Lelie Holt: Swallow and Pills & Spills

Leslie Holt is an artist who is also an advocate for individuals with mental illness. The below art pieces offer a glimpse into the reality that so many with mental illness face. Medication.

I admire her efforts in exposing this part of a mentally ill person's daily routine. Many of us take medication for various reasons. Whether we are taking vitamins for health, Tylenol to relieve a headache, blood pressure medicine, diabetic medication, or medication to balance the monsters in our head, everyone has a certain attitude towards the process.

In my line of work I am often faced with frustration as are the psychiatrists on my unit, when a patient refuses to take their medication. I can tell you that I also feel a level of empathy for my patients when they come to me with bouts of denial about their illness or when they complain about uncomfortable side effects of the pills they take.

Medication is not an easy fix. There is no such thing as a "happy pill" and the process of medication is often a turbulent journey. It can also be a daily reminder that one is sick. There is nothing glamorous about medication. Its existence is simply reality.

Swallow

Swallow 2005 oil on masonite


Swallow (Fluoxetine) 2002 oil on canvas


Swallow (Seroquel) 2003 oil on canvas


Swallow (Prozac) 2003 oil on canvas


Swallow II 2005 oil on canvas

Spills and Pills (statement from the artist)
In several other series ("pill spills," "hello pills," "swallow"), I create images of increasingly popular psychiatric pills, such as Prozac, in various intimate spaces. Mental illness is often referred to as the “invisible disability." This work makes visible several aspects of mental illness, such as the lingering shame and stigma, as well as the popularization of psychiatric medication. The pills are juxtaposed with popular characters from childhood, such as Sesame Street characters and Hello Kitty. I want the shift of these images from a private to a public sphere to contribute to a transformation of this invisible disability - from a silent, shameful experience to a visible and open dialogue.

Pill Spills

Rug Spill #6 2003 oil on canvas


Sink Study 2003 oil on paper


Stelazine Spill 2002 oil on canvas


Depakote Spill 2002 oil on canvas


Prozac Spill 2002 oil on canvas


Toilet Spill #2 2002 oil on paper


Toilet Spill #2 2002 oil on paper


Toilet Spill 2002 oil on canvas

Leslie Holt Biography

Leslie Holt is from Bethesda, Maryland but considers herself a naturalized citizen of St. Louis, MO. She earned her BFA in Painting at Washington University in St. Louis in 1992 and her MFA in Painting at Washington State University in 2003. Between undergraduate and graduate school, she worked in St. Louis as a social worker and advocate for people with developmental disabilities, mental illness, and people receiving welfare benefits. These experiences have influenced her work, and she has an ongoing interest in the intersection of art and community. Leslie currently lives in St. Louis, MO where she teaches art and art history at Fontbonne University and Lewis and Clark Community College. She has exhibited her work in various locations nationally and internationally.

To view more of Leslie Holt's artwork visit her website.