My name is Grace Madonna (they/them). I’m a multimedia artist who primarily creates using photography, but I’m also a passionate sewist, painter, illustrator, writer, filmmaker, mixed media sculptor, and tattoo designer. I often blend these mediums as a means of accessing the ideal forms of expression from each to realize my desired outcome. My inspiration primarily draws from my personal experiences with mental health struggles, painful interpersonal relationships, a complicated relationship with gender, social expectations, the female body, the oppressive nature of capitalism, chronic illness and disability, and being one of the odd ones out.
My overarching goals with my art always involve creating for the sake of bringing a vision to life, however deep the meaning might be, but they're also to channel my emotions through healthy outlets that leave me feeling proud on the other side of pain and to increase awareness around many of these struggles that extend far past my personal experiences. I hope to help others who share aspects of my experiences feel seen while simultaneously giving them a tangible creation to share with others in their lives that they can use to say, “This. This is what I go through. This is how it feels.” So many of these experiences can feel lonely in a way that is soul-crushing. I’ve often found myself alone with only my art to comfort me through suffering and it has saved me time and time again. If I can extend that hand to others, I always will.
My Photo Journey
My greatest artistic passion has been photography ever since I was thirteen.
On October 5th, 2014, I was at my local mall waiting to be picked up around sunset. The lighting was beautiful so I took a few pictures of the scenery with my iPod Touch. This was my first attempt at capturing anything with artistic intent, as I'm sure you can tell, but it ignited an excitement in me I had never felt before.
It wasn't long before I was begging my parents for a camera and was given a Fuji Film point-and-shoot. I was told that if I proved my dedication, I could get a DSLR. I promptly photographed everything in sight: my dog, the beach, flowers, and any view I could see from the backseat of my mom's minivan.
A little over a year later, the best Christmas morning finally arrived when I unwrapped a Nikon D3300. And thus, the most wonderful phase of my artistic career began.
The Three Images That Started It All
October 5, 2014
Why Sun Seeds?
I've always considered myself a photographer who could do it all; portraits, conceptual work, events, landscape. You name it. I want to capture every bit of beauty this universe has to offer, all the way from the soil of our Earth to the stars in space. From the sun to our seeds and everything in between.
When I rebranded from Sun Seeds Photo to Sun Seeds Artistry, the sentiment remained true that I maintain a desire to capture all that I can in my creations.
Interview of me, conducted, filmed, and edited by Mary McGaffigan in May 2021, before business rebranding