A new world for me...

I'm in this odd phase of discovering myself as an artist. Interestingly, my friends would tell you that it has always been there, but it continues to surprise me.

Recently, I was invited at the church I attend to be part of the team to create this mural. There are three of us: Jody Neice, Sunny Raschke and myself. We began by painting a tree modeled off of a piece we saw on the internet and modified for our purposes. Then each of us has been painting a scene live during worship that centers on the piece of the Bible that is being taught. The series goes through the whole story of the Bible in eight weeks.

This week was my week to add. (I also did the 'dove' piece above.)

One of the things about painting in worship is that you focus on the symbology. Never before did I notice the continuity of the dove that came to Noah with a twig in Genesis and the dove as a representation of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel books. Never did I notice the theme of the thorns as part of the curse in Genesis and the crown of thorns in the Gospel books.

This idea of creating art during worship is not unique to my church. It has become a trend. A trend I believe is fueled by the image-rich, interactive digital world that we live in.

I'm really enjoying this.

© Cathy Hutchison 2009