Image & Spirit: February 2009

Dissolving Otherness

by Diane Walker

We are Other,
you and I,
yet they are We,
to them.
They are separate,
and yet together;
We are separate from them.

What will it take
for all of us to become We?
A puppy chasing its tail before us
'til we all dissolve in laughter
and the borders dissolve with us?

Or some hideous ball of flame in the distance,
driving us to cling together in fear?

What hand will you extend,
and how will you extend it?
If there is no room to climb the stairs,
What steps will you take?

Who will start to build our circle of trust?

Lent

by Connie Backus-Yoder

The altar frontal above represents the entire season of Lent. At the beginning, our minds are not focused on the serious aspects of our lives when it comes to the darkness that is in our hearts. The fabric is a little flowery and very, very light. Then as the days and weeks progress and we look forrward to Good Friday, we see ourselves in a different light. Still loved by God, and precious apples of His/Her eyes, but as we turn inward we see ways that may not be pleasing to our Loving Father.

Three glimpses of Easter are represented by yellow/gold satin on the Quilt and represent the Trinity. The darkest nights of all is the darkest fabric, which is where the last representation of the Trinity occurs to hearken to His resurrection at Dawn.

The thorns are a copy from the floor of one of the chapels in England, and represent not only the sufferings of our Savior in His precious work on our behalf, but also our own suffering as we apply His principles into our weary, worn lives.

Seen above: Altar Frontal "Lent" by Connie Backus-Yoder

That Which Hides You

Rood Screen
by Diane Walker

Help me always to remember:
that which hides you
also draws my attention to you;
that which masks may also reveal --
and yet,
that which most enhances your allure
is exactly what keeps us apart.

It Is The Same Life

Icon of St. Francis of Assisi
by Virginia Wieringa

Stream of Life
by Rabindranath Tagore

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth
in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth
and of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

Canticle of the Sun
by St. Francis of Assisi

"...Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures,
especially through my lord Brother Sun,
who brings the day; and you give light through him.
And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars;
in the heavens you have made them bright, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
and clouds and storms, and all the weather,
through which you give your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water;
she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom you brighten the night.
He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth,
who feeds us and rules us,
and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs ..."

And you must see:

"Dancing" video
by Matthew Harding

Please note that all credit for this inspirational and fresh combination of "image and spirit" goes to Virginia Wieringa.

This Landscape

by Diane Walker

This landscape,
clothed in dark and light,
success and failure,
death and resurrection—a canvas
on which you paint the golden glow of hope.

We Are Stardust

The Art Blog at Episcopal Cafe

"Stanford Quad" (above) painted by The Rev. Eliza Linley and quilted by Deborah Rasmussen is shown this week at Episcopal Cafe. About this piece, the artist writes: "The arches of the Stanford Quad open here onto deep space. Images brought to us over the years by the Hubble Telescope put us in touch with a cosmic truth: we are stardust; the atoms that make up our bodies were present at the dawn of creation. The stars we see today are echoes of a drama that took place millions of years ago. This perspective gives us a more complete understanding of our place in the universe and our responsibility for the care of our planet."

Read more here.

Burr Oak Leaf

by Ruth Councell

As I was beginning to draw this leaf [above] in a botanical art class, the instructor said, "Pay attention to the central vein of the leaf. It is through that vein that the leaf gets its life from the tree. The whole structure of the leaf is built off of that vein."

When I saw the leaf in that way, the drawing came much more easily and naturally.

And it occurred to me that this was about more than drawing leaves.

It was a reminder to me that by paying attention to the source of life, everything else will flow from it.

Who Calls Us?

By Diane Walker

What bright moon
slices through the trees
to cast her golden net
across the water?

Who is it
that calls us to
this liquid wholeness?

The Artist's Purpose

The Art Blog at Episcopal Cafe

"Just as there are many ways of being in a place, there are also many ways of seeing..."

So begins President Mel Ahlborn's post, expressing the gratitude of the Board of Directors of Episcopal Church & Visual Arts to Episcopal Cafe and to the many generous supporters whose 2008 contributions make possible this work." Read it all HERE.

On View: "Communion" by Camilla Armstrong. Oil on linen, 1998. As seen in Visual Preludes 2006.

Eyes To See

"Lord, purge our eyes to see
Within the seed a tree,
Within the glowing egg a bird
Within the shroud a butterfly
Till, taught by such we see
Beyond all creatures, thee
And harken to thy tender word
And hear its "Fear not; it is I."

Words: Christina Rossetti quoted in "God Has No Religion: Blending Traditions For Prayer" by Frances Sheridan Goulart

Image: Haleconia, by Suzanne Charleston

New Horizon

"What is the new horizon in you that wants to be seen?"
by John O'Donohue in "To Bless the Space
Between Us: A Book of Blessings"

Seen above: Photography by Diane Walker