Portfolio

Original art by Monica Brinkman

The Embodiment Collection: 2022-2025

  • Voice Meets Truth

    16” × 16”; Mixed Media On Canvas; September 2025; Monica Brinkman

  • The Feminist

    12” x 12”; Mixed Media On Wood Panel; September 2022; Monica Brinkman

  • Dreamscape

    12” x 12”; Acrylic On Canvas; March 2024; Monica Brinkman

  • Balanced

    12” x 12”; Acrylic On Canvas; October 2024; Monica Brinkman

  • Heart-Minded

    12” x 12”; Acrylic On Canvas; March 2024; Monica Brinkman

  • Rooted In Strength

    12” x 12”; Acrylic On Canvas; September 2024; Monica Brinkman

  • Manifest

    12” x 12”; Acrylic On Canvas; March 2024; Monica Brinkman

  • Fiercely Resting

    12” x 12”; Acrylic On Canvas; April 2024; Monica Brinkman

  • Shadow Work

    48” x 24”; Mixed Media On Wood Panel; September 2022; Monica Brinkman

  • Rooted & Rising

    16” x 28”; Mixed Media On Wood Panel; October 2022

  • Dream

    39” x 24”; Acrylic On Wood Panel; November 2023; Monica Brinkman

  • Yoga Night

    6” x 12”; Mixed Media On Wood Panel; September 2023; Monica Brinkman

  • Moonlight Dancing

    6" x 12"; Mixed Media On Wood Panel; October 2023; Monica Brinkman

  • Grow To Flow

    24” x 48” Acrylic On Wood Panel; October 2023; Monica Brinkman

Artist Statement

Monica Brinkman

I work in mixed media to create layered paintings that explore embodiment, feminist themes, and the psychology of healing.

Female figures in yoga poses appear throughout my work as archetypes rather than portraits: forms of introspection, tension, release, and negotiation.

These figures sit alongside plant shadows, vivid colour, and animal symbolism, reflecting the relationship between internal emotion and the external environments we move through.

My process begins in ritual. Journaling, meditation, and drawing help me settle into honesty before the first mark is made.

The emotional entry point is rarely calm; I often start painting after grief, anger, or overwhelm has cracked something open. Creating becomes the way I stay in my body, and the slow, layered method grounds me.

My work sits at the intersection of feminism, embodiment, and emotional restoration. I’m interested in how women hold complexity, how healing moves through the body, and how art can mirror the quiet parts of ourselves we are still learning to accept.

What may appear playful on the surface often comes from the effort to reclaim joy after losing it.

These paintings are not about presenting a polished version of healing. They record the returning, the rebuilding, the moments of clarity that arrive after the hardest days.

At its core, my work creates space for pause. A breath. A moment of recognition. It is an invitation to return to yourself, to feel without explanation, and to meet the parts of your becoming that rarely get a voice.

Follow My Process On Instagram: @femartbymonica

Read Monica's Personal Story

Each painting is built through repeated acts of observation and adjustment. I think through every layer, stare for long stretches, and question every shift in texture, colour, or symbol.

Mixed media allows for playfulness when the emotional weight is heavy, giving me room to move between control and surrender. My mixed media work combines pencil crayon, ink, acrylic paint, collage, and moulding materials.  

Shadow work shapes the entire process, both emotionally and visually. Emotionally, it asks me to acknowledge the parts of myself I once avoided: anger, softness, grief, shame, fear, and the desire to feel whole.

Visually, it emerges through literal shadows, houseplant silhouettes, overlooked details, and forms that slip in and out of focus. The act of layering becomes a practice of integrating what’s hidden, transforming discomfort into a visual language.