In the Studio
By Visual Art Issue 123
I strongly believe that for a Jew to make art, one has to be steeped in Jewish culture, as well as the contemporaneous culture of the West. I found my way into Judaism through the biblical story of the Exodus, especially the idea that each Jew identifies with this story as if they were present at Mount Sinai, because, as the Talmud explains, all Jewish souls, present and future, were at Mount Sinai to witness the divine.
Read MoreIn the Studio
By Visual Art Issue 123
While I was uninterested in the Bible stories of Sunday school, the quiet ritual of the service and the music appealed to me.
Read MoreIn the Studio
By Visual Art Issue 122
From conversations with viewers, I’ve learned that their experience depends a lot on the physical presence of my work, not just the size but also how it connects with its surroundings.
Read MoreIn the Studio
By Visual Art Issue 122
Viewing all things inseparable—creativity and God as one and the same—certainly influenced my abstract expression.
Read MoreIn the Studio
By Visual Art Issue 121
Drawing from the source directly is the practice that I call art.
Read MoreIn the Studio
By Visual Art Issue 121
Devon DeJardin is a self-taught multimedia artist from Portland, Oregon, now based in Los Angeles. His paintings, drawings, and sculptures reference the body, forces of nature, and the application of philosophy to lived experience. His current work focuses on guardians-entities and forces that protect, guide, and challenge us to grow. Image: Could you talk…
Read MoreIn the Studio
By Visual Art Issue 120
The following year I reentered the studio to die. After fifteen days—unable to eat or sleep, my mind desperately trying to give solace to my broken life—I finally collapsed and gave up my life in radical surrender.
Read MoreIn the Studio
By Visual Art Issue 119
It’s interesting to me how quick we are to trust a museum’s account of history simply because it’s presented in a way that feels organized and professional. We gloss over whatever seems unappealing or doesn’t fit into the story we are trying to tell. In many ways, I think fiction can tell a more honest story than what we consider to be the truth.
Read MoreIn the Studio
By Visual Art Issue 118
My art practice also ebbs and flows like the liturgical seasons.
Read MoreIn the Studio
By Visual Art Issue 118
I thought about how, as a society, we haven’t understood this lesson of humility and service: we don’t know what it means to wash one another’s feet, just like we haven’t comprehended the meaning of “love thy neighbor.”
Read More