Pyrography - original art by Kathleen Marie
Agape Sculptures, Revealing the Beauty Within
Love, Fruits of the Spirit Series, Corinthians 14:4-8
I am embarking on a new series of work which has been a tremendous spiritual journey for me. After praying for obedience and direction I was told to take a walk…in the best sense. Literally take a walk and take nothing with me, no coffee, no phone, no pruners or loppers for multi-tasking so I was totally present. What happened next was astonishing because I began to see the deadwood on my property in a new way. Instead of feeling sorrow for the trees that had died I saw beautiful sculptural art, gifts from God, and there was a shift in my little patch of the universe. What I heard next was "Take these and give people joy". Wow, what a mandate. So I present to you the first of the Agape Sculptures.
Phoenix Rising, Promises Series
TX Persimmon on fossil coral
As a person who has harbored a skeptical view of obedience I was surprised to find it so rewarding and peaceful on those rare occasions when I manage it. I will always be a work in progress. As an artist I have been a detail oriented realist so these natural forms are fun for me since they are abstract and I am not trying to make them look like anything other than what they are. I love them even before I get the dirt off. The real lesson here; "don't judge a book by its cover"… Same with people. It starts like this:
Endurance, Promises Series
Sycamore burl
The greatest fun is hunting and now that I have an old jeep gathering is fun too. No more lugging them over hill and dale in my arms.
After I get the big chunks off power-washing is the next step and that's a good job to do in the summer heat. Fortunately I don't mind getting dirty. Once they are cleaned up it's a matter of grinding, carving, sanding and whatever it takes to go
The Offering 1, Offerings Series
Live Oak, clam fossil, marble
It looks like a bird but it was like that already.
Taking these God sculptures and honing them is a joy. I have decided to do 3 series to start, Fruits of the Spirit, Offerings and Promises. Come along with me on this journey of discovery. I will still be doing pyrographic art and who knows what else. The debut of these sculptural pieces will be at the Texas Masters show May 27-29 at the YO Resort hotel in Kerrville.www.texasmasters.com.
Faithful to Hope, Fruits of the Spirit Series
Spanish oak, copper wire
There is a story behind all of these pieces and especially this one. I made this into a hanging piece because I like the way it looks from every angle. It's sensuous. But the real story is that the heart shaped hole in the middle put me in mind of the emptiness in me that needs to be filled by the spirit. The heart is a little jagged around the edges which I can relate to as well and I imagine you can too. Here's the best part. I called it Faithful to Hope and that was tested when I went to photograph it and dropped it on concrete while trying to hang it from the ceiling in the studio. My usual response to this would have been violent outburst, raging at the ruin of a piece after days of work. A large piece had broken off of it. But this time as I stood looking down on it from the ladder I thought "Well, that changed it up" The heart-shaped hole is still there and so is the essence of the piece. It may be even better. Faithful to Hope.
Joy, Fruits of the Spirit series
Red Oak root, fossil limestone
This one looks so exuberant from every angle, it just amazes me that such a tortured looking little root can "feel" so joyful.
Dreamscape, Offerings series
Live Oak bark, Red Oak burl, snail fossil
(Tree lizard not included)
When I went to photograph this I found someone who really seems to like it. He stayed on while I carried it outside and took this picture.
The next four images are the same piece from different angles. It will sit in a variety of ways which is fun. I'm thinking of calling it Mountains of Spice after Hannah Hurnard's book but I'm open to suggestions. What do you think?
