May we be more consumed with the Creator of all things,
than things created.
Fair warning: Today's post is personal and deals very directly with my beliefs and world view. Because I know it is not politically correct to mix "business" with "religion", I wanted to give this warning so that if you are sensitive to that sort of thing, you can opt out now. I know I may lose a reader or two, but so be it. I am first a believer in the one true God and his work of salvation in this world and maybe 5th or 6th or somewhere later, a painter and designer. It's not super heavy stuff, so go ahead and read on if you'd like to hear more about today's Throw Back Thursday artwork.
I said it before, but it bears repeating: May we be more consumed with the Creator of all things, than things created. You may have seen that quote as my tagline for this blog in my original (temporary) design. I love this quote. It's one that I need to remind myself of every day, and that is why I used it. I don't always live that way, but I long to. Created things are often so tantalizing.
It is also my desire for this blog, that as I show image after image of something created, that I don't cloud or block the vision beyond, of the Creator. Not me, the creator of the art, but the true Creator, who had the imagination and creativity to come up with all the amazingly intricate designs of all that exists around us. The only truly original creator. I hope that in whatever I do, and whatever I discuss on this blog–be it the tutorials, my process work, whatever–would in some small (or large) way, point to the beauty and majesty of the one who Created all the beauty that inspires us to capture it with brush and pen. All that we create is in some way a copy or study of the greatest master painter, so all of it should be a reflection of Him.
Today has been a weird day for me, and I won't go into that here, but what has come out of it is mainly a reminder that our days are numbered, and that number is hidden from us. At the end of the our days, what is left? Even if I'm remembered by my friends and family, and even if they tell stories about me to their kids, the longest a memory could last about my existence, is at most, what, 200 years? So why do I spend so much of it focused on myself, investing in something so temporary. Why not invest in things eternal, and help change the course of a greater history? I desire that for myself, for my husband, friends, family, for you! Let's invest our time in things that matter.
Okay, enough from that soap box (
...I'm telling you, today has been a weird day). Today's throw back drawing is from 2007 when I was approached by a leader in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) organization to do a drawing for them to use at a conference. A little background: my dad was captain of the FCA chapter at UT when he was in college, every member of my family was deeply involved with our high school chapter, and I met one of my dearest lifelong friends at an FCA camp. What do you think I said?
This drawing is mainly about discipleship. There are, however, many different word pictures portrayed here (imperfectly, I might add, but trying to fit so many ideas into one drawing will do that). I will try to talk you through many of them.
• The overall picture is that of a tree bearing fruit, which in its time, drops and dies so that new life can spring forth in the form of another tree (which in turn bears more fruit...). You can see the cyclical nature of it, I'm sure. We, too, are to die to ourselves, our worldly passions and desires, identifying ourselves with Christ in his death, and have been given the ability to spring forth with new life, as new creations, identifying with him in his resurrection. A similar cyclical image is also seen with discipleship when one life is transformed, and they then live to be used by God to help bring transformation to others, who then live...
• Each of the apples on the tree have places for names, representing individual people touched, ministered to, discipled, etc. Not all of them drop off and take root, some die away.
• The larger tree doubles in significance. Not only does it represent the discipler but it also represents Christ (the one whom we are all to be disciples of) with arms stretched out, as if on the cross, bearing our shame and guilt for us. (Having trouble finding him? The knot is his head, two arms as branches, and torso as the tree's trunk.) His death and resurrection conquered our two greatest foes, sin and death (death conquering sin by paying the penalty for sin, blood, a life, and the resurrection defeating death, making eternal life with God available to all who will follow Him.)
• Christ ministered to many, and there are potentially thousands of apples on this tree, but you can only see 12 hanging from the limbs–representing the ones he invested the majority of his time with, his 12 disciples.
• The ground from which the trees spring forth is God's word, the Bible, in which they are firmly rooted, and receive their nutrients.
• The Bible often uses the image of a grape vine or an olive tree (not an apple tree) when sharing similar ideas. Historically, we have used an apple tree to represent the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil from which our first parents ate, and sin was brought into the world. I chose to an apple tree here to represent Jesus as the new, perfect Adam. The Bible reminds us that through Adam, sin and death was brought to all mankind, but through the new Adam, Jesus, salvation was made available for mankind. Jesus is the better, perfected Adam. (Romans 5)
I know, that's a lot, but it is really just an explanation of what's going on in the image. Thanks for reading, and hopefully you got to know a little more about me in the process.
