Illustrations for Flourishing on the Edge of Faith

I created seven illustrations for Flourishing on the Edge of Faith, a book by Andrew DeCort published by BitterSweet Books. Each illustration is a hand-carved and printed linocut aligning with one of the practices explored in the book. To create the works, I sat down with BitterSweet’s Creative Director, Obiekwe Okolo, and we explored conceptual directions for each practice. We workshopped my concept art, drawn digitally, until we landed on final sketches. The sketches involved two layers, with the primary illustration depicted in black and one critical component in red. The two colors translated to two separate linocut blocks for each image, which I sketched onto the block, carved, and printed with a Rembrandt etching press. Obiekwe and I collaborated to scan the prints to be typeset into the book and collaged for the cover art.

The subject matter of DeCort’s book is spiritual, exploring “Jesus’s radical vision for human flourishing in the face of suffering and violence.” I carved the linocuts with great care and vulnerability, seeking to honor the author’s words and bring visual translation to the divine subject matter. Completing the project marked a goal of mine: my first illustrations for a published work (the book is available for purchase here).