Proverbs 22

Proverbs 22 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board

"The clever see danger and hide; but the simple go on and suffer for it."

"Those who love a pure heart and are gracious in speech will have the king as a friend."

"The lazy person says, 'There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!'"

"Incline your ear and hear my words, and apply your mind to my teaching; for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips."

Proverbs 21

 Proverbs 21 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board

"The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD."

"It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a contentious wife."

"When a scoffer is punished, the simple become wiser."

"Precious treasure remains in the house of the wise, but the fool devours it."

"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD."

Proverbs 20

Proverbs 20 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board

One of the main thems of this chapter concerns a wise king. "A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them."

Proverbs 19

Proverbs 19 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board

"It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury, much less for a slave to rule over princes."

"House and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD."

"Laziness brings on deep sleep; and idle person will suffer hunger."

"Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future."

"A worthless witness mocks at justice, and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity."

Proverbs 18

Proverbs 18 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board



"The words of the mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream."

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe."

"An intelligent mind acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge."

Proverbs 17

Proverbs 17 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board

This is probably my favorite collage within this series since it demonstrates how a completely new landscape can be created by combining a few diverse elements.

Proverbs 16

Proverbs 16 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board

"When the ways of people please the LORD, he causes even their enemies to be at peace with them."

"The human mind plans the way, but the LORD directs the steps."

"Sometimes there is a way that seems to be right, but in the end it is the way to death."

Proverbs 15

Proverbs 15 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board

"Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it."

"The way of the lazy is overgrown with thorns, but the parth of the upright is a level highway."

The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous."

Proverbs 14

Proverbs 14 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board



This chapter is a miscellany of sayings regarding wise and foolish behavior:

"The house of the wicked is destroyed but the tent of the upright flourishes."

"There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death."

"Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Proverbs 13

Proverbs 13 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board



"Those who guard their mouth preserve their lives; those who open wide their lips come to ruin."

Proverbs 12

Proverbs 12 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board



"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes; but he that hearkens to counsel is wise."

"The hand of the diligent will rule, while the lazy will be put to forced labor." 

Proverbs 11

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Proverbs 11 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board

This chapter has such memorable sayings as "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without good sense" and "By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted."

Proverbs 10

Proverbs 10 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board

"The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence...Doing wrong is like sport to a fool, but wise conduct is a pleasure to a person of understanding."

Proverbs 9

Proverbs 9 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board



"Wisdom has built her house..to those that are simple she says "Turn in here..lay aside immaturity and live."  By contrast, "The foolish woman is loud...calling to those who pass by...But they do not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol."

Proverbs 8

Proverbs 8 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board

Wisdom was established before the foundation of the earth. She takes her stand at the crossroads and cries out to the people. She speaks only righteous words and hates arrogance and perverted speech. Her fruit is better than gold.

Proverbs 7

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

collage on canvas board

In most of Proverbs, women are used as metaphors representing either wisdom or temptation. In Chapter 7 the specific perils of literal adultery is the subject.

Proverbs 6

Proverbs 6 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board



This chapter is a collage in itself with various teachings about not desiring the charms of an adulteress, the sudden and unpleasant fate of a villain who goes about devising evil, and the dangers of idleness.

Proverbs 5

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

collage on canvas board

This chapter is a warning for those who do not listen to the voice of wisdom but follow iniquity instead.

Proverbs 4

Proverbs 4 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board



This chapter deals exclusively with a contrast between the way (or path) of the wise versus the way of the wicked. The former leads to a crown while the latter is like deep darkness.

Proverbs 3

Proverbs 3 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board



"The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew."  These words echo the last chapter of Job in which God zeroes in on the wonders of His creation--especially the strange creatures Leviathan and Behemoth, often pictured as an alligator and a rhinoceros, respectively.

Proverbs 2

Proverbs 2 (1994) (7" x 5")

collage on canvas board

The Book of Proverbs lends itself to surrealistic illustration since (a) there is usually a wide variety of subjects covered side by side within each chapter and (b) the author utilizes vivid imagery in his metaphors and similes. See if you can pick out the various sources for the images above.

Proverbs 1

This series of collage on canvas board was a small advance in technique  over the Life of David series in that each piece is 5" x 7" rather than the standard book illustration size of 3 1/2" x 5" of the former series. 

That simple change necessitated the use of more imagination in fashioning a coherent picture and led to the much larger collages that followed.  I must apologize for the somewhat hazy reproductions in the pictures that follow. This is due to the use of multiple coatings of white glue as a sealer rather than the matte acrylic used later on.

Proverbs 1 (1994) (5" x 7")

collage on canvas board

Ezra-Nehemiah

Building Permit (2011) (12" x 12")

collage and acrylic on canvas

These two combined books of the Bible tell the story of the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls after King Cyrus gave the command to allow the Jewish exiles to return home.

Life of David: Part 12

II Samuel 22 (1994) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper



In this chapter, which is virtually the same as Psalm 18, David praises God for being his refuge in a time of trouble who "drew me out of mighty waters."

Life of David: Part 11

II Samuel 16 (1994) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper

David and his followers reach another low spot as they flee Jerusalem and he is cursed by a man named Shimei who came from the house of Saul. David, however, refuses to take revenge on him since he feels it is God himself who is cursing him.

Life of David: Part 10

II Samuel 15 (1994) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper

The disintegration of David's family reached its height when his own son Absalom led a revolt against his father and David was forced to flee Jerusalem. An alternative explanation for David's actions was that he did not want to be in a position where he would be forced to kill his son.



Life of David: Part 9

II Samuel 12 (1992) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper



The prophet Nathan confronts the king in this chapter by comparing his actions to that of a man taking someone's only lamb. As the aftermath of the Bathsheba incident, David will find that his own family is disrupted just as he disrupted Uriah's family, beginning with the death of David's son by Bathsheba.

Life of David: Part 8

II Samuel 11 (1992) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper



This chapter contains the infamous story regarding David's taking of Uriah's wife Bathsheba and then seeing that Uriah was killed. Even the greatest of the characters in the Bible have their flaws. As one person said, "The only hero in the Bible is God/Jesus."

Life of David: Part 7

I Samuel 30 (1992) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper



When David and his men returned to Ziglag after being gone for a while, they found that the Amalekites had raided their camp and taken away all their women and children, including David's wife Abigail. They then set off to find them.

Life of David: Part 6

I Samuel 25 (1992) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper

In this chapter, which is not without its share of black humor, David encounters Nabal and his wife Abigail. Nabal refuses to give David and his troops any provisions, not realizing how strong his military force is. Abigail, however, is gracious to David and apologizes for her rather dense husband. When Nabal finds out how close to death he has come, he promptly dies and David marries his widow.

Life of David: Part 5

I Samuel 24 (1992) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper



In this chapter, David is hiding in a cave with his men and has a chance to kill King Saul. However, he shows mercy toward him and only cuts off the hem of his garment.

The Life of David: Part 4

I Samuel 23 (1992) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper



"David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but the LORD did not give him into his hand."

The Life of David: Part 3

I Samuel 21 (1992) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper



While fleeing from Saul, David comes into the presence of the King of Gath, an enemy of Israel. To escape, David pretends to be crazy and the king lets him go.

The Life of David: Part 2

I Samuel 19 (1992) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper



This chapter of I Samuel describes how Saul's own family, his daughter Michel and his son Jonathan, defend David against the threats of their father. Dqavid is forced to flee for his life.

The Life of David

I Samuel 17 (1992) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper

This series of collages is closely related to the Jude series previously posted in that they are 3 1/2" x 5" collages on paper based on illustrations from an old Jules Verne book. This time, however, colored illustrations from other sources are included to give a quite different feel to the collages. The book used was Michael Strogoff, whose heroic feats reminded me of the life of David.

In this first piece, David volunteers his services to King Saul to kill the giant Goliath.

Jude 24-25

Jude 24-25 (1984) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper

Although the tone of most of Jude is negative, the letter ends with a glorious doxology: "Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

Jude 14-16

Jude 14-16 (1984) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper



These verses are intriguing in that Jude quotes from the non-canonical Book of Enoch. This does not mean that we should consider that book equal to the accepted scriptures, merely that Jude found one verse in the book useful in emphasizing his point that judgment from God will come eventually on ungodly people.

Jude 12-13

Jude 12-13 (1984) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper

 

Jude continues his description of the evildoers in the church with a series of striking metaphors drawn from nature: waterless clouds, trees without fruit, wild waves, and wandering stars. Their destiny is the "deepest darkness."

Jude 10-12

Jude 10-12 (1984) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper



Jude continues his diatribe against those who would pervert the cause of Christ by comparing them to the prophet Balaam who was in it only for the money, Cain with his jealous anger, and Korah who arrogantly led a rebellion against Moses.

Jude 9

Jude 9 (1984) (3 1/2" x 5")

collage on paper

This intriguing verse alludes to non-biblical Old Testament event in which the archangel Michael and Satan disputed over the body of Moses. Satan's contention, according to the apocryphal Assumption of Moses, was that Moses was unworthy of saving since he was a murderer. Fortunately for Moses as well as for all of us flawed sinners, it is God's grace that ultimately counts, not our own works.