My graphic essay, titled ‘luminous beings’, draws inspiration from a range of sources including Biblical stories, literary works, and video games, to ultimately form a lexicon themed around mental health struggles. Constructing a world inhabited by isolated figures or ‘luminous beings’, I reference American gothic and surreal representations of the desert as akin to a lunar landscape in its isolating yet cosmic qualities. This exploration of place and narrative is further informed by Biblical texts, where themes of wandering, homecoming, and miracle abound; I’m further influenced by the classic literary works Inferno by Dante Alighieri and Paradise Lost by John Milton which guide the reader through imagined eschatological spaces. Ultimately, my interpretation of Biblical narratives and symbols through contemporary lenses such as video game and alt-country music disrupts a linear journey towards happiness or redemption, as my illustrations seek to construct and celebrate ‘outsider’ figures, combining whimsical imagery with darker themes.
‘There ain’t no end to the sands I’ve been trying to cross’
– Jason Molina, ‘Farewell Transmission’