Artist Spotlight: Caitlin Walton

Caitlin is an amateur artist from Kent, England, whose artwork portrays slightly unsettling vibes in otherwise calm environments, as she finds the odd elements of life to be as comforting as the beauty we find in this world. Her background is in film and animation, and she didn't start painting until she was in her 20s, so she considers herself to be self-taught. 

 

In her own words: “I use painting as a way to combat my struggles with body image by using my body as reference for all the figures in my work. This allows me to see myself in a different light, because when I do so, I am no longer concerned with how other people see me, I'm just interpreting my own self. I change features such as gender, skin tone, weight, muscle etc. so that I can include lots of different beautiful bodies. However, I still get a sense of putting my physical form into my work as well as my emotional self.

 

I would have to say that I feel both hesitant and excited to share my work. Understandably people might think that my use of emotion, nudity or gore is quite strange, and sometimes I experience self-doubt or self-criticism. That being said the majority of the feedback I receive is overwhelmingly positive! I feel so incredibly lucky that people enjoy looking at my work and that encourages me to make more.”

 

Her advice for aspiring artists? Don't stop creating! Even when you're not able to create (be it because you're too busy, struggling with your mental health, you don't have the funds, etc.) make sure that you write your ideas down, since you can always come back to them. 

 

Be sure to follow her on Instagram @worminthewhiskey and check out her artwork above! Published with permission from the artist.