Four canvases with verse added on horizon line.
After a few frustrating days when I didn’t have the energy at the end of the day to get into the shed I managed to get down there tonight. Over the past 48 hours I’ve spoken to several people about the canvases and have gleaned their opinions and advice in order to go forward.
Watered down paint on canvas one
I definitely wanted the sense that there were more words being layered on the top of the canvases but I was seriously unsure how that would work. I knew the main verse was to go across all four canvases but under that….. would it work? The main verse went down very easily and only needed a little watering back to get it how I wanted it. The words for below were taken from the initial verses given for each area: act justly, love mercy, walk humbly; go make disciples of all nations; pray to The Lord for it, whatever you do do it with all you heart as for The Lord; I have come that you may have life to the full.
I initially painted the words in watered down paint, then continued the words over the top using water after thinking it looked too messy and unclear. The words cannot be seen but there is a sense that something is there.
Paint and water added.
I’m pleased with it and I think having it any darker or more solid would not work.
Now my nemesis!!! Canvas three has been tricky and I’ve thought really hard about whether I should completely change my mind about what goes on it. I discussed using broken pieces of pottery as a symbol of the broken jars that God uses and reforms. I’ve wondered if the roots just need to be smaller. I’ve wondered if I should use porcelain casts I made ages ago in my series called ‘broken pieces’ and either wrap words around them or write the words on. I’ve found the broken jar I soaked in spikenard that I used for the ‘Anointing’ canvas in Lichfield Cathedral. So many thoughts and questions running round my head.
Canvas three – arrangement of bound roots.
And then I went back and read through all my notes again and listened to Andrew’s talk on Doing Life Well, and it is rooting our lives in the word of God that is mentioned and featured most prominently. So I gathered together the pieces I’d made and lay them onto the canvas in different arrangements until I had three to choose from, all featuring three smaller pieces of root and arranged horizontally or vertically on different sides of the canvas. And this is the one I’ve selected and will stitch them on tomorrow when the canvases are dry. They will need re varnishing again after my painting tonight but then I think, bar maybe stitching more red thread into the cross to make that even clearer, I will be done. Hopefully they will be complete before New Wine on Sunday.
artannacrook 