The inquiry that guided my Sustained Investigation is: “What are the individual stages of betrayal and how have they affected me?” Each stage awakened on the canvas, revealing each emotion’s intricacies. As each piece became very individualized by the emotion, I believe the question evolved. My pieces deconstruct what betrayal means and express it in understandable and accessible pieces instead of an overwhelming whole. In the early stages, I practiced by sketching out many ideas and images that contributed to my goal. I chose to branch out from my preferred and comfortable medium of pencil and used charcoal and watercolor in my sketchbook to experiment with various media and revise my compositions. Subsequently, I was able to find a different set of values, layer, and texture to explore within my portfolio. I first implemented these new textures and layers into Sustained Investigation 4 to create a new set of values that I had not attempted before in my pieces. I loved the contrast and movement created and found myself diverging from my comfort zone. I believe that my pieces have grown in mastery of this texture, layering, emphasis on color, and movement through line as well.