Original Piece: Charcoal on Paper, 2023

From the book Garden Song. Illustrating Psalm 22 – “Save me from the mouth of the lion”. This is the same psalm Jesus quotes on the cross when he exclaims – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. In this psalm, the mouth of the lion is being used as a metaphor for death. In my drawing, the bright white teeth cut through the black background like chisels. The lion’s head appears without a body, almost as if it is emerging out of nowhere, catching us by surprise. The harsh scratchy marks in the background cut into the paper and make angles like daggers, and the lack of colour creates an eerie, intense and lifeless feeling. I wanted to capture the moment when we feel overwhelmed by resistance in life. When we are overcome by fear and opposition, and things feel hopeless in the face of our own savage lions. This is the darkness Jesus went into on the cross, but he also overcame it when he overcame death. This drawing is a reminder of that.

Size: 18″ x 24″