I attend an Anglican church with a vibrant artist community. And our church celebrates and supports all artists, not just the musical ones, with many events and opportunities to display our various gifts. This is very encouraging for us visual artists.
Recently 12 artists accepted a commission to portray a subject that would be the focus of a month long sermon series. Titled "Imitating God: Becoming like Jesus in Marriage and Celibacy", we were all challenged to paint a canvas with our own images on the subject. Some of us are older, some young, some married, some single, showing a variety of gifts from the church body. We all contributed 10 x10 canvases which were combined to form the shape of a cross. This finally has been displayed near the altar as a visual part of worship. I am pleased and privileged to be a part of the community.
I ended up painting two canvases which were stacked vertically at the top of the cross formation. Which brings me back to my post about the morning glory vine, as it became my theme. I have the vine beginning on one panel with a strong center climbing vine. Entering the frame from either side are two slender vines that meet at the center, find each other, twine and grow into the top panel and become a unit at the top.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 (New International Version)
12. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
(Showing here the work in progress, a line drawing in black on the canvas, a red under-painting and some blue-violet to begin defining my shapes. I'll show the finished version in a few days)
