Inspiration

I've just returned from New York City where I had the extra special, opportunity of seeing The Lion King on Broadway. My seat was at the back of the theatre, but it was still a great seat. This location caused me to reflect upon how we can't think of our worship spaces from just one up close "good" seat. How do you make the visual important from every angle of the congregation? In this photo from the performance the costuming demonstrates how very simple, yet dramatic color combinations can be one way to make a visual stand out. Conversly there are many times you don't want to call attention to a visual...you just want it to enhance an entire service. The patterns on the stage in this photo are an example of how the visual can be a supporting element in what we do in our worship spaces. When Carrot Top Studio works on a banner commission I always sit in many different seats within the worship space prior to confirming the plan for banners. It's an interesting task....give it a try!

Lessons from the Raspberry Patch

As an artist I tend to be a visual leraner (go figure!). Connections are made at times that I sometimes don't expect. Last night I was in my small raspberry patch enjoying the luscious, ripe fruit. We have never had such a bountiful crop of extremly large berries. What is different this year to produce such a wonderful harvest? Is it the water, the soil, the light, or did I actually remember to do the tedious chore of pruning the prickly branches last fall? While munching and collecting berries John 15:2 came to mind. It says: He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. As a gardner and as a Christian I have learned that even fruitful branches need pruning. So this week I am thankful for the visual of the raspberry bushes that have reminded me that the more fruit we bring forth, the more we abound in what is good, the more our Lord is glorified. So I look inward to see what I need to prune from my life today (I'm afraid there is always much to choose from)...and hopefully this fall I will remember to prune the raspberry bushes also!

A detail...

...of what we're working on. Can you predict the scripture this goes with?

What I'm Reading....

...Art in Service of the Sacred by Catherine Kapikian. Kapikian is the director of the Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion at Wesley Theological Seminary and I have long been an admirer of her work. A DVD is included in the book with wonderful visuals to use while reading the text.

The book jacket promotes this wonderful work with this: "Art in Service of the Sacred encourages congregations to take seriously the role of visual art in worship and in the broader life of the church. This rich resource explores the dynamics between art, artist, and the church. It proclaims the power of art when used as art, reclaims the presence of religious symbols in worship, asserts the importance of the aesthetic dimensions of ecclesial space, and recovers the role of visual art to engage our senses and imaginations as we seek to encounter God in our lives."

I couldn't put this book down when it arrived and have gone back through it with several times sense. It is recommended as a vital resource for the artist/church relationship. Enjoy!

It's Good to Be Green!

In my youth and then through my own children I've watched my fair share of Sesame Street and recall that Kermit the frog didn't think it was very easy being green. If you don't remember this moment you can watch it here. Carrot Top Studio loves celebrating green during Ordinary Time and thinks it's very easy to be green! Green has traditionally been associated with new life and growth. Even in Hebrew in the Old Testament, the same word for the color “green” also means “young.” In Christian tradition, green has come to symbolize the life of the church following Pentecost, as well as symbolizing the hope of new life in the resurrection. The palette is inspired by the many greens God has gifted us with. But, Ordinary Time certainly does not need to be "ordinary," and is not meant to mean that somehow we get a break from the Liturgical Year. The opposite is true: Ordinary Time celebrates "the mystery of Christ in all its aspects." Our website has new stoles in many categories including Baptism, Ordinary Time, and the "even more stoles" category. Additionally if you like a bargain, you can try to win one of our stoles on eBay by looking here!

Resurrection Symbols

I grow garlic in my garden. It is a really fun plant to watch transform...first the appearance of the long skinny green leaves shooting into the air from the bulbs that are hidden under ground where they have laid dormant for so many months, then the long snake like stem with a bud wrapped tightly at the end. When it's time for the bud to open we wtach it transform throughout the day as the tissue paper like wrapping splits open and the bloom opens up.

This reminds me of other Resurrection symbols. I think of the transformation a butterfly goes through before it emerges, the lily likewise emerging from a seemingly dead bulb (grave), and the pomegranate whose seeds bursting forth are likened to Christ bursting forth from the tomb on Easter.

How does your garden grow?