127 Framed Print

This ongoing series initially started after my cancer diagnosis in 2016. The pen and ink portraits were composed during the long hours at the treatment clinic and lengthy inpatient stays. These works became increasingly crucial to understanding my emotional and psychological state that elude words even to this day. During treatment, my body remained strong regardless of whatever brutal circumstances I found myself in. My heart and mind, on the other hand, were always teetering. As I have done my entire life, I anchored myself to art, specifically these self-portraits. I did so to understand and come to terms with my experiences. However, pen and ink drawings are evolving, growing, and shifting as I do. I am adding new layers, digitally editing, and building colorful stories to create different, supplemental layers upon the narrative each one already tells. The story is still evident in each portrait, but now, the bright patterns and vivid textures speak to the Jeremiah of the present d...

Jeremiah Ray is an interdisciplinary artist and writer living and working in the coastal Maine region. He has an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His visual artwork is much like his life insofar as it is a constant journey of exploration and discovery. In his formative years, Jeremiah traveled extensively, exploring languages and cultures to fulfill a need for both adventure and as instruments of further understanding himself. Jeremiah completed his MFA in studio art with one intention - to teach. He desired to assist others in finding and honing their unique, personal language. He has always believed that art transcends verbal communication. Discovering one's voice in an individual medium and utilizing it to...