Covid Commission “Living Water”

How do you commission an artwork when Covid-19 has closed down the world? In 2020 virtual shopping became the “modus operandi.”

On May 23rd, a Minnesota couple discovered several of my paintings on my web site and took the bold step towards a virtual commission! They needed a painting for a 48″ x 51″ niche, a focal point in their home’s dining/kitchen room.

They sent me photos of this room, as well as photos of adjacent rooms and the artworks complementing them. This virtual photo tour of their home, its color schemes, along with their dreams and vision, began the commission process.

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A deposit was determined and I had my Asheville carpenter build the requested 35″ x 38″ panel. By the end of June, the panel was gessoed and the painting could begin.

The clients had already sent themes which were meaningful to them. They also sent me images of my paintings that resonated with them. They had seen the following painting “One Who Came on the Waters of Time,” on Biola University’s Advent Project ’19.

I began reading and studying the many Scriptural themes they gave me to select an idea for their painting.
Shepherd/Sheep — Psalm 23, John 10:10-11
Living Water — John 7:37-8, Isaiah 55:1-3, Ezekiel 47, Rev 22:1-2
Wilderness/Gathering — Isaiah 43:18-21
Light — Isa 9:1-2, John 1:4 and 9:52, Cor 4:6-7
Hope — Heb 6:18-20, Pet 1:31, Cor 13:13
Rest — Psalm 62:5-8, Mt 11:28-30.

This was a daunting process and required much prayer. Providentially about a month later, my Bible study in John drew me to the beauty and importance of Jesus as the Living Water. I had also just finished teaching Revelation, and was also struck by Jesus’ final call in the last chapter, “Come. Let the one who is thirsty come: let the one who desires take the water of life without price,” Revelation 22:17.

I say providentially, because unbeknownst to me, my client was led to the same theme. In fact, the day before I was to lead the John 4 study, my client emailed me the “exact verses” I was teaching the next day.

“Dear Grace, I wanted to share something that has informed my journey since 2015, when I first read it. It is ALL about water! Have fun reading this, when you have time! Bless you, . . .

Jesus, the Source of Living Water, extends an invitation to All Who Thirst at this high point of the Jewish festival. Jesus dramatically cries out loudly, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink (v. 37). If he spoke this invitation during the revelry, he would have to shout just to be heard.

What Jesus offers is the fulfillment of the very things they were celebrating. Here is grace upon grace (Jn 1:16). Here the Son is repeating the offer of the Father, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters” (Is 55:1). Indeed, he is fulfilling the role of God, who “will guide them and lead them beside springs of water” (Is 49:10). His offer shows he is far more than just a prophet or an agent; here we have God himself offering us life.“

(From the IVP Commentary on John 7:37-9 sent to me by my client”)

So the Holy Spirit confirmed the chosen theme!

“Come. Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” Rev. 22:17.

Appalachian Rhapsody in Blues was another of my paintings they were drawn to and it had blues, colors befitting Living Water.

However their color scheme included green and cerulean blue accents, stained glass as well as the blues in adjacent paintings, so I began the commission towards similar blues with an underpainting of reds and golds.

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I began layering these complimentary colors to produce a foundational design.

Although the above photo shows the 2 1/2 ” edges and is upside-down on my easel, you can see that the blues are warmer and include yellows and reds. The yellows near the top suggest heaven, the source of this Living Water/Spirit of God.

I also began to see a figure with extended arm in the negative shapes at the top of the painting.

It was at this point I needed to get my clients’ feedback. I knew they wanted an “incarnational” painting — the suggested figure of Jesus, the Living Water.

“The Word became flesh and lived among us!”
The Incarnation is real. Jesus is God, the God who is Spirit and became flesh. Jesus brings abstraction/invisible reality and realism together.
This understanding is the impetus for my work which I often call
“narrative abstraction.”

We planned a ZOOM call and visited “face to face” for the first time. They shared their desire for more adjustments — more blues to the dark bottom left, as well as deciding if the figure was looking heavenward or inviting the viewer to “come” to the Living Water.
It was back to work!

The complimentary underlying orange-reds were important thematically as well as artistically. They pointed to the purpose of Christ’s coming–his death and the importance of blood and water and Spirit, the LIVING WATER.

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This is he who came by water and blood–Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that bear witness, the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree.

1 John 5:6-8Peter tells us that men “deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,” (2 Peter 3:5). And when “one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear while he hung dying, that at once there came out blood and water” (John 19:34).

The clients drove to my Asheville studio in October to pick up their commission. Liz was able to join my oil and cold wax workshop I had planned for that weekend.

What a joy and privilege to meet the clients in person amidst the “social distancing.” I am thankful that I was able to create this commission for them and thankful for their trust and input as well.

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Soli Deo Gloria

Crossing Series / Ascension Day

“Grace Bomer’s desire is to paint the good news story well. God’s extravagant grace and rescue are the subjects of her recent series called The Crossing.” These words were written about my piece called “Red Sea Crossing,” selected by Texas juror Mary McCleary, Stephen F. Austin State University Regent’s Professor of Art, Emeritas, for a show called The Beautiful. 

Red Sea Crossing (above) 30 x 30 oil and wax and gold and silver leaf on panel

This traveling show is sponsored by Christians In the Visual Arts (CIVA.org). It began early in 2018 at Center Gallery in Grand Rapids, MI, and was subsequently shown at many venues –The Center for Life Long Learning/Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA; Bethel College Gallery, location of the 2019 CIVA conference; and more recently, the Metcalf Gallery at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana; and the Second Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana. For more information: The Beautiful

Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, “They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.” And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD. And they did so. …

The navigable plain where the Philistines lived was the shortest route to Canaan, but it was dangerous for a people ill-prepared for war. God told Moses to lead the people of Israel south to escape Egypt. They headed towards Midian, present day Arabia, where God had prepared Moses for desert living for 40 years when he had escaped Egypt earlier. Turning south of the well-traveled trade route to a dead-end between the formidable mountains and the Red Sea looked like a trap. It was. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he pursued them thinking they could be captured.

God showed Pharaoh at the Red Sea Crossing that all things are possible through the God who rules the nations. He taught his people to trust this glorious Redeemer God at this  crossing.

Red Sea Crossing II continues this series of redemption. The figure representing Moses leading his people through the Red Sea, is more importantly Christ himself.

Moses is a type of Christ. “Messiah” is derived from the same Hebrew root as Mosheh — to be drawn out of, rescued from the water. Jesus would rescue his people through the water (baptism and death) by his own blood (Red Sea) to glory and the promised land.

Jesus left the glories of heaven to become a man. His incarnation brought the heavenly realm and the earthly realm together. The people that he had created to live on the earth had listened to the deception of Satan, but God had already chosen a beloved people before the foundation of the world. He would rescue this “bride” from Satan’s domain and take them to the heavenly realm.

The Voyager 12 x 12 inches oil and wax on gold leaf

He crossed over to conquer Satan and death and the grip of Egypt. In the small painting below, called The Crossing, red lines reference his bloody “nets” of rescue. Jesus entered time and space as a man (gold figure in lower half)  to take captive his captives and give gifts to men (Psalm 68:18).

The Crossing 12 x 12 inches oil and wax and gold leaf

Here is a detail of his victory procession of his captives.

Jesus’ obedient death on a cross, descent into hell, and resurrection on the third day, accomplished the death blow to Satan and Satan’s  banishment from heaven. “Jesus said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning'” (Luke 10:18).  Although Satan is the “prince of this world” who knows “his time is short,” he has been bound. His power is limited and God’s people are safe.

Jesus ascended into heaven bodily — 40 days after his resurrection–after he had defeated Satan. This Crossing, his Ascension is very important. Now Jesus would take his place of cosmic rule seated at the right hand of God the Father. He sent God the Holy Spirit to live in the hearts of his people on earth to help them.  He will return bodily — every eye will see him even those who pierced him — to consummate his Wedding Day and his rule in a new heavens and a new earth, one without sin and evil and death.

In this painting, One Who Came On The Waters of Time, the Triune God is present. The three figures. God the Father, Jesus the Son (in red), and God the Holy Spirit (center figure with gold) are riding the waves of the nations tribes and tongues of world (Rev 17:15).

The waves / sea are a symbol of the fallen world. Jesus walked on the sea and he stilled the sea. In the book of Revelation his rule is shown as he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice like a lion roaring. . . (Rev. 10:2). In John’s vision of heaven, the sea is calm and as transparent as glass. And before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal, (Rev. 4:6). And in the new heavens and earth there will be no more sea / evil. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth . . . and the sea was no more, (Rev. 21:1).

53″ x 66″

The God of beauty and holiness speaks through his beautiful Word, a double-edged sword of wonder – the Word who became flesh and proclaims the glory (and beauty) of a Creator who chooses to live with us in our humanity.

Red Sea Crossing is about journey and pilgrimage of both God and man. We are vessels, voyagers and seamen. Our journey is sacramental (sacred) in that we are vessels created by God in his image to proclaim His glory (see Vessel Series – www.gracecarolbomer.com).
Hallowed by Thy name; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven

 

Epiphany: “a showing forth” of Jesus

January 6th is Epiphany! 40 days since the beginning of Advent! It celebrates Jesus the light and gift to the world!
Written several years ago it is forever relevant!

grace carol bomer

HAPPY NEW YEAR from SOLI DEO GLORIA STUDIO

Epiphany is aChristianfestival observedon January 6th. It commemorates the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles in the persons of the Magi or Wise men; the Twelfth-day of the Christmas celebration which ends the last of the five weeks or forty days of Advent (December 29-January 6).

After forty days of awaiting the birth of “Emmanuel” (God with us) at Bethlehem, we celebrate the climax of Advent, Epiphany, when Jesus Christ is recognized as King by the wise men of the world. Christ Jesus is shown forth not just to the Jewish people but to the Gentile world.

Yes, the 40 days of Advent are over. The King of Kings is here! Wise men still seek him.
And we wait during our “40 years of tribulation” for the final Epiphany when every eye will see him, and every knee will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is King.

The…

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LEVIATHAN

grace carol bomer

THE GOD-MAN AND THE SEA 60 x 30 inches oil and wax on panel

This painting began as a study in blues on a panel prepared with a shade of lavender. I was envisioning a seascape referencing my Vessel Series or a pastoral seacape similar to my Appalachian Rhapsody in Blues. But the antithetical battle intruded. The prow of the boat shape reared up like Leviathan.

On that day, the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing sepent, Leviathan the twisting serpent and he will slay the dragon in the sea (Isaiah 27:1ff).

LEVIATHAN 30 X 60 inches oil and wax on panel

What is the antithetical battle and why is it so important in my work? “Antithetical” comes from the word antithesis, which normally means “opposite” or “in opposition to.” Love is the antithesis of hate, for example. In…

View original post 1,085 more words

LEVIATHAN

THE GOD-MAN AND THE SEA 60 x 30 inches oil and wax on panel

This painting began as a study in blues on a panel prepared with a shade of lavender. I was envisioning a seascape referencing my Vessel Series or a pastoral seacape similar to my Appalachian Rhapsody in Blues. But the antithetical battle intruded. The prow of the boat shape reared up like Leviathan.

On that day, the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing sepent, Leviathan the twisting serpent and he will slay the dragon in the sea (Isaiah 27:1ff).

LEVIATHAN 30 X 60 inches oil and wax on panel

What is the antithetical battle and why is it so important in my work? “Antithetical” comes from the word antithesis, which normally means “opposite” or “in opposition to.” Love is the antithesis of hate, for example. In literature writers employ antithesis in characters and events to create conflict which is then developed and hopefully resolved. Great literature and great art basically attempt to understand the “cosmic conflict.”

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The Scriptures, the eternal Word of The Creator King, help us understand this cosmic battle that began with cosmic treason (R. C. Sproul’s quote, “Sin is cosmic treason”). You will not understand this conflict unless you understand the holiness of God and the rebellion of the creatures He created. “Even the smallest sin, no matter how insignificant, is an act of rebellion agaist the sovereign God who reigns and rules over us and as such is an act of treason againsy the cosmic King” (Sproul).

The biblical story of this battle and the rescue of a people alienated from God used to be a common theme of great art and literature. The tale of Saint George, a warrior and martyr, is painted and memorialized by many artists. Below is Raphael’s painting (left) and Gustave Moreau’s St George (right), painted in 1889-90.

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Much contemporary art and narratives react to and are hostile to God and his eternal narrative. And “it is rarely discussed in the church or in the world that the biblical description of human fallenness includes an indictment that we are by nature enemies of God. In our enmity we do not even want him in our thinking and the very fact that God commands us to do his will” (Sproul). We are fallen like Satan, the God of this world.

To understand our human condition and this enemy and his desire for power, read the Scriptures beginning in Genesis! It tells us about the God-man who killed the Leviathan, and that by his sacrifice we can be reconciled to God.

It tells us of the creation of the world, how Satan entered God’s good creation (introducing the cosmic battle), and how from the beginning (Genesis 3:15), God had a plan to crush Satan’s head, to redeem his creation and a people he would chose for his glory. Satan tempted the first man and woman, vice regents for the human race. This First Adam failed the test (The Fall), but he would be followed by the Second Adam, God Incarnate, who would come to conquer Satan and his dominion of death.

The book of Job, written well before Jesus walked on earth, tells of God’s victory. “By his power he stilled the sea; by his understanding he shattered Rahab. By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Behold these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?” (Job 26:12). His thurderous voice, THE WORD, would shatter evil!

Jesus said to the seventy-two witnesses who returned with joy saying that even the demons were subject to them in Jesus’ name, “I saw Satan fall like lightning” (Luke 10: 17-20). In the final book of Revelation (12:10-11) we see what happened in the heavenly realms when Jesus conquered Satan: “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world — he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

2008
Wax sculpture, concrete, aluminum, feathers, rubber cord
Holy Trinity ChurchMarylebone, Westminster, England

We have a warrior God who is greater than all our fears. He has defeated Satan and bound him. Jesus is the Godman, Incarnate God. He walked on the Sea of Galilee. And he stands with one foot on the sea and one foot on the land. “And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring” (Rev.10:2-3).

Finally, back to my painting Leviathan and how it also references great literature’s obsession with the antithetical battle in Melville’s novel, Moby Dick and Hemmingway’s Old Man and The Sea. Captain Ahab is obsessed with killing Moby Dick, the great white whale, which is said to be immortal and omnipresent, supposedly appearing in several locations at the same time. Most significant is what he means to Ahab. The captain sees the White Whale as a great mask, a façade behind which is some “inscrutable thing,” an undefined power that Ahab resents and seeks to destroy. Is Moby Dick a mask for some great force of evil? Or is he a figure of nature that hides, perhaps, the face of God? Read Moby Dick and discipher his cosmic battle. Hemminway’s Old Man and The Sea is also a picture of man’s struggle with God. We are (and Christ is) defeated and strapped to the mast to die at the hands of a merciless sea.

RC Sproul believed Moby Dick is one of the greatest novels ever written. “It is a work of unparalleled theological symbolism. This symbolism is sprinkled abundantly throughout the novel, particularly in the identities of certain individuals who are assigned biblical names. Among the characters are Ahab, Ishmael, and Elijah, and the names Jeroboam and Rachel (‘who was seeking her lost children’) are given to two of the ships in the story.“

Sproul ends by saying, Who can survive the pursuit of such a being if the pursuit is driven by hostility? Only those who have experienced the sweetness of reconciling grace can look at the overwhelming power, sovereignty, and immutability of a transcendent God and find there peace rather than a drive for vengeance. 

“O LORD God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O LORD,
with your faithfulness all around you?

You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.

You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
you scattered your enemies with your might arm.

Psalm 89:8-9

State Protection

“State Protection” is the name of  a painting that was purchased in 2018. A year ago, I had it reproduced as a giclee print (edition of 100) in the same 12″ x 12″ format. This month, a reproduction was purchased by a client in the United Kingdom who wanted me to write a statement about it. And since today is July 4th and we celebrate our “united states” and its Independance Day, we remember that the state receives its true “protection” from God.

The painting began in a workshop where I was demonstrating the addition of text and images in order to explore themes or motifs in creating a work of art. My artist’s statement ( www.gracecarolbomer.com ) explains why I incorporate words and images into my work with the hope to unite the visible and the invisible world and intimate the possibility that these two realms can be brought together! The Incarnation is evidence of that. The God-man, Jesus, became visible, image/flesh. He came from the invisible realm to unite Spirit and flesh. He is also called The Word of God, so all language has meaning in him (John 1), but that is a subject for another post.

Words and images are ubiquitous. The Wall Street Journal is my go-to newspaper for current news and cultural events. The Syrian refugee crisis was happening, and this image of two two Syrian boys struck me as mysterious and very sad. Without the news story, they might have been innocent American Boy Scouts. Were they without parents and being taken by the state. Or were they perhaps being trafficked for even more sinister purposes.

The boys are huddled under a dark tower. The Tower of Babel  has been the motif in my critique of post-post modernism, where the world is a text and truth is relative. Babel is the symbol of man’s claim of rule and power and religious truth apart from God and his authoritative Word. The name State Protection was the text under the photo. You can see the word “state” under the boy’s leg. The idea of protection by the state is ironically sad. The boys are huddled inside Babel, which will ultimately not protect them. 

Above this dark tower are foreboding clouds and flashes of lightning. The wide-eyed boys wait. Is the counterfeit god of “State Protection” a match for the God of the universe who is “coming on the clouds”? Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles . . . (Psalm 97:2-4).

The dark clouds above the tower are clouds of judgment on Babel — the spiritual powers of darkness who seek freedom from God’s laws. Government, instituted by God, has a God-given duty to protect its people and punish the wrongdoer. It is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil (Romans 13:4). But governments who do not obey God’s laws and who usurp the God-given spheres of family and the church (religion) will not go unpunished.

The good news in spite of  evil and lawless governments is that the antithetical war between good and evil (Christ and Satan) has already been won. God foretold this to Adam and Eve. I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman, and between her Seed (Jesus Christ) and your seed, you will bruise his heel, but he will bruise your head (Genesis 3:15). The scandalous and paradoxical death of God’s son on a cross defeated Satan’s dominion of death and destruction and lawlessness. “Every knee shall bow” at the name of Jesus on the coming “Day of Clouds,” when the Righteous Judge will judge the world in righteousness.

The evil and lawlessness rampant in the world does not take God by surprise. Before the world was created, He fore-ordained a people (his bride) for himself out of many peoples and tongues, but he also fore-ordained a people (Babylon the harlot) who would receive the penalty of death. The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble (Proverbs 16:4).

In order to show the riches of his glory to vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for his glory, he endures with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction (Romans 9:22-24).

He has taken captive, his captives

“Judgment of Babylon” (below) is about impending judgment.  A plumbline, a builder’s tool to make things straight and right, hangs above a fading Tower of Babel standing above a neglected building project of million-dollar homes.

In Revelation, John writes to the last of the seven churches. The faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation warns the church to buy salve to anoint their blind eyes so they can see (Rev. 3:15-18). A detail of my painting below reflects this warning and call to come.

IF ANYONE HAS EYES LET HIM SEE

Jesus repeats his eternal plan in the last chapter of Revelation. It reveals his eternal immutability and character.“Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy. Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he as done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Revelation 22:11-13).

If Anyone Has Eyes, Let Him See is a title also used by Cuban-Spanish artist Gustavo Díaz Sosa. His Tower of Babel themes attempt to understand the individual’s relationship to the powers of the state and those who rule. Man without God is small, a small cog in a big wheel. He writes: Most of us, blinded by the comparison between equals, competition, ambition, cravings for power and possession; trying to elevate ourselves and touch some form of His Glory by dealing in clichés and hiding in agglomerations, ceasing to be authentic and to take part in new stratagems. But not all know (nor want to), see or understand how regrettable the situation is. This is why, as a simile of the warnings of Saint John in his Revelation, I convene the public to find the truth, but to do it, they must take away the bandage that blinds them and know how to use their authentic eyes . . . If anyone has ears, let him hear! If anyone has eyes, let him see!

If Anyone Has Eyes to See, Let him See

The name of the LORD is a strong tower, the righteous man runs into it and is safe (Proverbs 18:10).

Soli Deo Gloria Studio 2018-2020

During this mandatory corona virus shut down, I am thankfully catching up on my blog posts! My last post was the commission “Taste and See” in 2018 — a busy year that extended its craziness right into 2020! God’s faithfulness is my theme even in this pandemic.

“There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. 
The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” –Deut. 33;26.27

2018 began with a challenging house project — our kitchen/dining/living room remodel (Feb.-April ), which included leveling floor joists and installing an entire new floor and kitchen cabinets because of a leaky water heater in the kitchen laundry area.  And then in August the continuing saga of a mid-century rehab at No. 10 Avondale, a mile down the mountain with its own “golden pond!”

 

We signed the contract for the “lake house No. 10 ” project on August 1, 2018.  That very day, a Charlotte couple visited my studio and commissioned a painting I described in the previous post. Thank you, Cathy and Walter! Also that day another patron “randomly” purchased a painting. God is faithful!

But although these two years of house projects challenged my studio time, I still taught several workshops — to interested folks who requested them, and for the annual “Gathering of Artisans” in Asheville (that is Joanne Suther showing her pieces!).

 

I finished the commission  Taste and See   in time for Thanksgiving 2018, just as we were tearing up the concrete slab floor to plumb for a master bath at No. 10.

By January 2019, I was planning the kitchen and flooring for the mid-century rehab, and tiling three bathrooms (three showers) in an asymmetrical pattern with white 8 x 10 tiles also used in the kitchen — a major “art project”! But I taught several two-day workshops for these gals (two who flew in from Minneapolis and an Asheville gal, in January and  three who came from New Orleans in March.

God is faithful! In  February 2019,  I received two major commissions from a local couple — a double portrait for a niche in their home.

The first was difficult. It was to include both deceased mothers taking communion at the wedding feast in heaven with the hands of Jesus above their heads. I would attempt to combine realistic faces (visible reality) with the hands of the Lamb of God (spiritual reality); the wedding feast centered below the bowing crowned head of the Lamb.

detail

The second commission was much larger. It was to show the miracles of biblical faith and the story of redemption. They requested the text from Luke 9, “All Things Are Possible For One Who Believes,”  to be written across the bottom. It was to be installed above their entry. It was measured (see brown paper)  and wood panels were constructed by my builder!

By June, I began preparing the surfaces and covering the three panels with gold leaf. 

preparing panels

applying gold leaf

On the left panel they wanted the miracle of Creation and Adam naming the animals, and the miracle rescue of Noah and his family from the flood.

On the right panel would be the miraculous events in the New Testament — Jesus raising Lazarus, Jesus walking on water, and Jesus feeding 5000 people with a small boy’s lunch.

The center panel would be reserved for the Miracle of the Incarnation — the God-man Jesus Christ, his death, his resurrection, “the first born from the dead,” and his return. “Behold He is coming again!” The covenant sign of the rainbow — God’s faithfulness — would join the three panels as would the text of Mark 9:23 written across the bottom.

The death and resurrection are combined in the lower center panel. The commanded sacrament of Holy Communion , “Do this in remembrance of me,” is suggested by the circular host and the cup beneath the thorn-crowned head of Christ. But his arms are not on the cross. They are raised through the cross and lift the cross as he takes us through the gold doorway. He splits the waters of the Red Sea like Moses, his Old Testament type.

This “Moses,” from the same root word as “Messiah,” leads in triumph standing on the Hebrew text of the name of Yeshuah. And the text ruling in the heavens above is YWYH, the Hebrew name for Jehovah, who parts the sea and scatters Pharaoh’s army.

The Return of Christ suggests that Jesus is united with his Bride, the church universal. But there is also a Trinitarian aspect to this group of figures — the Father standing behind the Son and the Holy Spirit above them.

When Jesus returns with a shout and the sound of the trumpet (suggested by the blue horn / shophar shape), the dead will rise and shall meet him in the air.

Finally hung! The final image was sent to me during the celebration of my mother’s funeral on November 23rd.  She had passed into glory on November 12th. My patron texted me when I was celebrating her “home-coming,” He was excited even though the lighting was not complete,

When this mandatory physical distancing is over, they are planning to invite their priest from Redeemer Anglican to bless their home (and this painting)!

AND not to forget God’s faithfulness included many visitors and sales at my studio/gallery. AND THANKFULLY  the completed rehab at 10 Avondale Road!!!

Eric ad Monika Germany

South Carolina and Wash.D.C.

Hanging “Appalachian Rhapsody in Blues” -giclee

Abraham’s Seed

Jonathan and Rebecca Hines PA

 

sitting room with TV

Master Bath

Soli Deo Gloria!

www.facebook.com/photo.php

“Taste and See”

A Thanksgiving Day Post
I am so thankful for Walter and Cathy!  They discovered my work at New Charlotte Church and looked me up at my Asheville studio. On August 6th they were ready to commission a painting of suitable elegance for the dining room of their new home — a painting that would be meaningful to them as they shared dinner with their guests.

Especially important to Walter were the lyrics of his favorite Bob Bennett song called “Come and See,” and important to Cathy were the words from Psalm 34 : 8 — “Taste and See,” incorporating Hebrew text to reflect her Jewish heritage. Both Walter’s song and Cathy’s scripture included the important word SEE.

Cathy sent me her dining room colors and fixtures and furniture. The dimensions were to be 48″ x 60″ to fit over her 80″ credenza which she described with designer detail, the base aluminum with a silver metal leaf finish and the top American white oak in an ivory ceruse finish.

 

Colors would play a part in the choices I would make to create an artwork fitting for them, but the words that inspired them would be crucial for my interpretation and creation of this painting. They would reflect The Word.

The lyrics of Bob Bennett’s song read:
Come and see, come and see,
Come and see a Man from Heaven.
Come and see, hear Him speak,
He has seen the face of God

Come and see, come and see
This Jesus of Nazareth
Come and see the One that we Have heard of all our lives.
A voice crying in the wilderness
A voice from the sky loud and clear
A still, small voice deep inside
And a voice still ringing in my ear … saying Follow Me,

Follow Me And I will show you My Father
Follow Me and you will see The Heavens opened wide
Come and see, come and see
Come and see this Man from Heaven

Oh, could it be?
Could it be We will see the face of God?

And especially fitting for a dining room, the  verse “Taste and See the goodness of the Lord; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34 : 8).

Walter requested that I  include a figure in the painting. After all . . . this man
from heaven is real. This man from heaven speaks. He is calling, “Come! Follow me!”
This excited me because that is what my work is all about — The Incarnation which means to “take on flesh.” This man from heaven became a person to bring together heaven and earth. And He is the God who gives “eyes to see” who He is, a spiritual reality.

When I told Walter and Cathy that I had three 24″ x 48″ canvas panels already available, they decided that a 72″ triptych would work even better with the central panel purposefully reserved for Christ, the God/man, inviting guests to celebrate the feast.

I reminded them of my “gift of gold”  and told them that I would gild the center panel gold and the two side panels silver. (I use composition gold and aluminum leaf for this base layer since it will be painted over with oil and wax. Silver tarnishes to black whereas aluminum leaf will not tarnish.) I allowed some of the red bole adhesive color to show through intentionally as a symbol for the sovereign control of the God who sees and knows all. (I explain this more fully in my “Nets of God Series” informed by the poem, Banding, which compares banding birds to God who knows us intimately.)

The clients had both silver and gold accents in their room so this silver/gold triptych would work well. Although the process of applying gold leaf squares is tedious, I enjoyed the process and imperfection that happened when the feather-light leaf floated down to adhere to the rabbit skin glue and water (water gilding). It often missed the mark, but this allowed the ground color to peek through. These purposeful lines symbolize the “nets of God.” The grid they make undergirds this painting.

I began by applying the dark oil paint and wax in a cross shape unifying the three panels. Dark is integral to the violence of the cross. I also needed the dark because I wanted to “pull out” the shape of the silver hands. The tool I use is a dough scraper. I can apply the oil and wax mixture with it, as well as remove while the paint is still wet. The size and flexibility of this tool allows for a suggested images and abstraction rather that a perfectly described image. By removing the top layer of wax and oil I exposed the leaf beneath it.

This photo also shows the underlying grid lines or “nets of God’s sovereign love.” Here both hands have been formed revealing the silver beneath them.

 

While the paint was wet, I removed it to write the Hebrew text, Taste and See at the top of the panels and the foundational word SEE at bottom center. I purposefully left the center gold. It would be the focal point — this man from heaven who opened heaven’s door and showed us the Father.

But how to paint God’s glory — this God who lives in unapproachable light. I would have to leave the center golden if it had not been for the Incarnation! But Jesus became a man and entered into our darkness. He came as a sacrifice wearing a crown of thorns.
(This photo was taken before I added the 23K gold leaf to symbolize the heavens open above Jesus’ head.) Under the figures is another small figure in the word SEE. If you look closely you will also “see” the words of the song Come and See.

Jesus bent to love. The Hebrew word hesed describes this love. It means everlasting love that is humble, sacrificial, and bending. That is why I painted his crown of thorns prominently rather than his face. His name Yeshua, which is above all names, is written in the center of the thorns.

This bending love allows us to take refuge beneath his everlasting arms. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

His hands are no longer on the cross but in front of the cross. They reach out. The hand on the left  carries our sorrows. Silver tears fall through his hand, as the olive leaf of peace rises heavenward. This hand also symbolizes the washing of the
Word.

 

The hand on the right side seems to be creating eyes to see. (Look closely and you will find many eyes in this painting. Unexpectedly, Aslan also showed up! )
This silver hand (or is it two hands together?) is in motion. It is ethereal and holds a feather which symbolizes the Holy Spirit — also one of the persons of the Godhead.

 

 

This man from heaven is bending down to give sight to a figure below him. The gold is streaming across her eyes and the outstretched hands could also be her hands. They are lifted in praise! Jesus has whispered, Come and see the One that we Have heard of all our lives! He gives “eyes to see!”  And He covers or gives refuge to this figure who rejoices beneath his wings, as Psalm 34 : 8 says, “blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Yes, he bends down to die so we can live. He has opened wide the door of heaven (you will see The Heavens opened wide) depicted by the gold light above him. The crown of thorns, this offensive bloody crown, is now a glorious symbol of life. By dying and suffering, he has given everlasting life. That is the goodness of God.

Taste Him and see His goodness — this God who is called the Bread of Life. We taste him by feasting on his Word. Jesus is called The Word of God. This is such rich food and gives life everlasting. He is wearing a white robe of righteousness and we are covered!

Today we give thanksgiving for Jesus, the God who is one with the Father, who came from heaven to shows us the Father! And who gives us eyes to see him!

 

 

The Gift of Gold II — The Story of The Prodigal Son

For the patrons who purchased my The Return of the Prodigal — Happy New Year and Happy Anniversary too! As promised — a bit of explanation — thought process and working process for your new painting.

If you read my previous post you will know that I received a “gift of gold” the summer before last. I began to explore its use incorporating it into my paintings. In March last year, I prepared a waiting 48 x 48 inch panel with red bole as the surface on which to float the fragile leaf (water gilding). Random red lines showed between the leaf that would be incorporated into a final painting. At this point, I had no idea what this panel would evolve into. But if you look closely at the finished painting (above) you will notice that the red lines formed a red cross intersecting the two figures joined in embrace.

If you look closely, you will also notice that the leaf on the left side of the panel is a bit greener or lighter. I used the gift of antique leaf Made in Italy on the left and the leaf Made in Germany on the right. Then I turned it clockwise so the variation in shade made a bit of  a horizon “where earth and sky meet in dimensions” (Micheal O’Brien).

Finally after burnishing it and using a UV sealer I could begin to paint on it.

I recalled an image that I had torn out of the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal. It was an cancer drug ad with the large word — HOPE — written on it and a loving kiss for someone needing hope. It was a powerful image of love, so I searched for it and taped it to the gold-covered panel. It would be the inspiration for a painting about The Parable of the Prodigal Son.

Appropriation is the use of pre-existing objects or images with little or no transformation applied to them. This is a very informative link if you are not familiar with this art world terminology. The use of photography in the postmodern era has reduced the importance of drawing skills and manipulation of the image is a common and acceptable creative art form. I incorporated a found image into my painting, but integrating it successfully into a strong painting is not always easy.

The large text would have to be painted out and the figures manipulated to create two figures with bodies to beautify and strengthen the metaphor of heavenly love and the glorious embrace. Fortunately, using an image with a female cancer victim would add to the narrative that God’s grace and forgiveness are for both prodigal sons and prodigal daughters.  I wanted to manipulate it to suggest either gender.

Using oils mixed with cold wax medium, I began to suggest the large shapes — the negative light shape behind the prodigal’s head and the positive dark shape of the father’s hair, which I later balanced by the dark negative shape of the foreground — dividing heaven and earth. I especially allowed the gold to come through the figure of the Father, and through his extravagant robe. I also began to paint the faces, extending the Father’s face into the gold and adding ashen tones to the Prodigal’s face.

I added green and wine paint to the Father’s robe and red paint — the color of grace — to the Prodigal’s covering. While the paint and medium were still wet, I made random marks. And later when the paint and medium had partially dried I added the Hebrew text “tattooed” on the Prodigal’s arm the text on the Father’s beard. It read, “I am my beloved’s” and my beloved’s is “mine,” from the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon 2:16). The Prodigal is no longer separated from his family. He thankfully accepts his Father’s embrace, is clothed in his Father’s robe, given his Father’s ring, and welcomed to a celebration feast.

A parable is an earthly story that has a heavenly meaning. The gold leaf background is a perfect metaphor for the lavish heavenly love of God the Father.

Jesus often spoke in parables. He told his disciples that not all would understand them, but those with eyes to see and ears to hear would understand. Read The Parable of the Prodigal Son below or in Luke 15: 11-32.

“Stories immerse us temporally in a world other than our own, and in doing so, they provide us with a deeper understanding of our own identities, values, choices, and purpose” (You Can’t Have Ethics Without Stories by Russell Moore ).

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.  It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”

The forgiving Father remains constant in his love throughout the story. He is a picture of God himself. It is the memory of the Father’s goodness that brings the prodigal son to repentance (Romans 2:4). The wayward son had no right to claim a blessing and he had nothing to offer except a life of service. But he repents. He is prepared to fall at his Father’s feet begging forgiveness and mercy. The Father sees him coming from afar and runs to embrace him. He joyfully greets him with a kiss of love. This is the moment captured in the painting.

He is so filled with jubilation at his son’s return that he doesn’t even let him confess. He does not question or lecture him but unconditionally forgives him, honors him, and accepts him back into his house. He tells the older brooding brother, “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive!” 

God greatly loves us, patiently waits for us to repent so he can lavish us with His great mercy (Ephesians 2:1-10). What wondrous love is this!!

An earlier Prodigal painting Weep for the Wiping of Grace was used for the cover for a 1993 issue of Christianity Today. It shows The Prodigal Son living with the pigs. He has left the splendor of his Father’s home and is huddled, seed-like, in the dark, earthy pig sty. Gold descends from his heavenly home onto three fence posts. This radical Prodigal God left the glories of his Father’s house to live with sinners. The fence posts on his back perhaps symbolize the three crosses  of  Golgotha — the place of Jesus’ death.

Other paintings from 2017 using gold-leaf are The Gardener and The Miracle of the Five Loaves and Two Fish  (see next post).