Daniell Stromanthe

Painful Yet Tender

2023 | BFA Thesis Exhibition

Painful Yet Tender

Painting of hands reaching down and grasping the face of a fallen figure by the face and neck. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — The Fall The Catch

Painting of multiple bright figures overlapped, image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Still Still Pulled Still Retching

Two vibrant orange contorted figures examining each others' faces. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — We Know You

Images of multiple hands, one grasping another. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Sorry I've Only One Hand I'm Pulling As Hard As I Can

Painting of one figure kneeled in front of another offering comfort. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Relieving Pain

Cover of &/art/areas/fine-arts-archive/2023-2024/daniell-stromanthe/34;Against the Floor&/art/areas/fine-arts-archive/2023-2024/daniell-stromanthe/34; using the image &/art/areas/fine-arts-archive/2023-2024/daniell-stromanthe/34;Sorry I've Only One Hand I'm Pulling As Hard As I Can.&/art/areas/fine-arts-archive/2023-2024/daniell-stromanthe/34; Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Against the Floor

Page of comic depicting a video conference between main character and another person where the main character recounts a patient falling down the stairs. The listener asks how the main character's system is handling it. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Against the Floor, page 1

page from comic Against the Floor. Main character is describing how system is handling incident with patient, particularly how Crane has been on the floor. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Against the Floor, page 2

comic page from Against the Floor. Crane is lying on the floor in a dark room. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Against the Floor, page 3

comic page from Against the Floor. Main character is at work talking to coworker. They are filing faxes. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Against the Floor, page 4

comic page from Against the Floor. Main character sees an information request for a cause of death on the computer. A dark figure appears over their shoulder and their co-worker asks if they're alright. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Against the Floor, page 5

comic page from Against the Floor. Co-worker against asks if the main character is ok; they cannot see the figure standing over their shoulder. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Against the Floor, page 6

comic page from Against the Floor. Main character arrives home from work, tired. Another dark figure emerges with bared teeth from the main character. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Against the Floor, page 7

comic page from Against the Floor. The character Sharp angrily confronts the main character Killian about helping Crane. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Against the Floor, page 8

comic page from Against the Floor. The main character Killian slumps in front of a door and apologizes. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Against the Floor, page 9

comic page from Against the Floor. Killlian approaches Crane who is still lying on the floor. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Against the Floor, page 10

comic page from Against the Floor. Killian holds Crane and apologizes. Image courtesy of Daniell Stromanthe — Against the Floor, page 11

Artist Statement

These works are a kind of self-portrait. The references used were mostly taken of my own body, particularly of my hands, and the emotions being expressed are deeply personal. Living with chronic physical and emotional pain is a very isolating experience, both because it lives so deeply in the body and because it can be very difficult to talk about. The drawings and paintings I’ve done seek to crack open the door for those of us who can’t share our experiences, or who haven’t found the words to express what they’re going through.

As a person living with chronic pain, Dissociative Identity Disorder, and other mental health struggles, there are some feelings too complicated to express in words. My drawings and paintings depict a conversation between parts of the self- the self-hating parts and the self-soothing parts. And, with great care, I’ve attempted to show the parts of the self that are trying to soothe but have never known kindness. They do not know how to reach out without pain. These parts, represented by twisting hands and disorganized bodies, clutch at the parts of self that are more human-looking. Their grip can appear confused and threatening. But they mean no real harm. They simply do not know how else to hold on.

Read the Thesis

Info Card from Show

'Against the Floor'

Gallery Images

Wide shot of Painful Yet Tender in the UAF Art Gallery, image courtesy of the artist

pages from Against the Floor are framed and hung in the UAF Art Gallery during Daniell Stromanthe's exhibit Painful Yet Tender, image courtesy of the artist

paintings hanging in the UAF Art Gallery during Daniell Stromanthe's BFA exhibit Painful Yet Tender, image courtesy of the artist

Looking down on a painting features in the center of the UAF Art Gallery during Daniell Stromanthe's BFA exhibition, Painful Yet Tender. image courtesy of the artist

A framed painting hangs on the wall of the UAF Art Gallery during Daniell Stromanthe's BFA exhibition, Painful Yet Tender. image courtesy of the artist

Looking down on an image featured in the center of the UAF Art Gallery in Daniell Stromanthe's BFA exhibition, Painful Yet Tender. image courtesy of the artist

Daniell Stromanthe in their thesis defense. Image courtesy of Jamie Smith

Daniell Stromanthe, courtesy of the artist

About the Artist

Daniell Stromanthe is a disabled �ֻ�ֱ��n artist making surreal illustrations and paintings that utilize ghostly watercolors and vibrant acrylics. Due to their dissociative disorder, they view a lot of their art as a kind of self-collaboration. Their art seeks to articulate personal experiences of chronic pain and complex trauma in a way that is both relatable and evocative, using dream-like imagery and emotive colors. Daniell's art has been featured in the 64th Parallel and they have been a featured artist in the Bear Gallery.

Curriculum Vitae

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