B.A. Studio Arts 2021 Coastal Carolina University
Seeking Sobriety
“Each illustration depicts elements from her written passages…represents a memorial of my childhood.”
Artist Statement
“Seeking Sobriety” investigates my mother’s addiction through my personal experiences. Through the process of reconstructing and revisiting her journal entries from my childhood, a new journal is created, consisting of her own messages and perspectives, from the vantage point of her daughter. This journal contains entries from her own writing from 1998 to 2005 and goes into detail about how her addiction affected her marriage, children and wellbeing.
Her cursive writing shows tranquility and control, as she was suffering deeply. Each passage is transcribed using graphite paper, following the use of micron pens. By reproducing her text, I can convey her emotions and ultimately gives me a kind of closure that has been needed for a decade. Each illustration depicts elements from her written passages, while some pages incorporate collages from personal letters, fortunes cookies, and other kept possessions she taped in her journal, represents a memorial of my childhood. Through this experience, I have learned the disease in personable state and how it makes me the person I am today.