Renew the Face of the Earth ~ 48″ x 86″ ~ magazine pages on plywood ~ Easter, 2016
Easter-tide is a time of both inner and outer renewal, refreshment, and refurbishment. In the northern hemisphere, we observe the physical world around us coming to life, as the days lengthen and warm, and we recognize that these cycles also take place in our own lives, on many levels.
As a Rabbi, Jesus would have been very familiar with Psalm 104, on which this piece is based, and he often used images from the natural world to explain the things he talked about, including the teaching that a seed must die and fall to the earth in order to rise as a new plant.
Are there things within you that have felt dull or dead, and in need of renewal? How might you participate in the renewal that God desires for all of creation and its creatures?
This piece of art was a created with the help of some folks from the Psalms Project; a loose collection of people who use the Psalms as inspiration for creative endeavors. Below are some photos of the process. Click on the big image above for an expandable version, if you’d like to look for all the things mentioned in Psalm 104 that appear in the piece.
Inspiration.
Laying out the design on a big sheet of paper.
Adding detailed shapes.
The paper pattern is being cut up, and magazine pictures picked out for each section.
Charlotte is “helping!”
Magazine pages have been cut and collaged onto their pattern pieces, now they are being glued to the background.
And here is a document of Psalm 104, with all the things highlighted that are pictured in the piece of art, if you want to go on a treasure hunt!
I love this!
What a glorious portrayal of Creation! The artistic thought to colour and image placement shows the love and concern of the authors of this piece of art. Very moving. Thank you.