What is a Puffy Drawing?
It’s a drawing that already exists and is translated into “puffy-ness”. In other words, it is a drawing that is redrawn and then stuffed but doesn’t have anything on the back, just like a painting or drawing, that is theoretically one sided.
In the mid 1800’s during the Victorian Era women made embroidered fabrics and stuffed them. But then, in the 1960’s artist Claes Oldenburg took their idea and made a soft sculpture. He was rebelling against the entire history of sculpture. Prior to him, sculpture was always rigid. Fast forward to 2023, I took those ideas and made drawings that are normally flat, stuffed.
One day, I thought…the Holy Spirit is the greatest comforter, why not make my Pandemic drawings influenced by God, soft? They were already comforting due to the fact that they were based on scripture and that is in and of itself always comforting, but I wanted make them even more comforting to the eye.
Paradoxically, my Puffy Drawings are meant to trick you into thinking that they are nice and soft, but when you touch them, they are not as comfortable as they appear. I do that intentionally because spirituality is not something that you can hold in your hand, like a pillow or a bunny. The comfort of the Holy Spirit is a form of comfort that is intellectual, emotional and maybe if we are lucky to be able to perceive God, eventually it becomes physically comforting. A life with God is not always comfy and that idea is represented with the fabric and crunchy feeling of the Puffy Drawings.
Ultimately, they are meant to express that there is an unusual comfort in believing in an invisible God, but I also want people to know that the Holy Spirit wants to play with us and talk to us every day. He truly likes to cuddle just like we do.
Pameladiazmartinez.com
2023-Present