Every face hide stories none of us will ever know

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Pain is something that we all experience yet never talk about. For about 20 days I took a prescription pain medicine called Lyrica for my chronic pain. I was prescribed this after about 10 years of being in daily physical pain when I finally got a diagnosis which I now know was wrong. Though I have voluntarily altered my consciousness before, this was different. 

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Twice a day when I swallowed those pills, I started to see and feel emotions and sensations that I had never felt before. Though I ended up having a bit of pain relief, I could no longer recognize myself within my body. These paintings on canvas were made during that period of time. 

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After their creation, I was surprised because they all ended up coming out as faces that have been hidden due to the pain of life. They are all there but shadows of themselves. In a way, I think I was  projecting my situation at the time into these characters.