STATEMENT

Supa Power (self-portraits)

Left-handed and right-handed drawings

2022

Last March while taking a morning walk with my husband, I slipped on black ice and fractured my right wrist. This would require surgery. My right hand, which was my dominant hand, was now non-functional. The idea of being away from my art practice while I healed felt unacceptable. Drawing on my iPad appeared to be the best option considering my physical limitations. Working with my less dominant hand was awkward at first. I felt more like an observer than the participant while I worked, but I quickly adapted. A series of self-portraits emerged, a way to process my experience. I was fascinated by the accouterments that marked my progress from heavy cast, to plastic splint to wrist strengthening exercises turning a hammer. I continued the series using my right hand when my wrist was strong enough, although now my poses expressed not my burden, but my renewed sense of empowerment and humor.

LAURA CHASMAN

LAURA CHASMAN