Kelsey Petrillo

Artist Statement

My name is Kelsey and I am the creator of “A Sober Painting.” After attaining sobriety, I rediscovered art as both a language and a lifeline. Driven by personal emotions, my wildlife paintings express themes of resilience, vulnerability, and survival. Animals trust their instincts, yet humans often lose the mind-body connection and ignore the signals within us.

Cancer has affected many of my loved ones. My mother-in- law was diagnosed with lung cancer while I was engaged to her son. She lived in our apartment building, seven floors below us. We visited every day; so happy and hopeful, crying tears of joy when her scans came back clear. We celebrated, imagining a life with her tending to grandkids. Until tragedy struck. One of hardest phrase to hear is “The cancer has returned.” It feels like a punch to the gut. She was too sick to attend our wedding. I still cry remembering her sobbing as she watched our wedding video. I stood beside her with my husband as she took her last breath. 2013 was a difficult year for our family.

Researchers and doctors, please know your efforts are seen and appreciated. Ten years later, my aunt and friend are breast-cancer survivors through the ongoing efforts of scientists, healthcare workers and community supporters. Early detection saved their lives. I cried when my aunt’s hair fell out. I laughed with my friend as we brainstormed tattoo ideas for the radiation dots. Both are cancer survivors. The word survivor is significant. The two letters of the suffix “or” takes the action of surviving and turns it into a person who has survived. It becomes an identity marker.

The painting, “Distant Footsteps,” is about the courage to persist. Elephants communicate with low-frequency vibrations in their feet. Elephants use the rumblings as navigation, mating calls, and danger sirens. A family of elephants is connected through distant footsteps. Researchers, doctors, and patients are also connected through an intricate web of treatments. While the communication style is different and often unseen to members outside of the family, it is crucial survival tactic for both elephants and humans.

In many cultures, elephants are symbols of good luck — and blue elephants are believed to carry an even deeper kind of fortune: wisdom, protection, and soundness. Call it luck, faith, or being present, it is important push forward with strength especially when the path isn’t obvious. “Distant Footsteps” presents a different kind of fortune. One rooted in communication, connection, and the valor to keep going. I invite viewers to recognize parts of themselves within the natural world: parts that endured, healed, and continue to move forward as a survivor.