LOVE’S EVANGELIST

The Love’s Evangelist project began as a casual reading of Catherine of Siena’s letters, and quickly developed into a fierce admiration for the life and work of the great Italian mystic. After more than two years of serious study, Sandra recognized it was time to walk in Catherine’s footsteps. She selected Siena, Pisa, Florence, and Rome as locations important to the Saint’s work and spiritual development, and planned to take photographs for this project in each of these locations. The pilgrimage trip was carefully arranged to coincide with Siena’s city-wide celebration of Catherine’s Feast. Many of the photographs included in the suite of broadsheets were made on that day.

Love’s Evangelist is a suite of thirteen broadsheets. They are based on selected extracts from Catherine of Siena’s letters. The broadsheets are organized around the center column of text, rendered in modern Italian. The translation into English occupies the far left column. The right column of text presents Sandra’s musings on the connection between the images and Catherine’s writing. The heading is written as an imperative to the reader, and follows the style of Catherine’s writing. Three sample pages from the suite of broadsheets can be seen below. They are, from left to right “Be Loved, Be Love.” “Be Still.” and “Let Love Excuse Me.” All broadsheets are 13 x 19”

The broadsheets were exhibited at the Blackfriars Gallery, Berkeley, California in 2019. The exhibition catalog is available for purchase. It can also be read online.

Watch the video interview with Sandra about Love’s Evangelist.