Latest Work
Hello, there.
I am taking part in a Lenten online art retreat. Who knew such a thing existed.
(The only similar thing more appealing is an in-real-person Lenten art retreat).
Although the resources and guides for the 'retreat' are laid out clearly, I don't know what this time will look like. Art is not linear; neither is our spiritual walk. Both unfold. Neither are formulaic or, really, predictable. Art can be so expressive that it feel dangerous--it makes the maker vulnerable. Vulnerable--from the Latin for wound--woundable. God made Himself vulnerable in incarnating, for us. By His wounds we are healed.
While this would seem to provide fodder for art posts, we'll see what happens. The results will probably be inner, made in me by the Lord, rather than any outer, made thing of note.
* * *
So, I had started to paint prior to this retreat; this is the medium I am most uncomfortable exploring. This piece is nearly finished--and, indeed, it is not acrylic alone, but fun textiles appear everywhere!
It is an art therapy piece for myself--inspired by these verses: "Create in me a clean heart, O God" (Psalm 51:10) and "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds"(Psalm 147:3) and Jeremiah 31:3: "The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, / 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; / Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness (hesed).'" The idea is that each wound in the canvas, symbolic of the most central sins and wounds throughout my life, has been bound up, lovingly stitched up and woven back together to wholeness, with cords of God's lovingkindness. Each physical cord--yarn, ribbon, or wire--has symbolic weight personally as well.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
On another note, check out this find.
Whoa nelly. Below is a crowd-sourced video of Johnny Cash's Ain't No Grave, with each frame drawn individually by fans from across the world.. Visiting the site, it is possible to choose frames in the video according to artistic style or viewer rating (only those that are pointillist, realist; those with the most brushstrokes per frame, most popular, etc). Because people add to it regularly, the video-portrait changes regularly. The video I linked below goes through a blurb describing the project before showing the music video; if you don't want to watch that as well, go to www.thejohnnycashproject.com and under the "explore" tab, choose "highest rated frames." It is nearly subliminal, and fascinating.
Enjoy!
ART! Art retreat, Lent, The Johnny Cash Project
Art +
art therapy +
hesed
I am taking part in a Lenten online art retreat. Who knew such a thing existed.
(The only similar thing more appealing is an in-real-person Lenten art retreat).
While this would seem to provide fodder for art posts, we'll see what happens. The results will probably be inner, made in me by the Lord, rather than any outer, made thing of note.
* * *
It is an art therapy piece for myself--inspired by these verses: "Create in me a clean heart, O God" (Psalm 51:10) and "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds"(Psalm 147:3) and Jeremiah 31:3: "The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, / 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; / Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness (hesed).'" The idea is that each wound in the canvas, symbolic of the most central sins and wounds throughout my life, has been bound up, lovingly stitched up and woven back together to wholeness, with cords of God's lovingkindness. Each physical cord--yarn, ribbon, or wire--has symbolic weight personally as well.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
On another note, check out this find.
Whoa nelly. Below is a crowd-sourced video of Johnny Cash's Ain't No Grave, with each frame drawn individually by fans from across the world.. Visiting the site, it is possible to choose frames in the video according to artistic style or viewer rating (only those that are pointillist, realist; those with the most brushstrokes per frame, most popular, etc). Because people add to it regularly, the video-portrait changes regularly. The video I linked below goes through a blurb describing the project before showing the music video; if you don't want to watch that as well, go to www.thejohnnycashproject.com and under the "explore" tab, choose "highest rated frames." It is nearly subliminal, and fascinating.
Enjoy!
One reason I'm counting blessings is that this is a hard and uncertain season, when, most of the time, I feel like a petulant and insistent five year old. Blessing-seeking is taking me out of myself and into gratitude. And--ooo, lookie!--I'm finding tokens of love and care placed through my day.
So, yo, I be thankful for:
Aaaaah, hahahaha, Victor Borge and punctuation comedy. :D
My light therapy lamp--vitamin D, baby!
The smell of oranges as the juice spurts and oil glistens on the peelThat God is God; I am not. Hallelujiah!
"Yo-Yo MA Plays Ennio Morricone" --Seriously? I just felt the world step one foot closer to IDEEEAAL
That I will never have to live through Junior High again. *insert Hallelujiah Chorus*Beans on Broad's blend of Expresso beans--sooo tasty!Bubbles and punch-balloons and crayons and childhood continuing through adulthood
The freedom not to overthink events or expect perfection of imperfect things
Downton Abbey *humming theme song: Baaa dum daaa dum daaaa-duumm-duummm; wahh-waah-wa-wah-waaah-waa-waaaah!*<><>
The moon from my window
"All the seeds beneath the snow, begin to grow, begin to grow"
Friends, near and farEating Pad Thai, for the first time :)
Fun things
Downton Abbey +
gratitude +
Punctuation
One reason I'm counting blessings is that this is a hard and uncertain season, when, most of the time, I feel like a petulant and insistent five year old. Blessing-seeking is taking me out of myself and into gratitude. And--ooo, lookie!--I'm finding tokens of love and care placed through my day.
So, yo, I be thankful for:
Aaaaah, hahahaha, Victor Borge and punctuation comedy. :D
My light therapy lamp--vitamin D, baby!
The smell of oranges as the juice spurts and oil glistens on the peel
That God is God; I am not. Hallelujiah!
"Yo-Yo MA Plays Ennio Morricone" --Seriously? I just felt the world step one foot closer to IDEEEAAL
That I will never have to live through Junior High again. *insert Hallelujiah Chorus*
Beans on Broad's blend of Expresso beans--sooo tasty!
Bubbles and punch-balloons and crayons and childhood continuing through adulthood
The freedom not to overthink events
or expect perfection of imperfect things
Downton Abbey *humming theme song: Baaa dum daaa dum daaaa-duumm-duummm; wahh-waah-wa-wah-waaah-waa-waaaah!*
|
The moon from my window |
"All the seeds beneath the snow, begin to grow, begin to grow"
Friends, near and far
Eating Pad Thai, for the first time :)
A painting in melted wax made in the company
of the incomparable Miss Faith Thompson.
Hesed: lovingkindness; steadfast love. The never-stopping, never-leaving, never-changing love of God for His people.
Soaking in this word through the years has lead me deeper into the Father's heart for us.
It's translated throughout the Old Testament as love, mercy, and kindness; loyalty and affection in covenant relationship. Super-strong love in the super-strongest relationship.
"The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying 'I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.'" --Jeremiah 31:3
"Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy."
Micah 7:18
Whooooa: catch that: the Lord delights in mercy and unchanging love.
God extends mercy to the Israelites for hundreds of years, forgiving sins again and again, putting off judgment in His mercy, but He does not contradict His character by being unjust. But never does he exact fully His just, deserved wrath on humanity--He chooses to take that upon Himself.
He valued us more than His life. More than unity in the Trinity at the cross.
What?!
<><><><>
<><><><><><><><>
There is another word to hold near: hasid. It is a variant of hesed, moving from verb to noun to name the people of God. We are the loved, the focus of mercy and lovingkindness. We--first Israel, now us, the whole church--are the focus of God's never stopping, never failing, absolutely unchanging love.
That He is the God of hesed explains how everything--even the most painful, screwed-up, what-the-hell crap--works out for the good. I'm thankful when I see it; I'm learning to trust Him when I don't.
In addition to this rather heady stuff, I'm thankful for
Bouncy balls
cabbage
a soft bathrobe (christened "Soft" by Asha) on a day I'm sick
tea
and chocooooooollaaaaaate!
Thankful for Hesed
gratitude +
hesed +
lovingkindness
|
| A painting in melted wax made in the company of the incomparable Miss Faith Thompson. |
Hesed: lovingkindness; steadfast love. The never-stopping, never-leaving, never-changing love of God for His people.
Soaking in this word through the years has lead me deeper into the Father's heart for us.
It's translated throughout the Old Testament as love, mercy, and kindness; loyalty and affection in covenant relationship. Super-strong love in the super-strongest relationship.
"The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying
'I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with
Therefore I have drawn you with
lovingkindness.'" --Jeremiah 31:3
"Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever
but delight to show mercy."
Micah 7:18
Whooooa: catch that: the Lord delights in mercy and unchanging love.
God extends mercy to the Israelites for hundreds of years, forgiving sins again and again, putting off judgment in His mercy, but He does not contradict His character by being unjust. But never does he exact fully His just, deserved wrath on humanity--He chooses to take that upon Himself.
He valued us more than His life. More than unity in the Trinity at the cross.
What?!
| There is another word to hold near: hasid. It is a variant of hesed, moving from verb to noun to name the people of God. We are the loved, the focus of mercy and lovingkindness. We--first Israel, now us, the whole church--are the focus of God's never stopping, never failing, absolutely unchanging love. That He is the God of hesed explains how everything--even the most painful, screwed-up, what-the-hell crap--works out for the good. I'm thankful when I see it; I'm learning to trust Him when I don't. In addition to this rather heady stuff, I'm thankful for |
a soft bathrobe (christened "Soft" by Asha) on a day I'm sick
tea
and chocooooooollaaaaaate!
I am learning to live in the limitations of being human:in time, in place; with needs, with purpose, with gifts--and with definite, good limitations in each of these areas.
I need sleep, food, friendship, joy. Sunlight, solitude, and levity.
Oh, how grateful I am
that when I am sick and tired, I do not have to be--and cannot be--the Energizer Bunny;
for the Psalms and one more time of reading exactly what my soul cries out, but cannot otherwise grasp the words, to express;
for color,
texture,
honesty,
for my curves--those I desire, and those I do not;
for prints of sparrows in fresh snow.
I am thankful for a call from a beloved friend at just the right time;
for twisting, knotting, stitching, and then holding a scarf in my hands
and then seeing that scarf around someone else's neck
A warm house on a cold day;
Morning's coffee
Sleep
Forgiveness
Again I ask: "Love--me? Really? Why me?" And I see that really it's Him, and His love spills over by will to make everything new.
Thanks for This Day: Limits
gratitude +
limits
|
I am learning to live in the limitations of being human:
in time, in place;
with needs, with purpose, with gifts--and with definite, good limitations in each of these areas.
I need sleep, food, friendship,
joy.
Sunlight, solitude, and levity.
Oh, how grateful I am
that when I am sick and tired, I do not have to be--and cannot be--the Energizer Bunny;
for the Psalms and one more time of reading exactly what my soul cries out, but cannot otherwise grasp the words, to express;
for color,
texture,
honesty,
for prints of sparrows in fresh snow.
I am thankful for a call from a beloved friend at just the right time;
for twisting, knotting, stitching, and then holding a scarf in my hands
and then seeing that scarf around someone else's neck
A warm house on a cold day;
Morning's coffee
Sleep
Forgiveness
Again I ask: "Love--me? Really? Why me?" And I see that really it's Him, and His love spills over by will to make everything new.
Yep; this was the view during my walk.
"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." G. K. Chesterton
Awe, by the grace of God, often bubbles over into joy. And wonder flows into worship.
I am looking for gifts from His hand.
I am so thankful for
Clouds blushing as twilight comes
The process of grief--there is an avenue
Yellow walls
Grace and peace, grace and peace
Kindred spirits
He urges me to stop rushing, and to blink, look around. Listen. He wants to breathe life into everything. Including that which I try to squish away, deny or dismiss, push into an 'unnoticed' crevice, or otherwise fill by my own devices.
I am learning to listen and quiet my heart. In that space, finally clear of other 'voices' and my own, I can hear Him and find, to my great delight and wonder, that He is wooing me.
Faithful friends who truly forgive and still love me
Tastebuds and things to excite them
The uniqueness of each person's handwriting
The wonder of boiling water
The smile-radiance of a toddler
It's much harder to receive than we admit--that wooing. I rush around, trying to be busy to numb pain or to prove myself valuable, even though I know better. It becomes ever more apparent with time that I am not my own refiner, let alone maker.
And that I am not alone.
That He is making all things new
Bright white snow that glitters in the sunshine
Good friends and good wine
Raw chords and bittersweet harmony
Hope, ever hope
Gratitude
delight +
grace +
gratitude
|
Yep; this was the view during my walk. |
Awe, by the grace of God, often bubbles over into joy. And wonder flows into worship.
I am looking for gifts from His hand.
I am so thankful for
Clouds blushing as twilight comes
The process of grief--there is an avenue
Yellow walls
Grace and peace, grace and peace
Kindred spirits
He urges me to stop rushing, and to blink, look around. Listen. He wants to breathe life into everything. Including that which I try to squish away, deny or dismiss, push into an 'unnoticed' crevice, or otherwise fill by my own devices.
I am learning to listen and quiet my heart. In that space, finally clear of other 'voices' and my own, I can hear Him and find, to my great delight and wonder, that He is wooing me.
Faithful friends who truly forgive and still love me
Tastebuds and things to excite them
The uniqueness of each person's handwriting
The wonder of boiling water
The smile-radiance of a toddler
It's much harder to receive than we admit--that wooing. I rush around, trying to be busy to numb pain or to prove myself valuable, even though I know better. It becomes ever more apparent with time that I am not my own refiner, let alone maker.
And that I am not alone.
That He is making all things new
Bright white snow that glitters in the sunshine
Good friends and good wine
Raw chords and bittersweet harmony
Hope, ever hope
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