When Sophie, the artist behind Swords of Stars, sat down to create this stunning portrayal of anxiety, she had no set plan in mind. It began with a suggestion from her therapist: draw what “bad” feels like. The first thing that came to Sophie’s mind was the color red, and the rest followed.
“I started with the pose of the girl, and from there, my brain took over. The waves came next and it felt natural to connect the hair, as most of my struggle is mental rather than from the outside,” Sophie explained.
The red comet that glows ominously amidst the waves draws from a recurring nightmare that Sophie has—one where she hides from meteors falling from the sky. It’s a nightmare that often resurfaces during periods of intense stress.
“It felt kind of therapeutic to paint the red of the comet through the waves,” Sophie shared. “I hadn’t ever painted water before, so it was a very soothing process for me to learn and study the waves and the way the light moves through them.”
The circular motion of the waves echoes the cyclical nature of anxiety, capturing the way it comes and goes, endlessly rising and receding. This dynamic interplay in Sophie’s work offers a thoughtful reflection on how anxiety can often feel both overpowering and fleeting, never quite letting go but always shifting in form.
All images included in this article belong to Swords of Stars.
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