FaithQuest 2011_3

I like art that is physical.  I like different materials that must be handled differently than just paint.  I also like the idea that words can become a material to make an image, in this case two mountains.

God told Moses that when they got to the Promised Land they needed to recite the blessings and curses.  One group would stand on or in front of Mt. Gerazim and the other would stand on Mt. Ebbol.  In the middle would be stones piled up in an alter, with the law written on them.  Mt. Ebbol was barren and desolate, scorched by the sun.  Mt. Gerazim, however was lush and green- both places appropriately signifying the blessings or curses that would be spoken from them.

In acknowledging the universality of God’s plan, Troy Wagner spoke of the cross as being at the center, in place of the law that the rock altar symbolized.  So in keeping with my artistic preferences noted above, I thought, “What better way to include the cross while referencing the stones of the altar than to use actual stones?”

So it’s pretty straightforward, then- desolate Ebbol is in yellows/browns/reds while lush Gerazim is in greens.  The shapes of the mountains are formed by the words of cursing and blessing found in Deuteronomy chapters 27 and 28.  

There is also a detail a bit more subtle.  In art- everything should be expressive- the color, the texture, even seemingly insignificant details like the brushstroke.  Here, the brushstrokes on the 'blessings' side stay pretty even going and back and forth.  The strokes on the 'curses' side, however, go every which direction in a more chaotic way.