Jonathan Todyrk started as a young, fervent, creative, but found himself having to rediscover his art medium, identity, and purpose after beginning a family. When he found the perfect canvas, everything changed.
After falling in love with art in highschool, Jonathan turned to music as a creative practice. For ten years, he played with a worship band in churches, camps, and several cities including Montreal, where he met his wife. After getting married, they moved to Illinois to raise a family. His music career morphed into an “ordinary” job, and creativity faded from his daily routines. This ushered Jonathan into asking a critical question: “What is my purpose?” , “I found myself really, really miserable,” he said. “I went through a long season of searching, praying, and wondering what my purpose is in life. I was struggling with depression. ”When his father gave him an old set of his paints, Jonathan felt that a creative hobby might help with his well being. Day after day, he came home from work, put his two kids to bed, and painted in his garage. Painting became his escape it spurred his creative spirit into life. Soon, the hobby began to feel more like a calling. “I really started to see during that time that this is who God created me to be”, he said. “It’s been a coming to terms with who I am.
I believe my work comes from an overflow of my intimacy with God. ”As Jonathan’s developed as an artist, he’s explored new materials and ideas of motion, expression, and depth. Stumbling upon acrylic based concrete, he struck gold. “It came from a desire to create more texture and depth in my work,” he said. “I wanted it to come off the canvas and really blur the lines between sculpture and in painting. I love the use of bright color, but I didn’t want to use it against a white background. When I found this material, it worked. It made sense for me. This is one thing I found on this journey that I can hold onto.”