A standard stuffed animal is soft, cute, and perfect for comforting a child, but they also are vessels for our imagination and feelings. They are one of the first things in the world we human beings project upon. We name them, give them genders and personalities. Through the storylines we create for stuffed toys when we play we establish our own fears, desires, and things we like and don’t like. A human’s identity and view of the world starts to unfold. “ Little Psyche” takes this concept of seeing through stuffed animals and makes the play echo darker and complex human behaviors like toxic relationships, abuse, and manipulation. The five paintings featured play with symbolism and body language of the figures to explore these themes in an imaginative way a child’s mind might try to capture them. The show also has a side series “visual notes” too. Each painting has a “sister collage” that works as an X-ray and dissection of the story in the painting. Like the paintings these collages utilize kitschy and childlike imagery to further the narrative.