image-dwellers is a combined Art and English thesis that takes an unconventional approach to ekphrasis. For this project, I interviewed twelve upperclassmen at Gordon College. These portraits and poems are a response to interviews I had with each person about their faith transition, what home means, where they have been, and where they are going. Both portions of the project are in constant dialogue, attempting to capture the “portrait” of another human being.
This project has taught me what it means to listen well and how important it is to take time before responding to others. While what I perceive is different from how each event occurred, I can empathize with these people through how I paint and how I write about them. Yet what I have achieved is just a flicker, for I cannot even come close to summarizing the rich lives of my peers.
