Star in the East

And finally, this is Star in the East, part of the 8x8 Show at the Museum of Biblical Art last evening! Being so far away, I really have no idea how it went, so I'll just have to wait to hear... I was so honored to be able to participate in this event, which is only by invitation. It confirms that my calling in art is truly a gift from God and that I should continue to put an emphasis on him and his word in my work - maybe even emphasize it more, which can be a frightening thing in the open market where I show and sell my art. I would appreciate your prayers and support in this...

This piece is once again a depiction of a piece of the story of Christ's birth in Luke 2 and Matthew 2. Specifically Matthew 2:1-2, "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.'"

The photo that I chose had a natural spot where light was shining through the branches and it made the perfect location for the star, in fact, this is where the concept of the star came from for all four pieces. There is a map of Bethlehem, where the star would lead the wise men to find Christ, and a cow that marks his birth in a stable. While it is easy for the story to get old in the retelling, it is still an amazing thing that the king of glory would come to earth in such a humble manner, first into the lives of such young and inexperienced parents, so completely humble. Like the wise men, we have to be looking for his signs to find him, then seek him out. When we do, we are warmly welcomed, whether we are rich and kingly or the lowest in our society as were the shepherds. It's most often a quiet thing, but the most important thing we could ever do...

In the Field

I forgot to post this yesterday, so I guess I'll just post both remaining Christmas works today...

Titled "In the Field" this piece refers again to the shepherds who were watching their flocks just outside Bethlehem when angels appeared to them and told them about the Christ child. You can see the sheep in the foreground along with another map of Bethlehem. The barn in the photo recalls the stable the Messiah was born in and the little seedling represents a new life. (Christ is also referred to as the sprout out of Jesse's family in Isaiah.) A few words of the scripture from Luke is in the upper left corner and the star is once again present. This was actually a close runner up in my decision making process for which piece to put in the show.

In the City of David

The second Christmas work I'm sharing is titled "In the City of David" from the passage in Luke 2:10-14 spoken to the shepherds in the field...

 "And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

Again, you'll find a map of Bethlehem, sheep, nearly hidden scripture and the star that shown over where the Christ child was born. And once more there is a photo of palm trees, which refer not only to the Holy Lands, but are my personal symbol for heaven. Appropriate, since the birth of the Messiah is what ultimately opens the gates of heaven for us all.

Go to Bethlehem

Just in time for Christmas...

 A little more than a month ago I was invited to a special museum show, asking for a Christmas themed work (and to keep the whole thing hush-hush.) I felt incredibly honored even on the crazy short deadline I was given and I said yes right away. But I didn't have time for pressure and over thinking to screw up my creative process, so I decided to make not one piece, but four, and then to choose the one I liked best to submit. Since there was no pressure for any single work, I was able to work out my chosen theme in four different ways and in the end I was quite happy with all four. So I'll present them here in the next few days and by the time I show you the final one, I'll be able to say where it went as well.

All four works were based on the familiar story about the birth of Christ from Luke 2 and Matthew 2. This work is called "Go to Bethlehem" as that is where Joseph and Mary had to go and so followed the shepherds and the wise men...You can see in this piece a map of Bethlehem, a sketch of animals that could have been in a stable, scripture from the Bible story and the photo of palms to help you envision the town of Bethlehem.

Sharing art & faith for Christmas

Not sure exactly where the time flies to...

Just created three different designs for Christmas cards based on artworks I just finished:

First Born Son Christmas Card by judithmonroe
More Christmas Cards

Good News Christmas Card by judithmonroe
Shop for a different greeting card template online at zazzle

Glory to God Christmas Card by judithmonroe
Browse other Bethlehem Cards

Walk of Faith

In my Wanderings blog today, I compare my walk with the dogs with my walk of faith...

river of life

I've been working on a new series of assemblage artworks that explore the concept of home - for me, I can't really think about home without thinking of my final home, Heaven. I have these works on display in my studio at the Kennedy Gallery, and sometimes the discussion gets to all that a piece means, but often not, so I wanted to share these works in detail here.

This piece is titled "River of Life" which can have multiple meanings. I live and am from the Sacramento area and we live at the confluence of two major rivers. Indeed, rivers were the reason the town was built here and still are the genesis of our drinking water, the irrigation for the agriculture here and a popular recreation location. My home town wouldn't be what it is without it's rivers.

But of course, the River of Life is also present in heaven, and Christ is referred to as living water - my true home is the reality that my earthly home faintly copies and what is even better, is that heaven will come down to earth and the earth/home God has given us to love & care for will be restored to perfection. I can't begin to accurately express all that in a piece of artwork, but that's the direction I'm heading.