What Ever Does That Mean?, Part 2

What symbols make a connection to the Word for you during Ordinary Time? Continuing last week's blog post of defining a bit of what we do at Carrot Top Studio I thought we'd look at a few symbols that we might find in a worship space or on a stole or worship banner and figure out what they might mean. This group includes symbols for God:

All -seeing Eye. A Symbol of the omniscience of God (Ps. 33:18) The eye is shown within a rayed triangle.

Circle. This is an ancient symbol representing eternity and completeness because it has no beginning and no ending.

Creator's star. A six-pointed star, made from two equilateral triangles, symbolizing the Triune God. The six points are reminiscent of the six attributes of God: power, majesty, wisdom, love, mercy, and justice, and also of the six days of Creation.

Hand of God. A symbol of God the Father, the only symbol for God used during the first eight centuries of the church. The hand symbolizes God as creator and sustainer of all of creation, and comes from the many references to the "hand of God" in the Bible (e.g., Deut. 3:23-24, Ezra 8:21-23, 1 Pet. 5:6) The Hand may be shown in any of the following postures:

• reaching down from the clouds.
• descending from the clouds, and holding five tiny human beings, representative of being held in God's hand (Ps. 139:10).
• in the Latin form, reaching down from heaven in blessing, the two first fingers and thumb extended, and the other two bent to the palm. This image is superimposed over a three-rayed nimbus enclosed in a circle, a symbol of Deity.
• in the Greek form, with the hand pointing to heaven, the forefinger extended, the middle finger and little finger closed in a half-circle, and the thumbs crossing the ring finger. Reading right to left, this form spells ICXC or Jesus Christ in Greek.

In times when not everyone learned to read books, symbols were used as "the language" to tell the story of our faith. Therefore in literate societies today we have lost some of the knowledge of the meaning of these images. In the studio we're all for artistic interpretation but we also appreciate historical symbols and their meaning. Next week we'll explore a few more!

What Ever Does That Mean?

"What Ever Does That Mean?" is a phrase I often hear my teenagers and their friends rattle off. Sometimes they're being funny or flip but sometimes they really just don't understand. This phrase has made me wonder how often Carrot Top Studio writes a description of a stole and we use terminology familiar in an art studio that might need some further definition. Here are some of those terms defined:


Applique-a decorative design made of one material sewn over another. The gold cross on this Advent stole is appliqued onto the purple fabric base.

Machine embroidery-for our work this involves using a satin stitch (a tight zig zag stitch) around the edge of an appliqued symbol or image. This gives a finished edge and prevents the applique from fraying. The star on this Christmas stole has been finished with machine embroidery.

Machine free motion stitching-involves simultaneously running the machine and skillfully moving tightly hooped fabric under the needle in unison with the machine to create even stitches. We think of this as drawing with the machine needle instead of a pencil. A specific repetitive pattern could be followed (like quilters use) or it might be appropriate to be more free and abstract. The details in the crown of thorns on this Lent stole is an example of this type of detailing.

Hand painted-simply put....we're putting a brush in our hands and painting on the stole. This Easter stole depicts a little of our work.

Stamped with textile paint-stamping with a commercial or in studio created stamp can often add just the right detail or special accent to a stole. This ordination stole wasn't complete until the Trinity symbol of the fleur de lis was stamped on the hem.

Eyelash yarns-I often wonder if you think we've lost our mind when we write a description claiming that we've used these yarns. This yarn is a novelty item created for knitters. It looks furry or like a long string of eyelashes and adds a delightful bit of texture in just the right place on stoles such as on the stems of this ivy on this Ordinary Time stole. We stitch it onto the stole.

Variegated threads-last but not least we love using variegated threads. The way the thread has been dyed either subtly or boldly changing from one color to the next adds a wonderful bit of artistic interest. The cross on the back tip of this Communion stole was edged with variegated thread....dark on some edges then lighter on others.

We hope this tutorial is informative and if you're still saying "What ever does that mean?" that you won't hesitate to send us an email or give us a call to find out more.

"Looking At" Psalm 133

Continuing the thought from last week's blog post that visuals connected with worship don't always have to be stoles or worship banners here are two examples of art that could accompany worship. Psalm 133 is part of the lectionary for many worshipers this week. After I traveled to Haiti earlier this summer and lived in community for a week this is a theme I have thought of often since. Isn't it a beautiful how the Psalmist descriptively compares the living together in peace to that of the pleasantness of anointing with holy oil? I think you might also enjoy these two artistic interpretations....

Psalm 133, Ben Shahn

Ben Shahn's interpretation of this Psalm reminds me of two living together that outwardly appear to be different. But the dynamics of the illustrations around these 'birds' reflect the unity and joy of living in love and peace. This brings great delight, blessings and rewards for the now but ultimately scripture tells us that it will be for the forever. Ben Shan's art tends to have the sophistication of reducing an image to the simplest form to relayi the message. How does this relate to the message in Psalm 133?

Psalm 133, Mark Lawrence

Above we see a second interpretation of Psalm 133 by contemporary artist Mark Lawrence. The energy this artist has created in his depiction of unity is magnificent. The blessings definitely seem as infinite as the drops of dew as the Psalmist records. You can read more about Mark's work here. I find the artist's color palette to be interesting. As your eyes travel around the art work what types of emotions are conjured up? Do you feel a call to action to forgive one another as Christ taught us to do and strive harder for peace and unity? 


Using visuals can draw us closer to Scripture and help us grow in our faith. Just a reminder--if you use images such as the above to make a connection to the Word give credit where credit is due and if the images is contemporary then seek the artist's permission first. 

Integrating Faith with Art

stoles by Carrot Top Studio

Are you using visuals to enhance ministry, make connections to the Word of the Lord and encourage those around you to grow in their faith? Visuals can be woven into (no pun intended!) ministry in many different ways. If you are a traditionalist you might first think of the visuals of fiber art in worship such as in stoles, paraments and worship banners. Color and symbols --simple or complex--are great connectors to a message. Or maybe you lean towards worship that uses visuals on large screen projections or bold displays of color from creatively placed worship banners. That's just the beginning of the possibilities! Here's a little list of some additional ideas:

• include historical or contemporary works of art on worship bulletins or in your church newsletter that support what the message of the day or church year season is. If you do this it is customary to then give the artist and piece of work (name and title). If you seek contemporary images (i.e. from living artists) and don't have any within your congregation then approach a local art guild or look to the children or teens within your faith community.

The Sower, Vincent van Gogh

• likewise you can include this type of art in multimedia or large screen projections. Remember variety keeps people's attention and draws them into the message and if we only use one format of visual, such as only slick photography, we will be less likely to keep everyone focused.

• share art in Sunday School classes of all ages. All ages from the younger to the older/wiser set can examine a piece of art to start a conversation that relates to the Bible passage being studied. The art could be depicting the particular scripture or it could just be related to it. For example if you were examining the Parable of the Sower you might gather several different images of sowers to help you discuss the parable and associated metaphors. Textweek is a great online resource of such images. Additionally some libraries have art reproductions that can be lent and you might also have the gift of local artists that have work that could be borrowed (oh my wouldn't that be wonderful!)

• additionally there are wonderful children's books that use master works of art and lend you questions to discuss with the viewer. You might enjoy using any of the books from the Come Look With Me series by Gladys S. Blizzard. They are not based on Christian art but I have no doubt you can find a lot of artworks that relate to Biblical stories. Blizzard gives great background information on each piece and models interesting questions to ask the children to help guide a discussion one-on-one or in a small group.

The opportunities are endless! Don't neglect the connection.