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“Tortuga Dulce”, translated as "Sweet Turtle", takes its name from a lighthearted high school Spanish class nickname, but beneath the glossy, candy-coated surface lies a deeply personal exploration of trauma, protection, and somatic reclamation. For seven years, the artist lived encased in a rigid scoliosis brace. This sculpture serves as a physical manifestation of that lived experience. The turtle's heavy, protective shell reflects the literal and psychological shielding required to survive years of confinement that fostered body dysmorphia and forced a young mind to learn to live outside of the physical self.
The choice of glaze carries a deliberate tension. The pale blue shell and fleshy, mauve-pink limbs evoke a sickly sweetness reminiscent of artificial candy. This hyper-palatable exterior nods to the social performance of youth, the pressure to mask behind a pleasant, "sweet" demeanor, as a form of protection from bullying. This work is rooted in how the artist is learning to embrace all her parts through the principles of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Parts Work. Tortuga Dulce represents an act of creative unlearning. It honors the protective "part" that built a hard shell to navigate trauma, while gently inviting the artist back into her own skin. By shaping the clay, the artist externalizes the armor she once wore, transforming a vessel of past confinement into a testament to healing, integration, and somatic homecoming.
“Tortuga Dulce”, translated as "Sweet Turtle", takes its name from a lighthearted high school Spanish class nickname, but beneath the glossy, candy-coated surface lies a deeply personal exploration of trauma, protection, and somatic reclamation. For seven years, the artist lived encased in a rigid scoliosis brace. This sculpture serves as a physical manifestation of that lived experience. The turtle's heavy, protective shell reflects the literal and psychological shielding required to survive years of confinement that fostered body dysmorphia and forced a young mind to learn to live outside of the physical self.
The choice of glaze carries a deliberate tension. The pale blue shell and fleshy, mauve-pink limbs evoke a sickly sweetness reminiscent of artificial candy. This hyper-palatable exterior nods to the social performance of youth, the pressure to mask behind a pleasant, "sweet" demeanor, as a form of protection from bullying. This work is rooted in how the artist is learning to embrace all her parts through the principles of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Parts Work. Tortuga Dulce represents an act of creative unlearning. It honors the protective "part" that built a hard shell to navigate trauma, while gently inviting the artist back into her own skin. By shaping the clay, the artist externalizes the armor she once wore, transforming a vessel of past confinement into a testament to healing, integration, and somatic homecoming.