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My latest artwork, Marion's Dream of the Window, reminds me of the subject of my morning devotionals lately. My son bought me a devotional book entitled On Beauty and Faith. The entire work centers around a passage in the Bible (Mark 14: 1-11). The passage describes a random, generous act by a random, generous woman - an act which Jesus describes as "beautiful."

The scene takes place a couple of days before the Passover, while Jesus' enemies were making plans to end his life. Jesus was relaxing with friends and followers when this woman walks in with a luxury bottle of perfume. She breaks open the expensive alabaster bottle and lovingly pours the perfume over Jesus' head as an act of devotion.

It was also an act of faith and belief because she was essentially preparing him for burial - i.e. his upcoming sacrifice on the cross. Some of the others in the room were pissed off! She had just "wasted" an expensive bottle of perfume! Why is this irresponsible woman pouring luxury perfume on the Master when she could have sold it and given the money to the poor?? 

Why people are always telling other people how to spend their money is a post for another day. What's important to me is the fact that she spent her time and money on an act of Faith. While others called it a waste,  Jesus called it "beautiful."

Fine art is a similar "waste" in many people's eyes. Unlike commercial art, which is functional and meant to sell stuff, fine art is an act of faith. It is created in service of a particular concept or idea. It is an act of generosity, as it always begins out of the artist's own pocket. It is always carved out of the artist's own time. 

Like this anonymous woman with her alabaster jar of perfume, fine artists are often criticized. Why is she wasting her time and money on this art thing when she could be doing a "real" job?

But, Jesus calls it beautiful. That's what matters at the end of the day. The woman knew what she needed to do, and she wasn't going to let a room full of self-righteous men tell her anything different. Jesus had her back. The woman's impulse to give her offering was stronger than her fear of what everyone else had to say.

And she may not have known exactly why she was doing what she did. She felt the impulse, and she obeyed it. She put her faith into action.

Similarly, when I made this painting, Marion's Dream of the Window, I didn't fully know what I was doing or why. Only looking back do I see glimpses of its meaning.

It's about Dreams and Hopes for the future. It's about the clash between present obligations and a brighter future. There is a vibrant yet amorphous future-reality which has to be embraced with faith in the present. You need to be fully dressed and ready to walk into that future even though you can't clearly see it yet. The painting asserts that our Imagination and our Dreams are just as important as physical reality.

I don't know if a room full of people would feel indignant about the time and money I spent creating this piece. Maybe some people would call it a waste. But I'd like to think that Jesus would call it beautiful.

To follow my journey towards Beauty, please join the VIP list. You will be added to the monthly raffle to win a drawing, sketch, or painting by me.

Until next time, have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend.

With Love,

Raven