Katie Leigh - Sacred Uncertainty; BFA Thesis Work

As a multimedia artist, my work is an exploration of memory, grief, and my journey with religion. As I've grown older, I’ve started to question the faith I’ve had for so long, even though I still hold onto it tightly. Through expressive charcoal drawings and collage, my work delves into the complexity of emotions that arise from grappling with my faith—specifically, how one can believe so deeply in something yet still experience doubts. I reflect on the tension between wholehearted belief and lingering uncertainty, especially in the face of life's challenges.

My collages are composed of discarded and collected materials, such as cardboard, scrap paper, photographs, past drawings, and journal pages. These materials intertwine my past and present, symbolizing the layers of faith and questioning that shape my worldview. Materials are added, torn apart, and layered on top of one another to create textured surfaces that I draw on top of. My charcoal drawings rely heavily on instinctive mark-making, with strong contrasts of light and shadow. Emerging figures in black and white form spontaneous, intuitive compositions throughout the creative process.

Animal imagery appears often in my work, such as wolves, sheep, snakes and much more, drawing on animal symbolism found in the Bible and Catholicism. These motifs represent various aspects of my relationship with faith— evoking different emotions I’ve faced throughout different points in my life.

Overall, my work is a reflection of the internal struggle between belief and doubt, and how grief and self-discovery have shaped my understanding of religion. Through mixing mediums, exploring recurring motifs, and utilizing the materials around me, I aim to honor both the stability and uncertainty in my relationship with faith, inviting viewers to reflect on their own experiences with religion, grief, and self-reflection.