The First Christmas

"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross." -- Philippians 2:6-8

Christmas and Easter are combined in this passage.

Descent (2005) (11" x 14")

collage and acrylic on canvas

Child Jesus in the Temple

Another presaging of events to come is described in Luke 2:41-51 where the 12-year old Jesus leaves his parents and has a conversation with the teachers in the Temple.  During Jesus' later ministry he will have many such conversations with the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees. Most of these will be much more contentious. Instead of treating Jesus as a religious prodigy, he will be viewed by the religious leaders as a threat to their belief system and the welfare of the Jewish people.

The collage below takes its start from a picture by the great illustrator Gustav Dore'.

Jesus With the Doctors (2011) (11" x 14")

collage on canvas

Slaughter of the Innocents

This piece was inspired by Leon Cogniet's painting of the same name. Herod's killing of the innocent children in Bethlehem is a vivid reminder that not all the events surrounding Jesus' early life were pleasant ones. It also presages the end of Christ's life when he, The Innocent One, was murdered by the Roman authorities.

Slaughter of the Innocents (2011) (11" x 14")

collage on canvas



Flight to Egypt

There has been much nonsense written about Jesus picking up occult knowledge while in Egypt. However, this much is true: By the Holy Family going to Egypt and then returning to Israel, Jesus was recapitulating the journey of his people many years earlier.

The picture below gets its inspiration from a somewhat obscure painting by Adam Badowski.

Flight to Egypt (2011)(14" x 11")

collage on canvas

The Three Wise Men

There are many traditions concerning the three men from the East who came to visit the Christ child sometime after he was born, but the Bible says surprisingly little about them. We don't even know how many there were, only that they came with three gifts. And we certainly do not know their names or racial types. In any case, their coming presages the later turning of many Gentiles to Christ.

The collage below is based on a piece by Albrecht Durer.

Adoration of the Magi (2011) (11" x 14")

collage on canvas

Nativity

The Nativity (2011) (11" x 14")

collage on canvas

The inspiration for this collage comes from Piero della Francesca's painting of the same name.

Annunciation

This Christmas season seemed like a good time to "re-run" a series of collages I highlighted earlier. They were all based on famous paintings telling the story of the birth and childhood of Jesus. The first collage takes as its inspiration "The Annunciation" by Botticelli and pictures the angel's message to Mary.

 Annunciation (2011) (11" x 14")

collage on canvas

"Judge Not"

A persistent theme in the New Testament is the danger of focussing ones attention on others' faults while ignoring our own.

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Judge Not (2010) (7 1/2" high)

modified microscope

This microscope has been modified so that the light is on the top rather than the bottom. Thus, any attempt to look at the subject merely shines on the viewer instead. As someone has wisely observed, "When you point a finger at someone else, there are three other fingers pointing at yourself.

"I stand at the door and knock"

Laodicea (2011) (11" x 14")

acrylic and collage on wood panel

At the conclusion to the letters to the seven churches stands Jesus' concluding promise. Some feel that it is addressed specifically to the church at Laodicea while others take it as general promise to all the churches. And then there are people like Bill Bright who had the insight to apply Jesus' words to each individual, even the unsaved, wishing to have fellowship with the Savior.

"I Am"

There are seven "I am" statements of Jesus recorded in John's Gospel. This phrase has special weight since God's personal name in the Old Testament, YHWH, may be translated as "I am." The piece shown below has as its background passages from the Gospel of John with seven imbedded wooden balls painted in symbols reminiscent of the seven statements.

I Am (2010) (12" x 12")

mixed media

Song of Solomon

In Song of Solomon 1:5, the woman proclaims, "I am black but beautiful." Most commentators point out that this probably refers to her sun-tanned condition from working outside. My own version of her (constructed from a collaged  hat mold, shoe mold and driftwood) is probably not very beautiful, but of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Yet Beautiful (2009) (9" x 7" x 7 1/2")

mixed media assemblage

Daniel 4

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A King's Dream (2003) (2 3/4" x 1 3/4" x 13 1/4")

mixed media in wooden box

The construction above is a rather loose artistic interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream recorded in Daniel 4. In that dream, the king is predicted to become like one of the animals, eating the grass of the field, for seven years. The "mushrooms" are actually made of painted polyurethane residues from a testing protocol used in our chemical laboratories.

Psalm 119

From A to Z (2012) (12" x 12")

acrylic and collage on canvas

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, but it basically contains 22 separate psalms, each beginning with a subsequent letter in the Hebrew alphabet. In addition to this literary device, each of the 22 psalms contains 8 verses in which a different synonym for the word "law" is utilized.  Thus, the overall effect is to cover the entire range of meanings and implications of God's law from A to Z.

The picture above attempts to capture visually the literary structure of Psalm 119, including the occurrences of the specific synonyms, represented by differently colored ovals.

Demon

As an example of how the physical materials used for art can sometimes suggest the actual subject of the piece, note the "sculpture" below:

Diamon (2000) (10 1/2" x 12" x 8")

mixed media on wooden hat mold

back view

This old hat mold had the manufacturer's name incised on it: DIAMOND. By removing the final D, it became the anagram of DAIMON, which means "demon" in Greek. The New Testament accounts include several encounters of Jesus and the disciples with demons. Whatever we may think of demons today, it is hard to deny the very real presence of evil in the world--evil which can only be ultimately be overcome by love.

Letter to Smyrna

A New Life (2011) (11" x 14")

collage and acrylic on canvas



Revelation 2:8-11 contains the letter to the church at Smyrna. Although their status in the eyes of the world is a  lowly one and they suffer persecution, they are said to be rich in God's eyes. He gives them the paradoxical promise: "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."

Letter to Laodicea

A New Status (2011) (11" x 14")

collage and acrylic on canvas

The church at Laodicea is promised, in Revelation 3:21, "a place with me on my throne." This idea is illustrated using a former royal couple as an example.

Letter to Ephesus

New Food (2012) (11" x 14")

acrylic and collage on canvas



The eating of food is a structurally important concept in the Book of Revelation, appearing in the first of the seven letters in Rev. 2-3 as a promise of eating from the tree of life and in the seventh letter as an invitation to eat with Jesus. Two further references to the tree of life similarly bracket the final vision of Rev. 22.

Letter to Philadelphia

A New Place (2012) (11" x 14")

collage on canvas

To those at the church of Philadelphia who hold fast to what they have is given the unusual promise of becoming a pillar in the temple of God.

Letter to Pergamum

A New Name (2011) (11" x14")

collage and acrylic on canvas

In Revelation 2:12-17, Jesus writes to the church at Pergamum, "where Satan's throne is."  This may refer to the huge altar of Zeus, which may be seen today in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

The cryptic promises given to this church include hidden manna and a white stone with a new name written on it. The latter may be a personalized name given to each believer or a new name for God, revealing more fully his character. 

Letter to Thyatira

New Power (2012) (11" x 14")

collage on canvas

The promise given to the church at Thyatira is to "give authority over the nations; to rule them with an iron rod, as when clay pots are shattered." (Revelation 2:26-27)

Letter to Sardis: Part 2

New Clothes (2012) (11" x 14")

collage and acylic on canvas

Each of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 is given a promise, contingent upon their future behavior. For Sardis it is the wearing of white robes. There are other groups in the book who wear white rainment, a symbol of purity:

     Rev. 3:18    the congregation at Laodicea if they repent

     Rev. 4:4      the 24 elders in heaven

     Rev. 6:11    the Christian martyrs

     Rev. 7:9      the multitude of saved in heaven

     Rev. 19:14   Christ himself

Letter to Sardis: Part 1

Letter to a Dead Church (2011) (12" x 12")

collage and acrylic on canvas board



This letter, found in Revelation 3:1-6, ends as do the other six letters in Rev. 2-3 with the solemn statement: "Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."  This idea is literally rendered above along with images of the dead or sleeping congregation at Sardis.

The City: Part 5 (Babylon)

Babylon (2013) (14" x 11")

acrylic and collage on hardboard



Before making way for the New Jerusalem, God first destroys a city that is the epitome of mankind's lust for economic gain. It is symbolically called Babylon and its downfall is poetically described in Revelation 17-18.

The City: Part 4 (Sodom)

Sodom (2013) (14" x 11")

acrylic and collage on hardboard



Genesis 19 shows God's judgment on a city whose name has become synonymous with sin, with various schools of thought defining that sin as lack of hospitality, attempted rape or homosexuality.

The City: Part 3 (Jerusalem)

Revelation 11:7-10 is an interesting passage in that it appears to conflate a number of cities into one identity. Jerusalem is called allegorically Sodom and Egypt. It becomes the city where Jesus was killed, sin ruled, and the Jews were held in captivity. This is the epitome of all that is evil in the power called "the city." Jacques Ellul has much to say about this in his seminal book "The Meaning of the City."

Jerusalem (2013) (14" x 11")

acrylic and collage on hardboard

The City:Part 2 (Nineveh)

The wickedness of Nineveh was legendary in biblical times. So Jonah was understandably hesitant to preach repentance to them. As one commentator pointed out, "It would be like asking a Jew to preach to Berlin at the height of Hitler's power.  As we all know, Jonah eventually did preach to Nineveh and with great success. But in this picture he is shown as an almost insignificant figure.

Nineveh (2013) (14" x 11")

acrylic and collage on hardboard

Esther

The Book of Esther can almost be viewed as a chess match, complete with a king, queens, and various supporting players with the Jews and Persians being pitted against one another.

The piece below was my only venture into the world of sculpture. Each piece was molded in wax, encased in plaster of Paris, heated to melt out the wax, and then cast in epoxy. The mold was then destroyed and the resulting piece coated with a thin film of epoxy to increase its luster.  The Persian pieces were dyed with purple.  Where possible, archeological artifacts were used as models.

Esther (Persians) (1986)

cast expoxy

Esther (Jews)

Proverbs 30

A very observant reader may have noted that I omitted Proverbs 30 in my recent series of collages on that book of the Bible. Not that I have any theological objections to that chapter; it was just that I had forgotten to take a picture of the piece earlier.  So, for what it is worth, here is the missing chapter.

Proverbs 30 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board



This chapter by Agur contains lines which sound like they belong in the last chapters of the Book of Job: "Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is the person's name? And what is the name of the person's child? Surely you know!"

The main reason I included the signmaker's shop in the collage was because of the second owner's name.

Acts 26: Paul and Agrippa

The piece below is the first in a projected series of constructions in wooden cigar boxes with titles appropriately alluding to famous quotations incolving cigars.  In this case, the title refers to Paul's audience with King Agrippa and the latter's poignant reply that Paul has almost persuaded him to become a Christian.

"Close, but..." (2011) (10" x 5 1/2" x 1 1/2")

collage in modified cigar box

inside view

Samuel

Kingmaker (2011) 12" x 12" x 1.5")

collage on canvas

Four events in the life of Samuel are pictured in the above piece created on four canvas panels glued together.

1. Samuel leaving home to live in the house of Eli.

2. Samuel's call by God in the middle of the night.

3. His prophetic career.

4. His role in anointed the first kings of Israel.

The Great Commission

Matthew's Gospel ends with the famous Great Commission to go into all the world making disciples of the nations. Thus, the picture below prominently features maps of the world taken from an old atlas.

Final Instructions (2011) (12" x 12" x 1.5")

collage and gilding on canvas

The Last Judgment

To Each His Own (2011) (16" x 20" x 1.5")

collage and acrylic on canvas

Jesus exposition of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25 clearly demonstrates that our actions here on earth have natural consequences in the afterlife and that our final fates are not just arbitrarily imposed upon us by God.

Ecclesiastes 11

The various sayings collected in this chapter all revolve around the fact that man's knowledge is limited. Therefore it is prudent to divide your resources of time and money among many possibilities since you do not know which of them will bear fruit.

 Hedge Your Bets (2010) (12" x 12" x 1.5")

mixed media in wooden box

John 6

As an aftermath of Jesus' feeding of the multitudes recorded in the beginning of John 6, he explains in verses 25-40 that he is the bread of life. His followers reply, "Sir, give us this bread always."  In many ways this passage is similar to chapter 4 of John's Gospel in which the Samaritan woman by the well is told about "living water" and replies "Sir, give me this water."

The "bread" in the construction shown below was made by foaming polyurethane sealant into a small metal bread pan and then painting it with acrylics.

Bread from Above (2010) (12" x 12" x 1.5")

mixed media construction

The Trinity

Inexpressible (2010) (10" x 5 1/2" x 3 1/2")

mixed media construction



How does one picture the mystery of the Trinity if it can't even be expressed well in words, although the historical creeds have attempted to do so for centuries?

In the above case, it is done with a conglomeration of a wooden hat mold, plumbing connections,painted polyurethane, microscope parts and paper collage mounted on a corregated tin plate.

Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board



I pictured Solomon's hymn to the ideal wife as a traditional crazy quilt with some of the squares, however, reflecting the surprisingly liberated activities that she is said to engage in.

Proverbs 29

Proverbs 29 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board

"Scoffers set a city aflalme, but the wise turn away wrath."

"whoever flatters a neighbor is spreading a net for the neighbor's feet."

"If a king judges the poor with equity his throne will be established forever."

"When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall."

This is my last post for this month since I am going on vacation.

Proverbs 28

Proverbs 28 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board

"Those who mislead the upright into evil ways will fall into pits of their own making."

"Anyone who tills the land will have plenty of bread, but one who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty."

"When the wicked prevail, people go into hiding; but when they perish, the righteous increase."

Proverbs 27

Proverbs 27 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board

"Just as water reflects the face, so one human heart reflects another."

"Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds."

"The lambs will provide your clothing and the goats the price of a field."

"Like a bird that strays from its nest is one who strays from home."

"A continual dripping on a rainy day and a contentious wife are alike; to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in the right hand."

Proverbs 26

Proverbs 26 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board

This chapter contains the interesting pair of proverbs:

"Do not answer fools according to their folly, or you will be a fool yourself" and

"Answer fools according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes."

As with most proverbs, the way to act properly depends upon the specific circumstances.

"The lazy person buries a hand in the dish and is too tired to bring it back to the mouth."

"For lack of wood the fire goes out."

"Like a thornbush brandished by the hand of a drunkard is a proverb in the mouth of a fool."

Proverbs 25

Proverbs 25 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board



"Like the heaven for height, like the earth for depth, so the mind of kings is unsearchable."

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver."

"Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is trust in a faithless person in time of trouble."

"If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the LORD will reward you."

"Like a city breached, without walls, is one who lacks self-control."

Proverbs 24

Proverbs 24 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board

"By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established."

"Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against the home of the righteous; do no violence to the place where the righteous live; for though they fall seven times, they will rise again."

"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want, like an armed warrior."

Proverbs 23

Proverbs 23 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board

"Do not be among winebibbers, or among gluttonious eaters of meat."

"Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old."
"Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder. your eyes will see strange things and your mind utter perverse things."