24”x36” collage of stained glass mosaic, Swarovski crystals, and fabric
Item# 2012001
After Shelah had grown up, Judah became a widower. After Judah mourned the death of his wife, he planned on going to Timnah to shear his sheep. Upon hearing this news, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and immediately went to Enaim which was en route to Judah's destination. Upon arriving at Enaim, Judah saw the woman but did not recognize her as Tamar because of the veil she wore over her face. Thinking she was a prostitute, he requested her services. Tamar's plan was to become pregnant by this ruse in order to bear a child in Judah's line, because Judah had not given her to his son Shelah.
24”x36” collage of stained glass mosaic, jewels, and fabric
The Shulamite Woman was breathtakingly beautiful in her peasant's garb out on the farm. She was given the worst job assignment by her brothers of chasing the foxes away from the vineyard. She became the most beautiful woman in Solomon's harem when she was arrayed in royal finery. Yet, she was not corrupted by harem life.
24”x24” stained glass
The threefold reference to Rahab in the New Testament reveals how she became a faithful follower of the Lord. She had been taken from the dunghill and placed among the saints in the genealogy of the Savior. Her remarkable faith was a sanctifying faith leading her to a pure life and honorable career. As the result of her marriage to Salmon, one of the two spies whom she had saved, who “paid back the life he owed her by a love that was honorable and true,” Rahab became an ancestress in the royal line from which Jesus came as the Savior of lost souls. “Poor Rahab, the muddy, the defiled, became the fountainhead of the River of the Water of Life which flows out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Her name became sanctified and ennobled, and is worthy of inclusion among many saints.
24”x24” stained glass mosaic
Ruth was a Moabitess, who married into the Hebrew family of Elimelech and Naomi, whom she met when they left Bethlehem and relocated to Moab due to a famine. Elimelech and his two sons died leaving Naomi and her two daughters-in-law as widows. When Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem, Ruth decided to go with her despite the fact that Orpah, Naomi's other daughter-in-law went back home. Ruth vowed to follow Naomi.
24 x 24 collage of stained glass and jewels
The heroine of the book named for her, Esther is a young Jewish woman living in exile in the Persian diaspora, who through her youth and beauty becomes queen of the Persian Empire, and then by her wits and courage saves the Jewish people from destruction.
24”x24” stained glass and Swarovski crystal mosaic
Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.
24”x24” stained glass mosaic
One of Alaska’s most famous attractions is the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. They are seen most frequently in towns farther north like Barrow and Fairbanks, but they can be seen throughout Alaska on a good night.
24”x24” stained glass mosaic
I literally get lost in music. I am void of all other senses when I'm immersed in the melodic emotions of a ballad. The strings melt away my inhibitions like the gentlest lover. Simply put, I see music in colors and it ravishes my very soul. I've never understood it, but I'm ecstatic about having found a way to share the experience.
The story of the prodigal returning to the Father’s House is a central story of the New Testament. There is a similar story in the First Testament and that story is about Jacob returning to Bethel and his home. There is always the assurance of home being a place of peace and source of rejuvenation.
New Orleans is more than a place, it's way of life not to be explained but to be experienced. Saying "let the good times roll" in French is a fun and festive way to get people riled up and let them know that the party is starting. While it's not a popular saying in France because of its improper grammatical syntax, it is always popular in New Orleans, where locals and tourists alike like to laissez les bons temps rouler! The Cajuns got it right when they said let the good times roll, wherever you are.
Ancient civilizations associated the lion with power and royalty. Today lions are commonly associated with courage, power, royalty, dignity, authority, justice, wisdom, and ferocity. Ain't I a lioness.
I have always indulged in learning about other cultures and more particular, the way they use art and it's symbolism in that culture. In Buddhist art, a fully blooming lotus flower signifies enlightenment, while a closed bud represents a time before enlightenment. Sometimes a flower is partly open, with its center hidden, indicating that enlightenment is beyond ordinary sight.
The mud nourishing the roots represents our messy human lives. It is within our human experiences and our suffering that we seek to break free and bloom. But while the flower rises above the mud, the roots and stem remain in the mud, where we live our lives. A Zen verse says, "May we exist in muddy water with purity, like a lotus." I fancy myself a special kind of lotus.
Orang-utan means 'person of the forest' in the Malay language. This piece was created from a photo that I'd taken on the last time that we took our children to the Jackson Zoo. They almost looked as if they knew that they didn't belong there, Like they knew this was not their home. I can relate.
Uncomfortable conversations are a burden to us all. We have been complicit by ignoring or accepting pain and emotional imprisonment as normal. This collection is a forum for repressed anger, unacknowledged pain, and silent screams. Now is the time to engage in the conversation and loose our tortured souls. Lets' get uncomfortable.
