Fine Art & Illustration
MYSTICS
ORIGINALS 18”x24” | MEDIUM FORMAT C PRINTS | 2011
This project references the writings of early female martyrs and mystics, such as Perpetua and Theresa of Avila. These are some of the earliest recorded writings by women, and their authors faced violent death for the expression of their beliefs while they were revered, even sanctified, for the same expression at the face of their violent accusers. These figures simultaneously embody the sacred and profane.
“I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms”
-Saint Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle
CONTEMPORARY MARTYRS
ORIGINALS 3'x5' | MIXED MEDIA | 2011
Mixed media series based on the writings of early female martyrs and mystics. These are some of the earliest recorded writings by women, and their authors faced violent death for the expression of their beliefs while they were revered, even sanctified, for the same expression. While reflecting the ethereal imagery of these writings, these images contrast photograph with illustration to demonstrate the discordance between self and socially appropriated identity to place the viewer as both onlooker and subject, empowered and vulnerable.
“The soul after such a favor is animated with a degree of courage so great that if at that moment its body should be torn to pieces for the cause of God, it would feel nothing but the liveliest comfort. Then it is that promises and heroic resolutions spring up in profusion in us, soaring desires, horror of the world, and the clear perception of our proper nothingness.”
-Saint Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle
KILLING THE SACRED
ORIGINALS 12"x18" | MIXED MEDIA | 2014
