressionistic painting techniques with tasteful intimate self portraiture in early 2023. My goal was to both make and be art: To merge my feelings with my body, my body with my acrylic paint and canvases, and my studio painting with my digital photography practices — ultimately becoming my own creative muse. I’d been thinking extensively about how a kaleidoscope of different sides all coexist within me — emotional, physical, spiritual, conscious, subconscious, feminine, masculine, light, dark, etc… and how I can be and feel many of these sides simultaneously at any given time. This often leaves me with an internal conflict about which side of myself to let out into the world, and quite a bit of awkwardness.

When summer arrived, I bought a stack of discounted canvases, a cheap easel, new paint colors, cute underwear, and some fashion glasses to work (and play) with. I picked six days spread throughout the course of several months to focus solely on creating six new paintings for the series, documenting the creative process of making each piece, while wearing lingerie, or nothing at all. I cleaned myself up, rearranged my apartment to make space for both painting and photography, set my camera on a tripod, propped my phone up on a surface, turned up the music, and made one painting per day for each of the six days, while taking photos and videos of myself working on the art in phases.

By fall, I was almost done with the series when I realized it had turned into a much deeper dive of my most inner and outer self in ways that I hadn’t imagined. Each painting, with its accompanying set of photos, became a step towards greater self love, self empowerment, self care, and self acceptance. I found myself connecting with my inner fire, which I’d been somewhat afraid of for most of my life. I no longer wanted to hide or be scared of sharing my power or my body with the world. I felt compelled to capture and combine hidden parts of myself with my art, illuminating my shadow aspects, energizing my spirit, and freeing myself in a lot of ways. The artistic journey confirmed that I am everything all at once: the art, the artist, the photographer, the videographer, the editor, the emotions, the body, the soul, and every other facet of the creative process. I am a complex multifaceted being in a constant state of change, shapeshifting, evolution, and expansion. 

The final result turned out to be a series of six colorful abstract paintings, complete with dozens of documentary-style creative process boudoir photos and videos — everything executed in an artful, beautiful, and fun way. This series has become a courageous piece of my transformative, healing journey as a human, a woman, and an artist in the modern world. By merging all of the unique sides of myself with my various art mediums, I’m accepting and embracing every part of myself, as well as who I’m becoming. Thanks for letting me share it with you.

THE PAINTINGS:

This series features six abstract acrylic paintings, each made in a single day throughout the summer and fall of 2023, and titled to capture the feeling that inspired its creation:

• Passionate

• Fierce

• Ecstatic

• Healing

• Romantic

• Vibing

All of the paintings were created in my first studio apartment in the Mississippi Neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. They feature bright, vibrant color palettes with celebratory pops of neon in an eclectic mix of emotive styles. Wild brush strokes, intriguing textures, and motion-filled paint splatters grace each canvas, emphasizing the erratic nature of emotions, experimentation, and the subconscious.

Some of the original paintings are still available for sale via doreykronick.com/art/merging-the-sides-of-myself, two of which are currently on display + for sale at Queer Plants Cafe in Portland, OR where I’ve been the resident artist and curator since they opened in 2023.

THE PHOTOS:

Each of the six paintings in this series has its own set of accompanying boudoir photos documenting the process of creating each piece in different lingerie (or less).

Throughout 2024, some of the best photos from each set were shared on my Instagram account at instagram.com/doreykronick, while more intimate, uncensored photos, GIFs, and videos were available to view on a hidden part of my website for a limited time via online “e-ticket” as a virtual multimedia art gallery experience. The exhibit is now closed. Thank you to those who participated and supported the experiment — it was so fun.