DAVID FEINGOLD, Ed.D, MSW
David Feingold works in the medium of digital art with the purpose of presenting the inner struggles of those with psychiatric diagnoses. His art brings awareness of the stigma and prejudice associated with all mental illness. Feingold has a broad education and professional background, which, along with his personal experience with and diagnosis of bipolar disorder, influence much of his art: Bachelors in Art Education, Masters in Visual Design, Masters in Social Work, and a Doctorate in Disability Studies. His work is represented in numerous venues, including National Public Radio, museums and art centers, professional journals, poetry and music collaborations, inclusion in a permanent art collection of an internationally recognized universal design model home for architectural advancement, and the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute for brain disorder and neurological research. He recently received the 5-Star Reader's Favorite and Online Book Club award for his illustrated book, "STIGMA Through the Eyes of a Bipolar Artist."
Into the Light
(Digital Art, 28” W x 26” H)
This art captures two silhouetted figures walking alongside a winding path that cuts through a field of wildflowers toward a bright dawn. The sky is bathed in golden sun rays and set against a backdrop of clear blue skies. Two figures represent one person with a bipolar diagnosis who experiences two extreme emotional states—bipolar depression and mania. They are moving away from a dark, foreboding cavern, its walls entwined with gnarled tree roots, representing the struggles of bipolar disorder experienced by others as well as myself.
This artwork symbolizes the ability to have a fulfilling life despite the vicissitudes of living with a bipolar diagnosis through resilience, psychotherapy, self-help, healthy living, and maintaining a positive mindset. The scene invites viewers to reflect on how, with their own challenges, they can still leave their dark days behind while facing brighter days ahead.