Seven Deadly Sins

Medium: Colored Pencil & Acrylic Gouache on Bristol

Dimensions: 7"x7", Mounted 9"x9"

​

Artist Statement:

My love for the arts began with ballet at age four. I spent my whole life working toward and working in my professional career until an injury led me to retire and pursue a new creative path at SCAD. Dance has shaped the artist I am, and I hold the good memories and hardships very close to me.

Depicting graceful dancers as the Seven Deadly Sins seems ironic, given ballet’s reputation for elegance and effortlessness. However, beneath the beauty lies an industry of hardship, ambition, and deception, realities often hidden behind the curtain. Classical ballets are filled with ruthless narratives, and when developing this concept, Odile, the Black Swan, immediately came to mind. As one of ballet’s most infamous villains, she perfectly embodies temptation and deceit. From there, the remaining sins naturally fell into place. Drawing from my experience performing or studying these roles throughout my career, this project has been a reflective exploration of my time as a professional ballet dancer and it has been fun revisiting these characters through a different artistic medium.