Aemiessence Fine Arts

COVID-19 Spirit of Awaken, 3.21.2020

COVID-19 has changed so much about our world in a very short period of time. One of the calls of the church is to be a light in the world, to encourage, to love, to care for, and to be the light of Jesus in the darkest hour for all people, especially those who are in need.

So many people in the church forget Jesus' words in Luke 5:31, where Jesus states "And Jesus answered them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.'" This is not just metaphorical about someone's spiritual state when taken in the light of the whole of scripture (though repentance is the specific topic of the verse), though many are tempted to take it that way. A tremendous about of both the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) and the New Testament stress the importance of the church loving and providing care to everyone.

During these difficult times, the Church needs to pull itself together, repent of the evil that has plagued so much of the current church (racism, sexism, nationalism, creating false binaries, treatment of the LGBTQ community, and any community that is "other") and again be the shining light that recognizes Genesis 1:27- that every person is an image bearer of God, and it is not our role to treat some as "in" and some as "out" in any sense.

This photo was taken at Awaken Community church in St. Paul, and the idea is that though the church (and so many houses of worship) are empty now when they would be full, that the spirit of those who are in those churches (speaking for my own faith tradition) is still present - and this is also a reminder that we (again speaking to my own faith) should be out of the building helping in any way that we can. In our current world of social distancing that looks different than it has before, but that just means that we have to be more creative about it - and that's valuable.

This photo was taken at Awaken Community church in St. Paul, and the idea is that though the church (and so many houses of worship) are empty now when they would be full, that the spirit of those who are in those churches (speaking for my own faith tradition) is still present - and this is also a reminder that we (again speaking to my own faith) should be out of the building helping in any way that we can. In our current world of social distancing that looks different than it has before, but that just means that we have to be more creative about it - and that's valuable.

James 2:14-17 states rather clearly, "What good is it, my [fellow believers], if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that? So too, faith by itself, if it is not complemented by action, is dead."

Into the Silent Land - Approx. 8" x 11", Ink Drawing - 12.17.2019

The Gustavus Wind Symphony (St. Peter, MN) conducted by Dr. Heidi Johanna Miller, recently performed "Into the Silent Land" by Steve Danyew which "communicates the composer's feelings following the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, when 20 children and six educators were killed by a gunman on December 14th, 2012. Danyew, who attended Sandy Hook Elementary as a child, asks us to remember; asks us not to forget that this happened, not to forget these children, and not to forget the grief their families are left holding forever" (from the program note for the concert). Danyew included the following text from "Remember" by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894).

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Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,

Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd;
Only remember me; you understand

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land.

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Dr. Miller's daughter Linnea read the text during the concert

The text stuck with me and I wanted to make a drawing about the excerpt from Rossetti's "Remember." My drawing shows a little girl walking into the Silent Land, with the red in the foreground calling to memory the blood lost at Sandy Hook.

Translucent Flower: Macro Photo, 12.4.2019

I laminated three flowers that our six year old gardened this year, and was surprised to see that several months later the flowers had become translucent which was fascinating to see in a macro photo.

עבדי (My Servant) 8x6" - Completed 11.20.2019: Drawing - Ink Pen

This piece was created for Awaken's Advent Art Series in 2019 to go along with our series "Hidden," on elements that are not normally focused on in the advent story.

For my piece I focused on Luke 2:19 (cf Luke 2:51) where Luke notes that Mary "treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart" when hearing what the shepherds heard about Jesus from the angels. Commentator Joel B. Green notes in his commentary on Luke about responses to the display of the supernatural that [while many on the scene respond with amazement which may not be equivalent to faith and gives no guarantee a correct understanding will be reached] and goes on to say:

"This is the response of the undifferentiated crowds in 2:18, but not of Mary. For her, more reflection is needed in order to appreciate fully the meaning of this concurrence of events, and her pondering is with a view to hitting on the right meaning of these things. Even in the presence of those exalted and direct affirmations of the identity of the newborn child, then, contemplation of what God is doing in and through these events continues."

In summary, Mary actually thought about what she was seeing and hearing and didn't just rush into an amazement that may have quickly faded after the fact. There have been countless brilliant and contemplative women since the dawn of time, but rarely was this acknowledged in the time that the New Testament was written so these statements are important and should be recognized.

My drawing shows a literal treasure chest with Mary's name (in Greek) on it, in a room which has Luke 2:10-11 on the left wall, Colossians 2:9-10 on the right wall, and on the back wall Isaiah 53:11-12, with the word עברי (my servant) large in the middle. עברי in the Isaiah passage is referring to the Suffering Service interpreted in Christianity to be Jesus, but I'm also using the word outside of Isaiah 53:11 to refer to Mary who was also serving God and chosen of God for giving birth to Jesus.

Luke 2:10-11
And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Colossians 2:9-10
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form. And you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Isaiah 53:11-12
After the anguish of His soul,
He will see the light of life and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many,
and He will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great,
and He will divide the spoils with the strong,
because He has poured out His life unto death,
and He was numbered with the transgressors.
Yet He bore the sin of many
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Reconciliation Tree: Approx 3' Tall - Carbon steel rebar wire, aluminum wire, copper wire, wax, September 2019

The roots of the tree which combine the types of wire are meant to represent diversity in our roots as human and our common ancestry, the trunk of the tree which has the types of wire separate symbolizes the recognition that racism has severely divided humanity, and the branches were the types of wire again intermingle symbolize the goal of reconciliation through the redeeming blood of Jesus, represented by the red wax poured over the tree. The red wire running in the center of the tree from top to bottom represent the thread of God's presence.

Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn - just after midnight, 8/13/2019

17th Street between 6th and 7th Ave in Brooklyn, two blocks away from where I lived for 8 years, has small sections of bike and walking paths that I've found absolutely magical - I'm not sure why, but the feeling is quite powerful. These photos attempted to capture some of the feeling of the area.