Original artwork description:

How good of a friendship would you have if you never spoke to or interacted with your friend? Friendship grows and deepens over time spent, trust extended, joys and pains shared. The same is true in our relationship with Jesus, as we demonstrate our trust in Him and His central value to us as we consistently set time aside to open our soul to Him, to pray. I began this painting by printing various Scripture passages on gold paper (such as Exodus 15, Psalms 23 and 46, Isaiah 40, 1 Chronicles, and others), which I collaged onto the canvas in the shape of a Cross, to express my belief that the impetus to pray comes first from God. For me, the Bible has been a life-long and inexhaustible source of help, inspiration and comfort, so it’s important to me, as a Christian artist, to center my work on Scripture. I painted various colors and patterns onto watercolor paper, which I also collaged, to express the fact that prayer carries us through all seasons of life: joy, pain, doubt, grief, et. The palette is based upon blue, “true blue” as they say, because blue is associated with trust and fidelity. Blue and purple are also calming, which is a necessary state of mind, heart and soul to pray effectively. I chose circles as the main motif because I wanted to express time and eternity: after all, one revolution of our globe is a day, so a half-circle, therefore, can express our waking hours. The size of circles shows that sometimes we can allow hours of time to prayer and worship; on other days, perhaps, our prayers are brief (but no less heart-felt). The paint is intentionally transparent or opaque in areas, as God grants us insight. If you, or someone you know, feels that prayer is their rock, as I do, then I hope that this painting (and it’s soon to be completed companion piece) will be a visual expression of their on-going and ever deepening relationship with Jesus Christ. A satin varnish has been applied, for protection, and hanging hardware is already installed.

Materials used:

acrylic, oil and cold wax on canvas

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