The Survivor Art Gallery: Lobby

Gallery Lobby
NEXT: Hall # 1 >

Regina Lafay

An accomplished artist, Regina Lafay has taken some time to share part of her soul and her pain. Personally selected by the artist from her extensive personal collection, these paintings tell an intimate story.

current artists:
(lobby)
(hall #1)
(grand chamber)
(balcony)

survivorart.com:

Click on any painting to see a larger version

"Waves Of Despair"

"This is despair. Pure and simple. I feel this way whenever I’m suicidal."

"Never Sleep"

"One of many in a doll series, but definitely one of my favorites. I have had insomnia my entire life. One therapist suggested that is because I never feel safe. I believe it is possible my father was doing things to me much earlier than I recall…"

"Angry Inner Child"

"A portrait of someone who suffered the loss of innocence and childhood. Even as an adult, I find myself clinging to childlike things and trying to make sense of the angry things I do. This image is currently being utilized in a documentary on domestic abuse."

"Wounded"

"I had someone actually ask me “what the hell is that?” I wasn’t sure how to answer. Wounded is a combination of a skeleton and a doll. It’s confusion and chaos. It’s pain and frustration. I think it was one of the first I did while trying to figure out my bipolar symptoms, prior to diagnosis. It’s that feeling of not being put-together properly, off-centered."

"Anxiety"

"One of the first pieces I did to express an emotion I had not yet had diagnosed – a feeling that I had known since I was a teen, yet nobody was available to explain it to me or help me through it. I have only recently been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, among others. Words fail me, as they often do, so I choose art to tell my stories. This image helped a group of troubled teenage girls recognize that they are not alone. I continue to be moved by their counselor’s letters, as she and I still keep in touch."

"My House"

Hall #1 >

Artist's Statement

"My father contaminated my childhood with sexual and emotional abuse, causing an anxiety disorder which has carried over ten-fold into my adult life. I was only recently diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder type 2 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I also have Fibromyalgia and other related illnesses. This makes it difficult to live a “normal” life. I am in physical pain and mental anguish more often than not.

"Four therapists and two psychiatrists later…I quit my 9-5 media job, because the stress of perpetual deadlines was unmistakably damaging to my mental and physical health. However, I am now your typical starving artist. I have little money to pay bills, never mind continue my therapy. Luckily, I have art…and a few good friends!

"Through art, I am able express myself in ways I cannot put into words. I discover and I heal. And sometimes I just scream. We all need to scream, and art is a quieter, more productive way of doing so. If sharing my experience and pain helps others feel that they are not alone, I am glad to do so. It gives me some sort of validation."

-- Regina Lafay

Artist's Web Site:
www.lafay.org

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