Gisella David

Squeaky Clean

My name is Gisella David, and I am a freshman at FSU. I am currently a Psychology major, so although I may not be pursuing the arts in college, my love for photography has stayed with me throughout high school and even into my years at FSU. I create artwork that may look simple at first, but is very detailed and thought-provoking. I mainly focus on digital photography, where I plan, shoot, model, and edit each of my images. I also specialize in Photoshop, where my photos are digitally altered into something entirely new. 

As a psychology major, I feel like my interests have pushed my artwork in a certain direction. Mental illnesses have always been very intriguing to me, so creating artwork about varying mental problems to move toward a better understanding about these stigmatized issues is something about which I feel strongly. I prefer to create images with deeper messages, as shown in an investigation I did focusing on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) where I attempted to portray the mental illness in a new light. 

Squeaky Clean was part of this investigation into OCD and the various struggles someone may have when dealing with this issue. To create this image, I used at least a dozen different images, where I used layer masks, opacity, and various photoshop techniques to create one cohesive piece. I also used a ripple effect to create a water-like appearance on a mirror, making it seem as if the hands holding various cleaning supplies were bursting out of the mirror. Each of the hands represents the controlling and obsessive thoughts that occur while someone who has OCD is performing a simple task, such as cleaning. Rather than portraying OCD as an issue where a person simply wants something in a certain order or based on color, I chose to dive deeper into the mental illness that is extremely hard to live with. I attempted to further both my knowledge and anyone who views my artwork’s knowledge about OCD and show just how hard someone’s life may be if they are diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.