Toy Heart Battalion 
2013-2014​

From 2013 to 2014, I searched for my heart and my true home. I recorded lessons learned and crucial decisions made on my travels through a watercolor and mixed media self portrait series titled Toy Heart Battalion. 

Influenced by the The Wizard of OZ book series by Frank L. Baum (1856-1919), I created my own narrative as a toy soldier on an endless mission to find and conquer his heart. I used this personal narrative to develop coded iconography encompassing literature, music, sciences, toys, antiques, fairy tales and the natural world. This conglomerate of elements developed my understandings and assisted with my own acceptance of life.

Toy Heart Battalion is about the transformation of a hero's identity and concludes with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Each Horseman being a valuable lesson learned in the pursuit of future plans. Each piece of the series is a reflective tale in a chronicle about a boy’s adventure through life.