exhibit at gallery w

I've got a show up at Gallery W at Warehouse Ministries in Sacramento this month called "With Eager Hope." Here's a look at the title piece as well as my artist's statement. We'll be having a reception Thursday, October 27th at 7 p.m. where I'll give a little talk as well.

My artwork grew from the desire to walk with God in the garden, like Adam and Eve did, searching for that closeness wherever green things grow. Years ago, I thought I was looking for the lost garden and my heart ached to think it was gone forever; then while studying Scripture, I realized that I was actually looking forward to the time when God will bring heaven down to earth again, restoring Paradise and our relationship to Him. I’ve tried to envision what that would possibly look like, what a perfect earth would be like, but I know my imagination is woefully short.

Whether an artwork has Scripture in it or not, this is the basis of all of my work: looking for the tiny glimpse of what heaven on earth will look like, what it will feel like. I am constantly inspired by the beauty that God has created and encouraged by my faith in Him to look forward to the time when the full beauty of that creation will be revealed.

“But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. .. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children...” Romans 8:20,23

art of christmas: terry ray flowers

Before the Foundations
Assemblage

Rev 13:8— …everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of like of the Lamb who has been slain.

Both Before the Foundations and Father’s Heart have to do with the revelation the Jesus’s birth, life, death, and resurrection were not an afterthought brought about by man’s fall but a strategic plan put in place before the foundations of the world.

Terry Ray Flowers
www.boxartgospel.com

Seed of David
Assemblage

2 Samuel 7:12-16— …I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom…

Romans 1:3-4— …concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David…

This piece refers to the fact that Jesus was a direct descendent of David as prophesied in 2 Samuel, the Davidic Covenant, and confirmed in Romans.

Terry Ray Flowers
www.boxartgospel.com

Father’s Heart
Collage 5” x 7”

2 Tim 1:9— …who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.

Terry Ray Flowers
www.boxartgospel.com

art of christmas: teresa harbert and julie bjorgum

Poured Out
Turkey egg pysanky

Isaiah 53:7-12— …He poured out Himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors, yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.

While reading through Scriptures related to Christ’s coming and His birth, this image of Christ pouring Himself out for us struck me.

Along with the more traditional star and stable symbols I included a red egg representing His shed blood to complete the real Christmas story.

Teresa Mihalko Harbert
www.eggsbyteresa.com



A Debt I Can’t Repay
Shredded credit cards 12” x 14”

Romans 5:8— …But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

A nest is like the foundations we build, the place where we put that which is most important to us…LOVE.

Can love be bought with money? On credit? Why would someone give us money when we haven’t yet earned it? Yet wasn’t Jesus given to us when we weren’t worthy? When we had nothing of value to offer in return?

Christ was the treasure that lay in a manger. And He was given to us when we couldn’t pay the price for our sins. Christmas isn’t about worshiping the straw. Its about what was IN the straw. The gift of Love.

Julie Bjorgum
www.aplaceinmyart.com

more book visions

And so I return to this blog, after a week of computer problems... ;)

Here's another page in my altered book, "Visions of Heaven." I'm not revealing every page in this book, partly because it would be so tedious, and also to provide some little surprises for those who come to the actual show to see it. You'll notice I've again employed my palm tree motif on this page, it's a recurring theme throughout and you can find other posts that talk more about that by clicking on the tag at the end of this post. The image itself in an orignial Polaroid transfer, hand colored with pencils. On the facing page I put this verse: "The creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay... We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us." (Romans 8:19-24) I find this whole concept of creation's redemption utterly amazing. We are so connected with the earth that it suffered the curse with us, which is found in Genesis 3, and then is redeemed with us as well, which is shown in Revelation 21.

You can see this theme continued on the next page of my book, where I have revealed a sort of hidden code in the book's original text. Of course, I could have chosen to say most anything in this hidden code, but that is the beauty of this device. I first adopt the initial sentence of the page, as it was quite apt for me, "I began asking questions." Which is the beginning of any learning, and then reveal the letters r-e-d-e-m-t-i-o-n, then the word "of" and "the world." Finally I ask the reader of my book to "break free of the expectations" that they might come to the piece with. That is all any artist can ask, that a viewer be open to the message an artist is trying to convey.

back to visions

Nearly a month has passed since I've posted here, but that's not to say that work hasn't been getting done... I have been pretty busy on a particular piece that I'll share bit by bit, an altered book titled, "Visions of Heaven." For those unfamiliar with the medium, an altered book is literally a standard published book that has been altered, or changed, into a work of art. Altered books can be written and drawn in, painted, collaged, even cut and glued to express the artist's intent. It's a medium I don't emply often, but it works well with photography, as I can incorporate my images into the book form - something many photographic artists do.

The first detail of the book that I'm sharing is the palm trees that I've added to most pages of the book. This is a recurrance of my palm tree facination, a reference to Ezekiel's tour of the true temple in heaven, which is adorned with carvings of palm trees (see Ezekiel 40.) (You should be able to see any image enlarged by clicking on it.)

The other detail that I'll share this time is the cover, which I have collaged onto with gold paper, a reference to Revelation 21:18, "The wall was made of jasper, and the (holy) city (of Jerusalem that descended out of heaven) was pure gold, as clear as glass." The other item collaged onto the cover is an actual Polaroid transfer of a cross, symbolizing that accepting Christ is the way into heaven, as in Romans 6:23. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." Thank you, Jesus!