A Girl Called Empty




A Girl Called Empty, Page 1
Once upon a time in the deep tangled woods of Despair,
a clean slate of a child was born to a silent father and a
sorrowful mother with good intentions and phenomenal beauty.

A Girl Called Empty is a modern day fairytale written by author and artist, Penelope Przekop.  Penelope recently began a year-long project to illustrate (acrylic & pastel on canvas) the dark tale fueled by resilience and hope. Via dual avenues of communication, the work will illuminate the plight of children raised by a mentally ill parent, and how it impacts their ongoing development as well as their adult lives.

A Girl Called Empty is also a story that depicts the healing power of art. Before we can speak or write, we recognize colors, and have the ability to form shapes and lines that express our inner selves, and how we uniquely experience our environment.

Art can provide a direct link to our most basic level of identity.



“I found I could say things with colors that I couldn’t say in any other way – things that I had no words for.”



– Georgia O’Keefe



To help bring increased awareness to the emotional and social impact of being raised by a mentally troubled parent, Penelope will paint ~ 35 original works of art that visually support and add dimension to the story of A Girl Called Empty. She will explore how best to use the work to accomplish this higher goal as the project progresses.

Penelope is excited about tackling a project that combines both her love of writing and painting. She aims to use her personal experience and talent to not only express herself, but to also create something remarkable that will benefit others. Per Penelope, "At times, I feel incredibly self-centered focusing on my own issues. I don't want to keep spitting them out in books or on canvas just so I can stare at them, or ask people to look at them, and understand or validate me. I want to use them to do something positive for the world around me; that's the real purpose to be found in my creativity."



Fingerprints are visual, biological proof that each person has a unique identity. Penelope's goal is to work with individuals (children, teens, and adults) either currently being raised, or who were raised, by a mentally ill parent who will provide fingerprints to be incorporated into the art work, and/or resulting book.

Imbedding these individuals' unique prints into the art/book will drive home their inherent struggle to establish a solid sense of identity beyond the troubled parent.  It will also support the importance of recognizing that children of the mentally ill are often lost in the shadows of the constant stress and confusion swirling around them as they develop emotionally and seek to understand their world.

About Penelope:



Penelope Przekop is a published author and a professional artist represented by Monkdogz Urban Art (New York City). Her art has been shown in New York City, California, Philadelphia, and Europe. Her art work has been acquired by the Caserta (Italy) Museum of Art. She has written four novels and one business book published by McGraw-Hill. Penelope has a B.S. degree in Biology from Louisiana State University and an M.S. degree in Quality Systems / Assurance from the Southern Polytechnic State University Department of Engineering. She is a former Director of Global Quality Management at Johnson & Johnson, and is currently Senior Director, Global Quality Assurance & Training for Theradex Systems, Inc. She lives near Philadelphia with her husband and two daughters.



Penelope's mother has struggled with severe depression, borderline personality disorder, and other emotional issues throughout her life. She has been hospitalized multiple times for mental illness and has been reliant on medication for over forty years. When Penelope was a child and teenager, not one adult stopped to consider that she may need support despite the sunny smile she consistently tossed around; she was lost in the shadow of her suffering mother. At ten years old, Penelope created a motto for herself: "Alone, at least I have myself."  She attempted suicide at 19 by overdosing on her mother’s medication, and spent three days in an intensive care unit. At 25, she began writing her first novel, Boundaries, which is based on her own struggle to understand and accept her individuality and self-worth as a child and teenager.



The Girl Called Empty project is sponsored by Monkdogz Urban Art (NYC).

You can watch this project progress on Facebook and Penelope's art site. If you're not yet Penelope's friend on Facebook, please feel free to send her a request.