Baker Artist Portfolios

Ivy Rose is an ambitious surrealist artist from Baltimore, MD, holding bachelors degree in Studio Art and Anthropology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
.
.
.
Over the past 2 years, I have been diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), and am awaiting an autoimmune diagnosis. Since becoming disabled, I have lost a lot in my life: freedom, employment, hobbies, friends, my sense of self. Before I got sick, I worked 3 jobs and had been working every day since I was 15. When I got sick, my body couldn't move properly anymore. As a chronic hard worker, it was especially difficult to lose my ability to work a traditional job.

After becoming disabled, I made the commitment to myself that I would write and illustrate a graphic novel as a surrealist telling of my own complex trauma. This is when “Catharsis” was born. Catharsis examines the intersections of gender and class, using the superhero genre as a lens to deconstruct power structures and challenge societal norms. Catharsis dives into the cost of resistance and the transformative power of reclaiming one's narrative. Over the next two years, I will continue to illustrate the 400+ page manuscript I have written for this story.

This project has given me a new sense of purpose. I spend every hour that I am able working on this project. Between this project and doctors appointments, this is my full time job. I was really inspired by Frida Kahlo and how she did most of her paintings from her hospital bed. So, I got an easel that I can work on even when I need to be laying down. When I get ready to make art, I have to wrap myself in compression and braces but I make it work. I truly believe that if I can prove to others that even with a disability you can accomplish great things, that would open the door for so many others.

Here's to changing the world together!
@catharsisgraphicnovel
Written and Illustrated by @artistivyrose