Riley Sims
Kent, OH
“Something in this little head of mine, it’s a part of me. Some people have the urge to go for a run, I have an urge to paint. It’s like a need to breathe, this need to create.”
The art of Riley Sims (she/her) is dynamic, thought provoking, and layered in advocacy for those living with Lyme disease. Early in her childhood, school caused great anxiety for Riley. She was made to feel that her ability to read and write was not a strength, and so she shied away from using written language as an outlet. However, she soon realized that her experience in the art room was vastly different. There, she could be messy and explore her emotions without judgment. She began taking every art class she could find time for.
As she grew, creation and artmaking became more than just a passion. Riley explains, “I’ve always used it as an outlet to express but [art] really became a therapeutic outlet with the decline of my health in 2018.” Riley had experienced unexplained symptoms of illness for years, but the physical pain and mental fog intensified at this time. In 2020, she finally was delivered the diagnosis of Lyme Disease, and coped with the grief and acceptance that followed. Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease caused by Borrelia bacteria, and causing myriad symptoms both persistent and chronic.
Instead of turning away, Riley leaned into these experiences. An Indiana native, she attended Ball State University, where she further explored the connection between art and personal healing. She reflected on how her work could be a force for change within the chronic illness community, as well as how to express her experiences of beauty, pain, and illness. She shares, “My art has become a therapeutic outlet, where I can process and depict the dualities of life—balancing the vibrant, hopeful colors with the bold, invading graphic elements that represent the harsh realities of Lyme Disease. This personal struggle has not only fueled my creativity but also strengthened my resolve to raise awareness about the disease and advocate for early detection and increased research funding.”
Riley’s creative process is ever changing; she starts by choosing her color palette, often gravitating towards saturated hues of hot pink and vibrant neons contrasting with bold patterns. She explains, “The canvas serves as a mirror, reflecting the delicate balance between the optimism embodied in bright hues and the invading darkness symbolizing the limitations imposed by Lyme Disease. This duality, this interplay of colors and shapes, forms the essence of my artistic vision.”
Drawing inspiration from artist Helen Frankenthaler's color-field expressionist style, Riley uses a soak staining technique. She mixes up all of her chosen hues with water to dilute the paint, then onto a raw canvas she spills the paint, moving it around with her hands and allowing the colors to mix and layer spontaneously. She never knows from the beginning what the next steps will look like, as she prefers to react in the moment to the organic field of colors on her canvas. This technique allows Riley to create “a visual representation of life’s unpredictability.”
“The heart of my practice lies in spontaneity. I embrace unpredictability, mimicking life's unexpected twists through unplanned spills of vibrant acrylics. Each layer is a chapter, a moment captured in time.”
Riley considers her most important accomplishment thus far as her acceptance into graduate school at Kent State, allowing her to take the next step in her art career. While navigating the complexities of life as an artist and student with Lyme disease and its profound challenges associated with chronic illness, Riley hopes to raise awareness and educate, viewing her art as a testament to her resilience, and a tool to foster empathy and inspire change.
She enjoys the conversation and community around art, and believes that ArtLifting will help her bring awareness to Lyme disease and raise the dialogue around artists with disabilities. If anyone can create change through artmaking, Riley can. She does not shy away from bringing attention to herself or her artwork in order to spark advocacy, “I am about 5 feet tall and change my hair whenever I please. I like to create works that are bigger than myself. My ongoing artistic journey is not just a progression of strokes on canvas; it's a narrative that delves into the human condition, a testament to resilience and a celebration of the intricate dance between light and shadow.”
