chewing

quick thought - i was making some small sketches, some thumbnails. and i'm enjoying how trying to work through the images really gets me thinking about the scripture.

so i should be drawing from scripture way more often if only to get me to meditate on it.

made visible, made known...

John chapter one seems to have some clues that may answer your question. Verse 18: "No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known." It seems to agree with other scriptures to think that the "seen" in that verse and the "image of the invisible" in the Colossians text mean something more than just visual imagery. John says "no one has ever seen God, but Jesus, he has made him known." It is almost as if He uses "seen" and "known" to mean the same thing. John's first epistle has some very similar ways of talking about seeing and knowing. In fact, He goes even farther to include hearing as a part of the revelation of God that is Jesus Christ. "That which we have seen and heard (this is a reference to Jesus), we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." It seems that what John is getting at and what we might suppose that Paul is getting at when he calls Jesus the "image of the invisible God", is this: Jesus is to us, in every way, the revelation of God, the image of the God who was previously invisible and is still invisible to those who "do not know him (John 1:10)." But not just visible with our eyes, especially our eyes, we've never laid eyes on Jesus after all, but with our hearts! Seeing God, according to these verses, means knowing God through Jesus. Knowing his character, his fellowship, his love, his fatherhood and perhaps most importantly, being like Him (Colossians 2:6). Hopefully it isn't too much of a summary or a stretch to interpret the Colossians verse this way: Jesus, his person and work, makes knowing God possible and effectual. He is the image of the invisible God.
Does this get at an answer to your question? Thoughts about those thoughts?

invisible

this isn't a big thought out post... no huge revelations or anything. just a question and a thought (and then off to get ready for work...)

as i was thinking about our text and going over it several times in my head, i had the line "He is the image of the invisible God..." repeating...

My question...

What does that mean? He is the image of the invisible...?

Then thinking about my question this morning I thought of 2 Cor. 4:16-18...
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

that verse/those verses probably are completely unrelated to what i'm talking about...i just had that thought...

and i really would love to know your thoughts on this...

beth

p.s.
I'm grateful I don't have to be an amazingly smart, great scholar and understand fully every phrase in the Bible to understand the gospel and know Jesus and have salvation and the hope of heaven... isn't God amazing?

Applications of the text...

I've been brainstorming about ways that I can make a painting that may help provoke gratefulness in mine and the viewers hearts for the massive and glorious realities that we find in the Colossians text. Some things I'm thinking about and working on are "Christ's pre-eminence in our life lens" and "eating from the table of the crucified and risen Christ's pre-eminence." I'm hoping that these paintings will help myself and the viewers think about the cross in relation to the Saviour who now reigns in glory and who has always upheld the universe by the word of His power. I think the fact that he did this while He came to earth and suffered at the hands of, and for, ungrateful sinners like me is one of the most stunning things to think about.
I aappreciated and totally related to the last post concerning the impossibility of directly portraying this text. I felt like curling up in a corner and sucking my thumb whenever I thought about trying to paint it. Yet, isn't it wonderful that the sheer massiveness and wonder of those truths is on our side because of the love of God? I just get to praise Him for who He is and revel in the deep comfort of being in His family... and try to make paintings that help myself and others do this more.
Here's to Connie for thinking big.

brainstormed last night

so a couple of us (jenny, ryan, jeff & i) gathered last night and brainstormed a bit on some visual directions for our artwork. a few points from our conversation:

• its obvious that we can't capture all of what these categorical statements are saying about the superiority of God and the enormity of these claims about him. like that by him ALL things were created and that ALL things were created for him and through him. visual images just can't do that. even our language is indebted to words like "more than" and "beyond" and categorical statements...
  
• so if we try to take such a literal approach it could be...well...trying to do too much that images just can't do? too illustrative?
  
• personally i think i'm going to work towards showing how ridiculous it is to try to comprehend all this. i'll prolly work with figures and gestures, i need to do some sketches.
• a few more ideas i'm inspired by : pillars falling or being trumped by God's authority.
• maps globes
• holding things together with tape glue rubber bands
  
• dot & a line - like randy alcorn's illustration from that Na heaven message
  
• Jasper Johns, Richard Diebenkorn
• some greek mythology
  
• the gesture from Michelangelo's Christ in his The Last Judgement

how's everyone else's progress coming?

Preeminence over the visible

Hi. I hope everyone is doing well and whoever is meeting this week is inspired and encouraged. I've been working on my project for the last couple days. It's beginning to take shape as a focus on the visible. I've been focusing on Christ's rule over my community and what I see every day. He rules this as much as he rules the unseen. I would post pictures but to be honest, I'm afraid to because the process isn't reflecting the result I want yet. I know this is prideful but it's true. I am enjoying the process though. It's stretching me into new territory. I hope the same is happpening for others. I praise our Lord for the cross and giving us a most glorious reason to create and worship.

One Month

hello friends,

how's the artwork going? this is your friendly one month reminder.

i haven't started either, but its on my priority list. we're having a brainstorm/work time on the 22nd here in Maryland.

okay well let us know how its going...say hello on the blog....inspire us!

connie

If you're like me. . .

. . .You're idolatrous, admit it. I mean, what is holding anyone back from understanding Christ's preeminence? What is stopping us from seeing it (I include myself )? Is it because we patch together our lives from things that are man sized, not God sized? We fail to see the richness of God's glory, as a picture of our own fallen selves restored. Do we fail to see this picture because we are still trying to control the outcome of our lives (like we can, or like we do. . .news flash-- we can't), or maybe its because we all want to do some art everyone will think is cool or "relevant". . .we still think (deep down) we have the "secret answers" to someone else's soul?

I think that if we aren't seeing the vision, it's not special revelation that's needed, but maybe its worth checking on what's getting in the way. How could we honestly interpret this message of Christ's preeminence if not by attacking our own personal idolatries in the process? What's holding us back from seeing "the image of the invisible God" in our own renewal? And realizing in His grace how great he was to love us, despite our shame. At least that's the angle I'm taking.

inspiration

one day i looked in the fridge at the martins and all i could see was orange. cool, right?

hows it going out there?

i shot this email to our Maryland artists in hopes of getting together soon. has anyone else brainstormed together or otherwise made any progress?

"i was talking to jeff last night and we were agreeing that the art show topic is daunting. and that we should get together with you guys to brainstorm and try to inspire each other. so...what do you think. i know we're all busy, so i'll throw out some dates and could you email me back whats good for you? i'm happy to do it around a meal and make the food if that helps our cause, and we can meet at the martins, maybe get a fire going."

hope yr all well.
more snow in maryland??
c

gratitude & colossians

i've been very aware of my need to cultivate gratitude for my design job. i don't need to go into detail about specific complaints. it's strange, because i don't remember struggling with gratitude before. but, it's not strange! i'm a sinner.

talking to bill tonight, i said that i just wanted a complete overhaul of my personality. later he said that God already did give me an "overhaul" -- He took my dead heart and gave me a new one.

i was thinking about how to connect gratitude with colossians. the thing that strikes me the most is the last chunk of it, when Paul outlines the good news. (this is the Message translation by Eugene Peterson):

"You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message."

it was so apparent to me that in my sin, i had my back turned on God; felt that i "deserved better" and "more", i had a hostile mind. when we turn our backs on God, we take His holy words (the Bible) and crinkle it up like old paper and toss it aside.
for NA, i started playing around with crinkling up paper that i printed on to make a visual out of what we do to God's Word when we sin.

i can be FOREVER grateful that God gave His son for me -- for this very sin of mine and countless others -- He actually reconciled a dead sinner to Himself through His death, and made me alive.

[some words i'm using in my art:] my eyes were sewn shut, my ears sealed, my heart was a stone. BUT He reconciled Himself to me, and He gives the grace to continue.

stewards

As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks the oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves with the strength God supplies - in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11

our gifts are for others. and are to be used with the strength God supplies. and that God be made much of. hm. this reminds me of the Spurgeon quote beth posted. hm.

how's everybody doing?

i like the fading things

some of my friends tease me that i'm obsessed with death. just because i like skulls. and dying stuff. but the fading part of flowers is part of their value, in my eyes. they're temporary. they die. but briefly, for a little while, they are an extravagant beauty that God creates.

well here are some of my best watercolors so far from my february one-a-days. (the whole month, misses and all are on my flickr)

and if you haven't heard my soapbox before about vanitas, i'll try to sum it up briefly. vanitas means vanity, like the ecclesiates variety. as in, brevity in this life. it was a still life genre popular among the 17th c. Dutch. i'm perpetuating the genre by drawing and painting dead and dying things to remind me of the brevity of this life vs. eternal things.

Thanks, Mr. Spurgeon

"Will you not this day make it your prayer? "Lord, help me to glorify thee...I have talents, help me to extol thee by spending them for thee; I have time, Lord, help me to redeem it, that I may serve thee...I have a head to think, Lord, help me to think of thee and for thee; thou hast put me in this world for something, Lord, show me what that is, and help me to work out my life-purpose: I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living, so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into thy treasury; I am all thine; take me, and enable me to glorify thee now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have." -Charles Spurgeon

Read this in morning and evening yesterday and was just thinking about it in light of art and photography and just struck by the prayer to glorify God with what He has given us...talents, time, minds, purpose...all that we do. all that we are.
I feel like my prayer would be especially the last part: "I cannot do much, but as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living, so, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into thy treasury; I am all thine..."

Definitely think this applies to much more than art, but when you do apply it to your art, how it changes your perspective...

for God and not Men

"all things were created through him and FOR him" (the end of col1:16)
all the art we make is not for men or Na or for anyone, everything that we do is for God, so there is no point in being proud since its all been created through Jesus. and we should work our tails off to make our art the best we can because its FOR Jesus, and no one else.
Its really great to hear people giving such deep thoughts and confessing pride. this is so cool.
I have some paintins i did for class im finishing up this week ill post em soon maybe.

expectations hurt us

Julia, thanks for your candor. I can totally relate. Its good to get this out in the open here. And I talk frequently about these issues with my students. So you’re not alone. Here’s a couple of my thoughts on the matter. i don't know if this is the variety of fear you deal with. but here's a little about my disease.

Expectations. I think these are what kill us. At least when they are unrealistic. Or bloated. Basically our pride doesn’t like to under-perform compared to what we think we should be able to do. Some of us are motivated by a perfectionism and are shattered when we even think we can’t achieve it. Some of us are motivated by approval of others and are shattered likewise. My poison is the latter. Trying to live up to some image of my self because I went to such-and-such school and still have to fight the voices of professors in my head who i haven’t seen in years. Its ugly. I have to repent repeatedly.

But its worth it. There’s always a way of escape and righteousness is always sweeter. Sometimes God even prospers our works and they come out pretty decent. Bonus!

So how to combat the fears? Here are a few thoughts. Maybe somebody else can add on. Put on humility. Go into the artwork admitting that it might turn out to be a failure, but I’m gonna do my best to be faithful. Go in light heartedly, trying to not take ourselves so seriously. Enjoy making stuff. And talking to God in the process to keep our thoughts straight. Play a little.

Okay, well, i’m actually up to date on my February watercolors. A lot of misses and a couple successes. i’ll post em on my flickr soon.

Laters,
connie

art nite

[julia writing] so tonite is "art nite". bill decided to get things moving for us, we need to set aside time each week, monday nites, to get chuggin' on NA. in the last few days, i've realized what is keeping me from starting: fear. sometimes as a designer, i fear what clients will think of my work (did i totally miss the mark? will they like it?), fear it won't be "good enough", etc. i thought about what fear really is, and this is what i came up with (for myself): fear is me assuming an outcome. "it won't be good enough, it's been so long since i touched any art that's unrelated to a computer, i'll be rusty." none of this can be present in my mind if i'm going to create anything -- especially anything that glorifies God. so, i endeavor to "play" as connie told me, and press through my fears and get back to my art again. (i say "back" because i've been a full-time designer for awhile and haven't done much of anything outside of work).

i loved beth's post from john piper-- imagination IS work. and it's DEFINITELY a God-given gift that we each have to create. i want to use my gift for His glory -- messy sketches, unfinished ideas and all -- to make His word known. fear completely aside.

reflections on colossians

I'm really enjoying my time in Colossians. I've found my reference Bible to be a very helpful resource as I endeavor to better grasp this passage. There is meaning behind many of these verses that I didn't see until I looked deeper.

All that to say, I think I will be focusing on the two verses that describe Christ as "firstborn," the "...firstborn of all creation" and "...the firstborn from the dead..." Right now I am focusing on Christ as the firstborn from the dead. I cross referenced that verse, and I found 1 Corinthians 15:20-23:

"But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ."

When I read this I had a picture of Christ resurrected, standing amidst "those who have fallen asleep," a crowd of people reclining and sleeping at his feet, awaiting the day when they too will be raised.

That's all I have so far, and I may end up in a different direction entirely, but I'm grateful that the Spirit is getting the sparks in my brain fired up. I'm in the group that finds themselves way over their heads when they read these verses.

As far as medium, I'm really considering oil, but I have to see what kind of drawings I come up with and how much time I think I have. April 15th is coming up fast. I've stopped by a couple art stores, and I get excited just walking around the store, anticipating this project.

Anyway, please let me know if you have any thoughts/suggestions regarding what I've shared. I'd appreciate whatever help I can get.

mounting, framing, transporting, locations

Thanks for asking Peter. see if this helps:

Framing/Mounting - should look professional. so if its a work on paper or photo, mount or frame it nicely. if its a canvas, it does not NEED a frame, but should look neat around the edges. (tape em off maybe to get that crisp edge)

transporting - choose whats cheaper for you: get it to Louisville yourself or get it to Gaithersburg Maryland to be put onto a truck from here. We have space reserved on one of the Na trucks, but the art needs to be easily transportable (well packaged and not too fragile). And yes, we'll transport it both to and from Louisville for you. but it needs to be picked up right when it gets back to Maryland. theres no storage space in the church/SovGrace for it.

locations - fyi, here's where everybody is, so maybe we can do some face-to-face conversations about our art or share transportation:

Louisville: Will
San Diego: Josh
Hawaii: Erin
North Carolina: Jeni
Atlanta: Peter
Indiana, PA: Beth, David (submitting already-made work)
Philly: Bill & Julia, Rob
Maryland: Ryan & Jenny, Hannah, Jeff, Connie

speaking of this...i think it was a huge help last year to sit down and have a meal together in philly with the artists there. theres something really good and motivating about doing this together. brainstorming. fellowshipping. so ya, if you find yourself traveling to any locations that you could do this over the spring, i highly encourage it.

Maryland/Va folks, lets do this. and philly friends, its my goal to get over there in march, and while i'm there i'd love to hang with you dear folks. and will and josh and erin and jeni and peter and beth, don't be shy. consider yourself invited to come to Maryland this spring. really. i know it may not be possible, but consider it.

alrightee. hope you all are well and enjoying Colossians.

Art show space

hey so drew garfield, a pretty funny kid on the Na team, is designing the space for the Neighborhood that includes the Art Show (and bookstore and hang out space). he's got some pretty grandiose dreams of building all sorts of walls and it has some potential to look pretty sweet in there.

anyways, he asked if there are any 3-D pieces this year, if he should build pedastols. anybody thinking of making sculpture? hannah, maybe?

also, plans change a lot, but it looks like we'll have pretty big wall space for pretty big artwork. so don't be shy. i mean, it'll cost you more to frame/mount it prolly, but it looks like we have a lot of space to fill.