My Art

For the past couple weeks I have been out of town and busy working on my house so I really haven't had much of an opportunity to work on my art. Wednesday I arrived home from Florida fresh from a photoshoot. I was walking into our bedroom and found sunlight streaming in through the window and throwing interesting shadows against the wall and table. I thought what a great opportunity to grab some cool pics. We have an arrangement of dried roses in our room in a Baleek vase. The colors in the roses, wall, vase and table just seemed to fuse and intermix and compliment each other in the light. I was jones'n to do something creative so I placed the vase on the table grabbed my camera and started clicking.
I like how the embossed rose on the vase mirrors the dried roses. I also like the unintentional cross shadow thrown from the window against the wall. The light seems soft, moody and dramatic all at the same time.
Next up. I need to design some stained glass for our basement bathroom window. I would like the window to have a water theme maybe something like "this.".

This past Saturday we completed and installed our "Via Crucis" project at St. Elizabeth’s. I was so happy to see that we were able to set up and complete the project pretty much as we had concepted it. It's funny though regardless of how meticulous you might be in planning for all the contingencies for a project like this you always seem to miss something. When we arrived we discovered that the space we were allotted was different than what we had planned for so we had to improvise a little. Also, when installing the panels we found the floor to be anything but level but with some crafty engineering and some spit and tape we made do. The bright spot you see glowing on one of the panels in the photograph is a mini Maglight mounted on a microphone stand illuminating the face of Mary.

The table sitting in front of the panels holds a sign written by my friend Debbie that reads:

"Jesus Meets His Mother

Jesus, you feel so alone as you looked out on all the angry, mocking faces. You see your mother. She is suffering with you. She is the face of compassion.
God, when I’m suffering help me find the one, compassionate face in the crowd and for those suffering, help me to be that compassionate face in the crowd.
God, grant my church the grace to be the face of compassion to a suffering world.
In the redemptive name of Jesus, Amen. "

Thanks again to Debbie, Chuck and the "Vineyard Central" for allowing me to participate in this event I found it to be very fulfilling.

Also thanks to Debbie, Chuck, Dad, and Cyndi for all their help in concepting, constructing and installing.

Finally thanks to all the anonymous faces I used on our panels and here is to hoping no one recognizes himself or herself and sues my pants off...

As we were setting up our instillation for Via Crucis I took a moment to walk around the church, "St. Elizabeth’s" in Norwood Ohio, and grab some shots of the remarkable stained glass that surrounds the sanctuary.
The view is both inspirational and sad at the same time. The church is in such disrepair. Immediately as you walk through the sanctuary doors you see the dichotomy, richly colored stained glass drenching shafts of red, blue, and yellow light across the floor along side falling plaster, exposed substructure and sub flooring, water stains and the occasional piles of sculpted cherub body parts.
Being raised a Baptist in a not so affluent suburb all I can remember about church structures are cinder block walls with institutional gray paint and the occasional metal folding chairs and tables.
St. Elizabeth's at one time must have been the crown jewel of this Norwood neighborhood. Now both the local community and the church need a revival of spirit and hope. My prayer is that The Vineyard Central is successful with this awesome task they have taken on for themselves. And if they are successful and the church and community does thrive again I will count it as allot of sweat equity and yet another nameless working of God.
Click on the above photo to see more stained glass from St. Elizabeth's.

Through some friends of mine I've been given a great opportunity. I have been invited to participate in an interactive art experience, "Via Crucis", based on the traditional "stations of the cross". The exhibition involves multiple groups of designers, artist and individuals coming together from many different denominations and backgrounds to recreate through whatever medium and means they wish their own interpretation of each cross station. Each station will be a unique experience. I would expect you will find thought provoking traditional and contemporary expressions of spiritual and social issues from multiple view points to experience, meditate on and pray about.
The exhibition is being presented by the "Vineyard Central" an "emergent church" in Norwood Ohio and will take place in "St. Elizabeth’s". The exhibition runs from April 9-15 and includes a benefit concert to fight child prostitution in India by the band "Aradhna".
My friends and I have volunteered to create station # 4 Jesus sees his mother.
Here is a general outline of our working concept sure to mature as we develop and explore our exhibit.

“JESUS SEES HIS MOTHER”

Our concept for the “station” of Jesus seeing his mother is a monolithic or iconic wall -- perhaps 10’ wide by 8-10’ tall, of nothing but angry expressions (eyes and faces of people), with angry colors like reds, yellows, greens, etc., and everywhere you look, all you see is anger, jealousy, negativism, and mockery. Except, somewhere amongst the crowd of angry masses, you see one expression with compassion, love, and understanding. This one would be in softer, muted colors and would represent Mary. The object would be that people would have to search among the “masses” to discover the one and only face of hope.

The pictures would number in the hundreds; I haven’t quite got the scale. But the first impression would be almost like repulsion -- it’s so ugly, you don’t want to search for that hope.

Larger themes that people may connect with the mural:

o The church’s role in the world.
o The power of love in overwhelming circumstances.
o Identifying with the suffering of Christ.

Here are links to the photographer and designer who created the image and flyer above.
Flyer design - "www.elizabethherron.com"
Cover photo - "www.juliannaboehm.com"