Pandemical Drawings

PANDEMICAL DRAWINGS

May 2020 - October 2023

60 drawings were made in total, 53 have survived. All of the drawings were an exercise of translating bible verses, 35 have been included here. This is the first time in my life that I have used drawing as a form of therapy. I learned that I could internalize scripture to combat fear and anxiety to produce healing. These images reveal my sense of humor with faith, relationship and familiarity with Jesus. Once the images were completed I noticed that pretense had been abandoned due to time constraints and my mental health at the time of creation. For example; it no longer made sense to agonize over; a type of paper, the perceived audience, how to convey this subject matter, what will people think, are these contemporary enough? I made these in the privacy of my studio without anyone but myself, God and a few people who attended my class each week.

During the pandemic, I co-hosted a class on zoom called Art as Prayer. We used a method originally developed by Michael Stoeber, Professor of B.A.; M.A.; S.T.L.; Ph. D. Professor of Spirituality and Philosophy of Religion, Regis College at the University of Toronto. Each session started by discussing an artist who made/makes art about Jesus Christ, then we would pray a short prayer, spend 30 minutes devising a plan and executing a work of art. Lastly, we discussed our creations in a traditional art critique-like format. My aim each session was to translate scripture verses, literally, so that I could deepen my faith in very trying times.