Elisa Terranova

On November 2, 1980, a car/train collision was to forever change my life. The accident ravaged my face and left my hands and body permanently paralyzed. I was left without hope of any gainful recovery or of ever being able to walk or use my hands again. The dawning realization that I was facing a lifetime of physical therapy and countless operations became a reality as I tried relentlessly to develop some motor skills in my arms. For therapy, I enrolled in a painting class where I quickly discovered the concept of art as a vehicle for self-expression. I wanted to create a visual diary that would document, through emotional visual metaphors, my new life as one of the physically challenged. My painting turned obsessively to self-portraits that glorified my role as a heroic martyr. While faithfully recording the anguish of paralysis and numerous surgeries, my paintings described a journey of physical pain, emotional revelations, and the underlying resolve to "brave the storm". Through the expressive physiognomy of my self-portraits, I was able to vicariously project attitudes and feelings that my body could no longer express.