Elizabeth George

Artist Statement

The human experience is composed of an extensive range of emotions and situations. We walk through life and encounter moments of love and friendship, but also apathy and division. As an artist and storyteller, I want this narrative to reflect that we all share a collective understanding of life. Through my love of drawing and illustration, I communicate emotions with line, texture, and expression of the human figure. Conflict, resolution, anger, sadness, and peace are all emotions we share at some point; this narrative explores that.

I find myself drawn to slice of life narratives and how they display the subtle wonders of humans and the relationships we have with one another. In this storyboard, I show the relationship between my original characters, Portal and Kate. They’ve known each other for practically their whole lives, but their first fight is uncharted territory. As Portal sees the effects of his choices, the only thing he can think about is how guilty he feels. He approaches Kate and offers no excuse for his actions. Kate is then left with a choice: holding on to the pain Portal inflicted or showing grace.

We have all been Portal at one time in our lives. We make many mistakes, say things we shouldn’t say, and hurt the ones most important to us. At times, we are Kate. Even though we’ve been wounded, we choose forgiveness for those who hurt us in the first place. That concept of metanarrative of the human experience is the heartbeat of this body of work.