Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Ryleigh McGinley

Veiled

Inspired by the Virgin Mary and the Hail Mary prayer, I painted a close friend representing Mary. I relate to her grief and her strength and painting her helped with my grieving process.

“Using lived experiences of anticipatory grief, loss and mourning, I use oil painting as an expression of art as therapy and connection to faith. Painting myself, my friends, my father, and the devices which cared for him in his cancer diagnosis, I process the grief I have around my fathers passing. Using Catholic imagery and the power of prayer, I connected with my father and further investigated the link between painting and healing. Being able to paint women in my life as characters from the Bible gives me strength and hope that I can still be close to my dad. ”