Body Reclamation Art
Each painting below depicts a sacred exploration to reclaim a part of self - a part lost to violence and suppression, a part lost to shame and inner exile, a part lost to societal conditioning and fear. The reclamation process calls those parts back
- back to power and autonomy, back to conscious relationship with self, back to reclaiming the body and its image:
“THIS. IS. ME.”
I get to create the container, and hold up the mirror as these beautiful humans move mountains within themselves.
I’ve seen both their inner beauty and their outer beauty and this is what I saw…
“A Reclamation, Captured
I met Cole through Somatica, and I felt a connection with them almost instantly—the kind that’s hard to explain. I’m sure I’ve admired them in a different lifetime, because it felt like seeing an old friend.
When I learned about their art, I instantly fell in love with their style and asked if they could paint me something. Cole scheduled an hour-long session where I shared what I wanted the piece to mean for me.
The starting point was a photo from a nude photoshoot I did in Mexico—a shoot that was itself a reclamation. I’ve experienced sexual trauma in my past, and stepping in front of that camera was about taking ownership of my body and my desire again, on my own terms.
Cole held that story with so much empathy, sitting with me through the harder emotions without flinching, making me feel completely heard. I told them about an elephant that appeared to me during a mushroom journey, a symbol of feeling grounded in who I am now—and they wove it into the background of the painting, alongside the image from my photoshoot. The whole aesthetic felt whimsical and spacious, exactly right for the story.
The painting hangs on my wall now. Most days I look at it and feel fiercely proud of the journey it represents. Some days old feelings creep in, and even that feels like part of a beautiful process. But the overwhelming feeling is gratitude.
If you’re considering a session with Cole: go. Whatever you’re carrying, whatever you want to reclaim or witness in yourself, they’ll help you see it. ❤️”
“Here's my thoughts on this experience.
Let's me start backwards. The art that Cole made for me/of me sits above my desk and it's an absolute pleasure to look at and it serves as a reminder of my playful, expansive, creative universe self. The one I forget when I'm managing the day to day tasks or trying to make sense of the insanity that feels like the world we live in right now. This painting serves as a beautiful anchor to my true self.
The process of finding reference photos was an opportunity to slow down and to view myself in a new way, not what pictures do I look good in or something I might post on instagram, but rather finding the images that reflect a deeper quality of self. It was a gift that I didn't know I needed.
This process was also an experiment in trust. Our conversation was vulnerable and Cole created a container in which I could say hard things and be held in love and curiosity. I still was a little worried about how I would be seen or sound but it was helpful to release that worry and let myself trust Cole's creativity and vision. When I unboxed my painting it was so far beyond anything I've ever bought for myself. When I look at this artful representation of me, I feel a sense of calm and connection enter my body in a way that's a somatic reminder of the exquisite wonder of being alive.“
