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With Her Blood: The Unseen Battles of Women Warriors &
Sundered Self: A Journey Through Fracture to Reclamation
Dedicated to my brothers and sisters in arms and those who stand beside them—fighters, healers, and keepers of memory. This is for those who serve, those who sacrifice, and those who carry the weight long after the battle has ended.
Diana “Baby D” de Avila – 95B, U.S. Army (Retired)
Diana de Avila’s spirituality, her strength, and her story transfixed me the moment I met her. A disabled veteran, proud to have served her country, she not only seemed unstoppable but was unstoppable—despite having endured a traumatic brain injury as well as other serious and debilitating medical complications.
I vividly recall saying, “You have to tell your story,” and her reply, “But I don’t have the words.” Quickly, I responded, “But I do.”
Thus, our collaboration came about. She shared her life and explored her rare, sudden-acquired savant syndrome; I became her words in the award-winning Soldier, Sister, Savant memoir that shared her art from 2017, when her “gift of art revealed itself,” to 2021, when the book was published. She then illustrated a children’s version of her story, as I wrote the words for Super Cat! Splat! Splat!
Since then, Diana has created volumes of art, and this series/exhibit depicts a deep immersion into her mindset of service: to recovery and resilience, themes she only touched upon in her earlier work. Hers is a powerful calling—to serve others now through her art.
Diana thought she would remain silent in her art. Yet, her art speaks for her, with no words needed from me.
May you find inspiration in it, in her incredulous story, and in her unrelenting grit.
Wilma Davidson, Ed.D.
With Her Blood and Sundered Self are two interwoven explorations of identity, trauma, and transformation—each a distinct yet connected arm of my artistic journey. With Her Blood delves into lineage, sacrifice, and the deeply personal imprints left by those who came before, while Sundered Self shifts inward, unraveling the fractures of selfhood caused by trauma, loss, and the struggle to reclaim identity. Together, they form a dual narrative—one rooted in the echoes of the past, the other navigating the fragmented present. Both series examine dissociation, resilience, and remembrance, connecting the visible and invisible, the inherited and personal, the fractured and restored.
With Her Blood: The Unseen Battles of Women Warriors
With Her Blood is a powerful collection of digital artworks that illuminate the often-overlooked sacrifices of women who have served. These works explore the realities of duty, resilience, and the invisible battles that persist long after military service ends. As a disabled female veteran, my own journey is embedded in every piece, reflecting the struggle of those who have fought wars within their bodies, minds, and memories.
Through works like With Her Blood, Trauma, Lost, and Ghosts, this collection confronts the weight of service—the grief, the endurance, and the scars that remain long after the uniform is put away.
Invisible War serves as a personal reflection on the toll of toxic exposures, while Transitions, a collaborative piece, represents the ongoing process of healing and change. The final piece, At The Ready, closes the exhibit with a declaration of strength, showing that despite hardship, we rise, we endure, and we remain steadfast.
Each digital artwork is layered with symbolism—fractured flags, bleeding handprints, spectral figures—representing the unseen battles fought by countless women warriors. This collection is not just about war; it is about survival, about the voices that demand to be heard, and about reclaiming the narrative of what it means to serve.
With Her Blood stands as both a tribute and a testament to the unbreakable spirit of women in the military.
Invisible War, 2019
This is me. Young, in uniform, standing at the threshold of a future I couldn’t yet see. At the time, I didn’t know that my greatest battle wouldn’t be fought on a battlefield, but within my own body. Invisible War represents the struggle that so many veterans face—the slow, insidious toll of toxic exposures, the unseen wounds that surface long after service ends. My war is not one of bullets and explosions, but of failing health, unanswered questions, and the fight to be heard. The effects of service don’t always leave visible scars, but they are just as real, just as relentless. This piece is a reminder that not all battles are fought in combat—some are waged every day, in doctor’s offices, in moments of pain, in the effort to keep going. I may not wear the uniform any more, but the fight has never ended.
With Her Blood, 2024
With Her Blood stands as the heart of this collection—a visceral testament to the sacrifices women warriors have made, both seen and unseen. As a disabled veteran and artist, I created this piece to honor the complex layers of service, identity, and resilience. The fragmented textures, overlaid with the American flag, reflect the deep intertwining of duty and self, while the chaotic, abstract strokes echo the internal and external battles fought long after the uniform is removed. This is more than an image; it is a declaration, a memory, and a tribute to those who have given everything—some with their lives, others with their bodies, and many with the unseen wounds of war. Through this work, I reclaim my own story and stand alongside the countless women who have served.
Ghosts, 2024
Ghosts is a deeply personal reflection on the unseen, the lost, and the echoes of service that never truly fade. In the foreground, I stand— present yet fractured—my face partially overlaid with the flag, symbolizing both my identity as a veteran and the weight of sacrifice. Behind me, the spectral presence of a fallen sister-in-arms lingers, her memory woven into the very fabric of my being. The red handprints and boot prints, the fractured flag, all speak to the lives imprinted on us—the ones we carry with us long after the battles have ended. As a disabled female veteran, I know that some wars never truly leave us, and Ghosts is my way of honoring those who remain in the shadows of memory, forever a part of who we are.
Trauma, 2024
Trauma is an unflinching portrayal of the weight carried by those who serve—particularly the invisible scars that remain. The silhouette of a soldier holding her head is fractured, overlaid with the bleeding hues of the American flag, symbolizing the internal war that lingers. The textures and muted chaos within the composition speak to the mental and emotional burdens of service—the battles fought in silence, the memories that haunt, and the struggle to reconcile duty with the cost of sacrifice. I created this piece to honor those who endure these unseen wounds, shedding light on the resilience required to carry them.
Trauma is not just an image—it is a reflection, a reckoning, and a call to recognize those who continue to fight long after their service has ended.
Fractured
Reflections, 2025
Fractured Reflections captures the haunting duality of service and survival. An African American female veteran stands before a weathered mirror, her civilian self confronting the ghost of her younger, battle-hardened past. The cracks in the glass distort her reflection slightly, symbolizing the fractured memories and the lingering impact of war. The American flag overlays the image, a reminder of duty, sacrifice, and the cost of service. Bloodied handprints and boot imprints and blood splatter stain the walls— echoes of violence, resilience, and an identity forever shaped by war. Through this piece, I explore the silent battles fought long after the uniform is folded away, a testament to the courage, loss, and unbreakable spirit of women in the military.
Lost, 2024
Lost is a stark and emotional portrayal of grief, sacrifice, and the unseen cost of service. A female soldier kneels, cradling a folded flag— the final tribute to a fallen comrade—her face buried in her hands as sorrow overtakes her. Surrounding her, ghostly red handprints and boot prints stain a fractured American flag, symbolizing the blood, trauma, and invisible wounds left behind. I created this piece to capture the weight of loss that so many women in the military endure— not just the loss of brothers and sisters in arms, but also the personal sacrifices, the battles waged within, and the sense of identity that war and service can strip away. Lost is not just about mourning the fallen; it is about the pieces of ourselves we leave behind on the battlefield and the struggle to find a way forward.
Part II
This body of work exists because my brain broke. Sundered Self – A Journey Through Fracture and Reclamation is the result of my traumatic brain injury, acquired savant syndrome, and manic bursts of creativity. My mind doesn’t work the way it used to, and neither do I. These pieces emerged from that shift—raw, urgent, and deeply personal.
Fractured identities, ghostly figures, the lingering shadows of war, and the weight of silence—though I have not lived these combat experiences, I have witnessed them in my brothers and sisters who still struggle or are no longer here. My own battles—medical trauma from toxic exposure—have left their own scars.
This is resilience shaped by fracture, art born from both survival and loss. These works reflect the weight of memory, the fight to reclaim identity, and the search for a way forward—not by returning to who we once were, but by becoming something new.
Sundered Self: A Journey Through Fracture to Reclamation
Sundered Self: A Journey Through Fracture to Reclamation is an exploration of the fractured human experience—a visual narrative that moves through dissociation, memory, identity, and transformation. Through haunting black-and-white compositions, this exhibition delves into the spaces between loss and rediscovery, presence and absence, past and present. Each piece reflects a state of being unmoored, whether through trauma, memory, grief, or personal evolution, capturing the tension between fragmentation and the resilience to re-emerging whole once more.
The exhibition follows a narrative arc—beginning with images that evoke detachment and obscured identity, transitioning into the liminal phase of uncertainty, and ultimately moving toward reawakening and light. Themes of war, personal trauma, neurological disruption, and transformation intertwine, offering a deeply personal yet universally resonant experience. While rooted in the exploration of TBI, PTSD, and dissociation, Sundered Self remains fluid, allowing viewers to find their own meanings—whether in the weight of loss, the struggle for identity, or the quiet strength in survival.
The Soldier’s Shadow, 2025
The past does not disappear—it lingers, woven into the fabric of memory. In The Soldier’s Shadow, a figure stands before their own reflection, but what looks back is not a person—it is a phantom, a faceless presence, unrecognizable yet inescapable. The soldier in the mirror is not whole, but a fragment of something that once was, a specter of duty and survival. Behind them, the smoke of distant explosions rises, the echoes of conflict still rumbling through the mind. Prison bars cut across the scene, symbolic of the inescapable grip of trauma, of a body home but a mind still captive to war. The shadow at the forefront is not just a silhouette—it is a presence, a reminder, a ghost that refuses to fade. This piece speaks to the silent battles that continue long after the war has ended, where the past is not just remembered—it is relived, over and over again.
Shattered Silence, 2025
A fracture runs deep—through the mind, through memory, through identity itself. In Shattered Silence, two faces exist in parallel—one looking forward, the other fading into the past—yet neither is whole. The gaping hole between them is more than absence; it is the force of trauma, a violent rupture as the self tries to tear away from its past but remains bound to it.
The filmstrip embedded within the cracks speaks to memory’s fragile nature—moments preserved yet fragmented, flickering like an old reel replaying without end. In the background, faded photographs linger like ghosts of another life—happier, more stable moments, now distant. These are the memories that should sustain, yet they blur under the weight of trauma, struggling to hold their place against the fractures.
This piece captures the tension between past and present, the desperate pull to break free from what was, and the inescapable weight of what remains. The silence is not peace—it is loss, rupture, and the unspoken toll of survival.
The Weight of Silence, 2025
The specter of war lingers, unseen but inescapable. The soldier is a ghost, the bars are a ghost—illusions of captivity that feel just as real. Wrapped in the flag, the figure carries the weight of service, sacrifice, and an identity forged in battle but unraveled in its aftermath. The pistol on the ground is more than a weapon—it is a choice, a heavy presence in the silence, a reminder of the battles fought beyond the battlefield. The war may be over, but its presence lingers, woven into memory and silence. The weight of service, sacrifice, and survival settles deep, not easily cast aside. The bars feel solid, the past unrelenting, yet something remains beyond them—a space not yet defined, a future not yet written. The struggle is not just in what has been lost, but in what comes next.
The Scales of Memory, 2025
Memories are never still—they shift, tipping the balance between past and present, between what is carried and what is left behind. A female veteran sits in her hospital bed, her body marked by sacrifice, but the true weight she bears is unseen. The window reflects the ghosts of war and personal trauma—violence, loss, and moments that refuse to fade.
A veiled figure, draped in the flag, holds the scales, but there is no clear judgment. What is being measured—the cost of survival, the burden of memory, or the search for justice in battles both fought and endured? Some memories sink, others dissolve into the abyss, but none are easily laid to rest. Here, the past is reckoned with—not to condemn, but to be understood.
Shroud of the Fallen, 2025
Beneath the flowing veil, the weight of memory lingers. A tangle of dog tags hangs in silent tribute, each one a name, a life, a sacrifice. Faint but undeniable, the American flag emerges through the fabric— its presence both a symbol of honor and a reminder of loss. The flag is not bold; it is subtle, almost fading, like the echoes of those who once stood beneath it. The veil moves like breath, caught between past and present, between those who were lost and those who carry them forward. Shroud of the Fallen is not just about mourning—it is about the burden of remembrance, the quiet resilience of those left behind, and the unseen scars carried long after the battlefield has faded.
Veiled Remnants of War, 2025
This piece explores the duality of self in the aftermath of war—the tension between hyper-vigilance and the struggle to hold things together. The combat helmet, partially veiled, symbolizes the inescapable imprint of service, a presence that lingers long after the battlefield has been left behind. The larger figure is torn by experience, her face fragmented and incomplete, fractured by all she has seen and endured.
Emerging from within, the second face pushes forward, whole yet vulnerable, eyes shut in search of rest. She is not retreating but struggling to reclaim herself, to piece together what remains. A hand reaches through the veil, grasping a pocket watch—its numbers distorted, time unraveling into uncertainty. The surrounding void is both absence and presence, where memory fractures, identity blurs, and the weight of the past collides with the unknown. Yet, even in the fragmentation, there is resilience—a self not lost, but in the process of becoming whole once more.
Resurgance: Rising Beyond the Ruins, 2025
From the depths of struggle, hands break through the water’s surface, reaching for something beyond survival—for renewal, for peace, for a return to self. These hands, tattooed with the marks of a life lived and battles endured, belong to a soldier who has known both war and its aftermath. Above them, a dove ascends, a symbol of release, while in the background, a scene of sacrifice unfolds— soldiers working desperately to save a comrade, their efforts a final tether to life. The dove’s presence signifies more than flight; it is the passage of the fallen, the moment when the soul is carried beyond the wreckage.
Above the ruins, a bald eagle stands watch—a sentinel of freedom, resilience, and the unbreakable spirit of those who serve. The shattered buildings behind it speak to what has been lost, yet the hands rising from the depths tell another story: one of emergence, of breaking through pain, of reclaiming life beyond war. Resurgence: Rising Beyond the Ruins is not just about what is left behind, but about what comes next—the journey from fracture toward wholeness, from darkness toward light.
Sundered Self, Finding Light, 2025
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) fractures the self, leaving reality unfamiliar and the mind unmoored. Memory shifts, perception distorts, and the connection between body and identity feels distant. Sundered Self, Finding Light reflects this journey—not just the loss, but the slow emergence of something new.
The composition itself mirrors this transformation. Beginning at the right of the frame, the ethereal smoke represents the earliest stage of dissociation—a self lost in the void. As the form begins to take shape, still partially asleep, it moves through the haze, caught between detachment and awareness. Finally, the full figure emerges, reawakening into presence, reclaiming itself from the fracture.
The water represents the space between—adrift, searching for solid ground. The darkness is the uncertainty, the isolation, but light breaks through—not as a return to what was, but as faith, hope, and resilience. Healing isn’t just about recovery; it’s about transformation. This piece is a testament to endurance, the rediscovery of self, and the light that persists, even in the fracture.
Transitions, 2024
Created in collaboration with UnitingUS and the VA VISOR Program
At The Ready, 2023
As the final piece in the exhibit, At The Ready stands as a declaration of strength, perseverance, and unwavering spirit. The eagle, with its piercing gaze and unshakable presence, symbolizes the resilience of those who have served—especially the women warriors who have faced battles both seen and unseen. Its form, both powerful and fractured, reflects the reality of service: we may be changed by our experiences, but we are not broken.
This piece is a reminder that despite the weight of trauma, the scars of sacrifice, and the struggles that persist, we rise. We endure. We remain ready. For every moment of loss, there is courage. For every hardship, there is the power to heal. For every unseen battle, there is the will to keep moving forward.
At The Ready is not just an ending—it is a statement of resolve. We are warriors, survivors, and sisters in arms. And no matter what we have faced, we stand at the ready.
A Living Exhibit & Evolving Catalog
With Her Blood: The Unseen Battles of Women Warriors &
Sundered Self: A Journey Through Fracture to Reclamation
This exhibit is not static—it is a growing, evolving exploration of identity, trauma, resilience, and transformation. As the journey continues, new pieces will emerge, expanding the dialogue and deepening the connection between past, present, and self.
This catalog is a living document, reflecting the ongoing nature of this work. Future additions will bring new layers of meaning, new voices, and new visual narratives. As experience shapes the art, expect the exhibit to shift, unfold, and expand over time.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you are encountering these works for the first time or returning to see what has evolved, your interaction is part of the story.
