The trees in the woods across the
field from our house have already begun to change color these last two
weeks. Autumn comes early to this part
of New York state.
Today I
am going to begin work in earnest on a small but interesting project: painting
the face of Christ on glass. Of course,
thereby hangs a tale.
We meet
so many interesting people as we go through life and sometimes we connect in
ways not first imagined. Last winter in
Florida, I attended an art exhibit at our local city hall and met an artist who
works in wood. Living on the shore of a
lake, in the middle of what once was a cypress grove, his imagination has been
fired by shapes he sees in cypress “knees”.
With a minimum of polishing and cutting, he reveals a subject and gives
it a title. I was struck by his
Roadrunner, and as we talked, I told him about the several icons I had painted
of Christ on weathered wood. Being a
faithful person, he understood what I am trying to express: that Christ is present in all places and all
things, because He is the creator of all.
It was
not until later that I met this artist’s wife, who works in stained glass,
usually creating tropical scenes. She
had recently received a commission for a number of stained glass windows for a
church in the Florida Keys, each to illustrate a Gospel parable. However, she felt that she was not capable of
painting the face of Christ for the scenes.
Her husband suggested I might be able to do it. And that was the beginning of a new venture
in art for me!
In Vince's studio with completed window of "The Good Shepherd"
"The Loaves and the Fishes" installed in Keys church
Christ walking on the water to Peter
Believe
me when I say I had no idea what I was doing when I started, and after two
completed windows I am still learning how much I don’t know, but apparently my friends and their church are happy
with the results.
Incredibly beautiful work! You are doing a great job with learning this blog stuff!
ReplyDeleteWell, it's a process, but better a late "thank you" than never, I guess!
DeleteJoyce