My artwork reflects the struggles of disability people encounter, specially within younger age groups. My artwork depicts a young person affected by disability wishing to be nothing less than an astronaut in space. No matter how badly or nearly impossible it may seem. To them, it doesn’t matter how many obstacles they’ll encounter within their lifetime but nearly just a wish to achieve the impossible.

This is lithograph print of sketches I made of my beautiful mum Rose Lorraine who suffers from dementia. She has been in care for over 3 years. It has been heartbreaking to watch each progressive stage of this cruel disease take more of her away from us. Every moment with her is precious. You take the good days with the bad. We drink tea and reminisce about the past. We sing songs and look through photo albums. She is less mobile and sleeps more. As some abilities are being lost her sense of humour is still there.

When considering life beyond the limitations of debilitating illnesses I was reminded of an interview with a man with ALS. In episode #88 of the podcast Reply All, researcher Sruthi Pinnamani spoke to Eric Valor, who was completely paralysed aside from his eyes in 2008. He spoke about how losing mobility focused his sense of self saying “…the essence of my being— that which makes me a person— is my mind, not my body.” This inspired me to represent the infinite possibilities within the mind and the freedom found there.

A storm approaches while two brothers contemplate the future of their remote family farm. Their father has been looked after palliatively there for the last few months and has just passed. A light breaks through the clouds- a sign from their dad. They remember all his favourite sayings “ the sun will come out again, a light will always shine, a storm will pass”. They know their dad will be with them to infinity and beyond. He will look after them. It was his life, their lives and now their future.

The juxtaposition of line, shape and colour portray our ultimate destinies. Simplicity of opposing colours reflect the feelings of “Infinity and Beyond” as a mixture of sadness, joy, passion and creativity, driven by the life force and intellect it portrays. The inner self is extended to the possibilities of experiences and harmony. The infinity sign represents the way between the here, now and the spirituality of tomorrow. It's guided on the wings of creative thought and experiences. Yellow represents intellect and spirituality. Purple for passion and comfort in sadness. Red for life force driving forward. Green for creativity and fulfillment.

This artwork portrays my Nan on her final journey into heaven. I want my Nan and others to be comforted by this artwork and have no fear in death. The hope of heaven can be a huge comfort. The caterpillar, cocoon and butterfly represent the transformation from our flesh bodies into our spiritual bodies. The butterfly symbolises life after death, resurrection, new life, growth, change, the soul, spirit and hope. The rainbow is also a symbol of hope, as well as peace. The hands represent creation. Can you spot the star constellations that represent INFINITY and BEYOND?