After we moved from Sedro-Woolley to Camano Island in 1997, I found myself in a very rich art environment and decided to take a few watercolor classes.  At the time I was bothered a great deal by osteoarthritis and began to sense God leading me into this as a way to take the focus off myself.

Art has been a lifelong interest.  My mother kept us supplied with scissors, paints, glue, clay, and whatever recycled paper she could find.  My father was a builder and a creative craftsman.  My sister and I took private sketching classes in upper elementary school but it wasn’t until college that I took oil painting.  Some of the greatest learning experiences in my growing years came from visits to many art, science, and history museums and historic sites on the East Coast, where my aunt chauffeured us on numerous family excursions.

My work is mostly Fine Art Collage.  The materials consist of a variety of objects, papers, paints, recycled paintings, oil pastels, or crayons, adhered to a sturdy backing with acrylic polymer glue.  During the creative process I look for unifying elements of texture, color, line, shape, or pattern.  The design can be abstract or realistic.  Often I come up with the subject or prevailing emotion as I am working and attempt to resolve it as I go.

Working on the sermon series has not been a piece of cake!!  It has required more thinking and research than I expected (except for the first one, which had been finished prior to the series work).  Instead of working toward a resolution of subject or feeling, I am starting with a subject, and in essence for me, working backwards in my thought processes.  I have used Scripture to bring ideas into the work, and looked online for historic paintings of similar subjects.  In using magazine collage for “The Fall” I have wanted to have very clear portrayals of sin rather than a more abstract image.

I am both pleased and humbled to be assisting Pastor Pat with the Gallery Series.

God is an artist. Just look at the creation! Artistry and craftsmanship abound. That’s what I love about my collaboration with artist Betty Marsh. In doing the Pictures of Redemption series together I get to hang out with a real artist and watch the magic happen when ideas become imagery and my messages are linked with visual metaphors.

The creative process Betty goes through to move from imagination to visualization mirrors the transformative work of God in our lives. We were originally conceived to be creatures of promise but that design was marred by the fall into sin. Now God is at work to repaint our portraits by making us the images of God’s new creation in Christ. From creation through crisis to consummation the Divine Artist is picturing for us the truth of our redemption. God invites us through Scripture to experience the galleries of our plight and of God’s promises and redeeming power…Come take the tour!