love wins

Collage artist Eileen Downes recently posted this piece for Easter with the simple message, "Jesus died and rose again for us." A perfect reflection on how Easter ties in to our hope of heaven - we already know how the story ends.

peeking through heaven's door

Today we'll take another look at the doorway to heaven, this time through the eyes of Eileen Downes, who uses peices of paper to 'paint' with -

I have always been fascinated by doors, windows, portals, passageways and their symbolic meaning. I have saved such imagery for many years - photos from vacations, magazines, family member’s trips, my own illustrations etc... anything about doors really. I have used some of these fragments in the previous collages by layering them over each other, often intertwining them, into an artistic arrangement. Glimpses and views of wonderfully beautiful places symbolic of heaven can be seen though the doorways and windows. These pieces are complete art pieces in their own right, but they are also preparatory illustrations to the larger piece that I recently completed.

This large piece incorporates a real antique door that the viewer must actually open to reveal the imagery behind. This interactive art piece asks the viewer to make a motion, a decision to open, just like we are asked to make a motion to accept Christ as our Savior.

Doors and windows are symbolic imagery that I use in these pieces to convey the essence of heaven. We can pass though these portals of life like we pass from this world into our eternal life in heaven. The Bible references doors in several verses. For example:

Psalm 78:23 "Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens."

Revelation 4:1 "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.'"

Genesis 28:17 "He was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.'"

Although the following verse does not specifically mention “doors” it does so indirectly by indicating that there are many rooms in heaven: John 14:2 "In my Fathers house are many rooms; and if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you."


- Eileen Downes

Eileen Downes' visions

Finally I am getting back to this blog! It seems I have a case of vacation-itis; while not actually on vacation, my brain nonetheless seems to be strongly leaning in that direction... then Eileen was good enough to send me some of her notes, right as I was realizing I needed to post something new. While most of us are working quite diligently on the project, it's not always something that gets to the blog right away.

So, Eileen Downes in her own words:

I have always been fascinated by doors, windows, portals, passageways and their symbolic meaning. I have saved such imagery for many years - photos from vacations, magazines, family member’s trips, my own illustrations etc …anything about doors really. I have used some of these fragments in these three collages by layering them over each other, often intertwining them, into an artistic arrangement. Glimpses and views of wonderfully beautiful places symbolic of heaven can be seen though the doorways and windows.

These three pieces together with the previously posted piece titled: My Visit with God, are complete art pieces in their own right, but they are also preparatory illustrations to the larger piece that I am currently working on. This large piece will incorporate a real antique door that the viewer must actually open to reveal the imagery behind. This interactive art piece asks the viewer to make a motion, a decision to open, just like we are asked to make a motion to accept Christ as our Savior. More information and photos of this piece will be included later as it progresses.


"Visions of Heaven #1," 15” x 12” Collage

Doors and windows are symbolic imagery that I use in these pieces to convey the essence of heaven. We can pass though these portals of life like we pass from this world into our eternal life in heaven. The Bible references doors in several verses.

For example, Psalm 78:23 "Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens."


"Visions of Heaven #2," 15” x 12” Collage

Revelation 4:1, "After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, 'Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.'"

Genesis 28:17, "He was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.'"


"Visions of Heaven #3," 15” x 12” Collage

Although the following verse does not specifically mention “doors” it does so indirectly by indicating that there are many rooms in heaven:

John 14:2, "In my Fathers house are many rooms; and if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you."

something from Eileen Downes

One of our resident collage artists, Eileen Downes, sent a heaven image to me, created in response to her father's death, I believe a few years ago. She says, "It is about talking, visiting, and communing with God in his dwelling place, heaven. Clock imagery is added as a reference to time both eternal and to our time here on earth. Some words and phrases are visible, but most important is the phrase 'to embrace the dream.'"

Eileen pairs the piece, a 13 x 10" collage titled "My Visit With God," with the Biblical reference that God has prepared a place for us in heaven to be with Him. "In my Father’s house there are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. And I go and prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also will be where I am. You know the way to the place that I am going." John 14: 2-4

The subject of heaven and loved ones that have gone through the door of death form a natural juxaposition. It can also be a great source of comfort for those of left behind. I personally find this piece interesting because I, too, have a piece of artwork that I was working on when my father died, and it became part of my grieving process. In its own way, that piece also references heaven, so maybe I'll post it as well, at some time in the future.