Consider

Consider

Teresa Carter

2010

Oil and Mixed Media on Birch Panel

36” x 36”

Eighteen houses - newspaper birdhouses made from clippings that speak of the housing market- hang from decaying branches while a bird keeps watch over her home.

Is this two perspectives within one composition or the perspective of one living within the assurance of a God who sees and cares?

“Consider the birds of the air,” Jesus said. “They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they?” Jesus' question answers one of the questions posed by God to Job centuries earlier. “Who prepares for the raven its nourishment, when its young cry to God, and wander about without food?” Job 38:41.

The mottled colors of the houses and branches reflect the uncertainties the world has to offer while a bird is framed with the colors and symbols of life - cherry blossoms above and eggs below, also representing new life and rebirth.

Daily newspapers are ephemeral- manna for the masses who seek answers to the wrong questions, solace from the ever-gnawing anxiety: What if...?

Most fears never manifest in a visible reality. But, sometimes they do. Sometimes banks foreclose and families are homeless. Sometimes vehicles are repossessed and caretakers are unemployed. What happens when a fear becomes visible? Is God still God?

In Matthew 14, Simon Peter walked on water toward Jesus until “he noticed the strong wind.” It is the force of the wind that determines the height of the waves, and the wind comes from God. The devil cannot live in the heart of a Christian but he can play in his mind and his 'what-ifs' can cause believers to focus on the height of the waves instead of the source of the wind.

The writer of Ecclesiastes said:

Look at what God has done: No one can straighten what he has bent. When life is good, enjoy it. But when life is hard, remember: God gives good times and hard times, and no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

Ecclesiastes 7:13,14 NCV

Consider is a visible reminder of a promise: “Consider the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they?”  

Re-Purposing and Kingdom Ethics

Camp Stephen Mural Backdrop

Acrylic on canvas

12' x 5'

Teresa Carter

"The passing years and the artistic life have taught me that past, present and future are realities only so long as I dwell on this globe that whirls around a star."

Vinita Hampton Wright

"There are two things you should know: first, what you are; second, that you are not what you are by your own power."

Bernard of Clairvaux

1090-1153 

Youth camp ended Friday, at noon. Samuel and Emma experienced the week as campers, Teresa as a teacher, leading a group in art projects, and me as a kitchen volunteer. There is much time for reflection while chopping and cooking and mopping and dish-washing (my hi-lite was learning, thanks to Aaron Hershberger, to toss a pizza!). My respect for all who serve in the kitchen is now one of admiration.

While trimming the fat from a case of chicken, I meditated on the notion of creativity, specifically, where and how ideas occur for these creatures known as 'artists'. I am grateful for a memorial designer named Eugene H. Faehnle. He led a design workshop I attended in Elberton, Ga., almost twenty five years ago. On day one, he said, "It occurred to me one day that many of the designs in my industry have not changed in more than half a century. The traditional 20th Century memorial is, what I call, a P2 SerpBurp with corner clutter and band aids (see below for 'tombstone terminology'). I began to take note of contemporary design, as it relates to other fields. I realized something. Companies spend millions on good design. So, I drove to the local drug store and walked the aisles, noting product shapes and dimensions." 

Eugene H. Faehnle revolutionized American memorial design by re-purposing good design. He passed away several years ago but his memory is honored by the American Institute of Commemorative Art's Annual Design Contest. 

 P2 SerpBurp w/Corner Clutter & Band Aids

I owe Eugene Faehnle a great debt. He stands in line with those who have helped shape the way I see. He reminds me that we, along with our 'ideas', are not our own; we are a part of a collaborative collective, stewards of creative moments meant to enhance, encourage and educate others. I have a list of concepts I keep tucked away, a group of pieces I plan to realize one day. While trimming chicken fat in a church kitchen, I had this thought- what if God, in His infinite generosity, gives me more ideas than I can generate so that I might give them to other artists/students? What if I posted a project concept on an international bulletin board and an artist in Tokyo had the means and time to realize it in a way I never imagined? After all, we who claim the name of Christ, are not owners but stewards, even over 'intellectual property rights'. It's Kingdom Ethics fleshed out. 

I have compiled a list of a few concepts I have tucked away and I am making them available to anyone interested. You can click here for a PDF link, or, if you email, I will send a hand-written list from one of my yellow legal pads- old fashioned, USPS snail mail. Everybody loves mail. If you see something you decide to produce you don't have to tell anyone you got the concept from a guy in South Carolina (tho' I would be thrilled to hear from an artist in Tokyo). My email address is- shekhinah@juno.com.   

Tombstone Terminology

P2- Polished two sides 

Serp- Serpentine Top

Burp (BRP)- Balance rock pitched

The Stirring, Teresa Carter

"Israel believed that the prophetic word pronounced, which came from God, was an event, a three-dimensional event, and not merely indifferent sounds issuing from the throat. Such an event set other events in motion, moving in a way they would not have moved without that word."

Jeremy Driscoll, A Monk's Alphabet

Artist's are an odd lot. I know because my wife and I are both artists. It's okay to be odd, sometimes. Besides, I don't want to be like everyone else. Here's a thought I've been chewing on for some years now- artists are bridges between the classes, drinking beer with a house framer one moment and having wine with a bank VP in an art gallery the next. Michelangelo is a good example. Of course, with this privilege comes responsibilty.

The language of art...a picture is worth a thousand words. Imagine the vocabulary required of the Louvre. So, here's another thought- if prophetic words set events in motion, what about prophetic art? What happens when a prophetic utterance occurs on canvas? Every generation is filled with those who impact culture with their words, music, paintings, sculpture. Those working within their time speak to their time. The prophetic transcends time.

"Creation is the language of God, time is His song, and things of space the consonants in the song. To sanctify time is to sing the vowels in unison with Him. This is the task of men, to conquer space and sanctify time." Abraham Joshua Heschel