He is not here, He is risen!
A series of oil paintings expressing the story and season of Lent in the Christian Church
Commissioned for Friedens Lutheran Church in Oley, Pennsylvania.
Purple is an incredible color. It is the color of the Lent season. Purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red. In Christ we have a patient and unfailing companion combined with ferocious love. Purple is also often used to symbolize extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, mystery, independence, and magic. Each and every one of these adjectives are an expression of what Art can do for us. He is the Creator. The Artist of our lives, he places extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, mystery, independence, and magic in every one of our days.
#1: Psalm 51: 1-2 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Through soft even strokes and energetic cascades of color, these two paintings are an expression of the motion of cleansing. We are messy, imperfect, beautiful souls and God’s love is just as messy and beautiful and he uses our imperfections to draw us closer to him. Our messiness makes us who we are and in both a celebration of individuality and immense desire for Christ, our imperfections are priceless. In them, we find Him and His Love for us. The moment of color and stroke throughout these pieces hint at the same undulating energy of flowing water. Our sins are washed away so that we can be made new.
#2: Psalm 51: 1-2 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Through soft even strokes and energetic cascades of color, these two paintings are an expression of the motion of cleansing. We are messy, imperfect, beautiful souls and God’s love is just as messy and beautiful and he uses our imperfections to draw us closer to him. Our messiness makes us who we are and in both a celebration of individuality and immense desire for Christ, our imperfections are priceless. In them, we find Him and His Love for us. The moment of color and stroke throughout these pieces hint at the same undulating energy of flowing water. Our sins are washed away so that we can be made new.
#3: Luke 13:32-33 "‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day." Paintings 3 and 4 of this series about Lent are centered around two particular passages: Luke 12:32-33 and Jesus’ parable of the fig tree. The story communicated within these pieces is repentance and forgiveness - God’s faithfulness, grace and mercy. Like as one would care for a fig tree, God protects and nourishes us. He is patient, pruning the dead parts of our lives that serve us no Good purpose. He is gentle with our new growth. This parable calls us to change. God asks us to do what feels at times uncomfortable and overwhelmingly challenging and He promises to be with us every step of the way. Change is terrifying and it is liberating. We start by repenting — acknowledging there are changes that need to be made, then the transformation begins — then growth happens. As He continues to heal and save ceaselessly so we must continue to seek him. Because Christ lives, we can face the uncertain, challenging and reshaped future fearlessly. Grow and cultivate a life with God. His offers us grace and a chance. Our sins are forgiven because of Christ.
#4: Luke 13:32-33 "'I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day." Paintings 3 and 4 of this series about Lent are centered around two particular passages: Luke 12:32-33 and Jesus’ parable of the fig tree. The story communicated within these pieces is repentance and forgiveness - God’s faithfulness, grace and mercy. Like as one would care for a fig tree, God protects and nourishes us. He is patient, pruning the dead parts of our lives that serve us no Good purpose. He is gentle with our new growth. This parable calls us to change. God asks us to do what feels at times uncomfortable and overwhelmingly challenging and He promises to be with us every step of the way. Change is terrifying and it is liberating. We start by repenting — acknowledging there are changes that need to be made, then the transformation begins — then growth happens. As He continues to heal and save ceaselessly so we must continue to seek him. Because Christ lives, we can face the uncertain, challenging and reshaped future fearlessly. Grow and cultivate a life with God. His offers us grace and a chance. Our sins are forgiven because of Christ.
#5: Rise. What does it mean to rise? Our friend Google defines “rise” as follows: 1. move from a lower position to a higher one; come or go up. 2. get up from lying, sitting, or kneeling. 3. an upward movement; an instance of becoming higher. 4. an increase in amount, extent, size, or number. On the third day, Christ rose. He got up from lying and walked. He rose from the dead, higher to heaven. The magnificence of His mercy, grace, and love increases as we come to know him. His death and ascension are fundamental in our lives as christians. It is this moment where everything we were, are and will be are defined. Christ rose and so shall we. Through Christ, we become higher, we increase, we move from our lower position in sin and rise higher into freedom with Him. Through this final piece for Friedens, I wanted to fully immerse us in this idea of rising. Christ’s defeat of death was powerful to say the least and full of Grace. This piece is commanding and soft - we are lost in the subtlety its colors and found in their depth; all the while moving upward and outward. As we rise with Christ, we also move outward into new life. John 11 25-26 : Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this? Luke 24:6-7: "He is not here; he has risen! Acts 4:33: "With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all.”