Lucid Dreaming (Forward Back) by Annie Murphy-Robinson

Lucid Dreaming is an homage to my brother, Michael James Murphy, who suffered from addiction and mental health disorders. He took the lives of two people, including my father, before taking his own in late February of this year. He suffered from sleep disorders which led to medications that changed who he was, permanently. In addressing my grief and trauma, I created Lucid Dreaming (Forward Back) in an attempt to start the healing process.

Drawing this piece created a safe space to emote, to talk to ghosts and to think visually about what I was doing, not what I failed to do (as if I could have stopped it). The figure is of my daughter, whom my brother loved dearly. She is an astral warrior, a flip of her dress brings sweet sleep to those who need it, fighting fear with her trusty ram.