watercolor, color pencil, ink; 16×20″ 
“Have you ever wondered how someone else’s life may have started, because of how they behave? The thoughts? The feelings? The struggles for themselves and the people around them such as family? I couldn’t thank my friend enough for helping me with this project. I have a friend who is diagnosed with autism, and she was my main source for the emotional and mental turmoil that I artistically represented for this project. The way I have this set is in the light blue, it shows the flow of her diagnosis, which clearly isn’t a straight sturdy flow, along with the black “cracks” above the entire piece itself. The darker areas show the repercussions of her official diagnosis, and how she along with others react to it.
I hope this piece at least gives you an understanding that not everyone’s life is one and done. I really worked on this piece to show that life is hard, even for those that may seem “coddled” or “spoiled”. There’s typically a reason why someone acts the way they do, and you may never know just why that is.”
ARTIST BIO: Athena WILLIAMS is a grade 11 student at Butler Tech School of Art studying art under art teacher Mary Catherine Ruby.