new collage: lent 1, 2012 - the baptism of suffering

"lent 1-2012; the baptism of suffering"

mixed media collage on stretched box canvas (vintage papers, acrylic paint, glue)

gregory a. milinovich

this is part 1 of a lenten collage series i am doing this year. i think this will be the third year now that i have done a series of collages for lent, and i find it to be such a valuable exercise that i wanted to do it again this year. it just helps me to mark the time in very deliberate ways as we move from ash to nails and then to folded gravecloths. i wish i had the time to take every sunday's big idea and express it on canvas in my own way, but i just don't have the time for that. still, it would have it's merits for me as thinking about each text and the message that it is speaking to me and our church in a more visual and right-brained way is a completely different approach.

this particular collage had to do with our first sunday in lent, which dealt with noah and the covenant God made with him and his family. during this lent we are focusing on some of the great paradoxes of our faith, and as we began lent we started by remembering our own baptisms, and realizing that sometimes the baptisms that we go through are very difficult, full of suffering and pain. we acknowledged that there are often floods and fire that mark our days, but that our own baptisms remind us of our great hope: God's covenant with us, not only that the earth will never be completely flooded again, but that our sins are washed away by the flood of love let loose in Jesus.

these collages are quite small, only 3.75" by 3.75", and 1.75" deep, as you can see by the pictures. each one of my collages in this series will be the exact size, and will give me the opportunity to collage on the front and four sides of the canvas. on this one i wanted to symbolize the hope of our baptism, which comes even in the midst of the suffering we experience, by the olive leaf. even in the storm or the flood there is the promise of new life, thanks be to God.

of course i've already finished my lent 2 collage as well, and i'll post that in a couple of days, as the journey continues.

Comments

bad haircuts (for a laugh)

everybody needs to laugh. one good way i have found to make that happen is to do a simple google image search for 'bad haircut.' when you do so, some of the following gems show up. thankfully, my 9th grade school picture does NOT show up. otherwise, it would certianly make this list! please laugh freely and without inhibition. thank you and have a nice day.

keep reading

happiness is dry underwear

we started potty training jack on thursday. we followed a program called POTTY TRAIN IN ONE DAY, which, by the way, i think is kind of crazy. i mean, if someone were to offer you a book called, "ACHIEVE WORLD PEACE IN ONE DAY" i don't think you would take it seriously. and yet here we are, trying to accomplish an equally daunting task in one 24-hour period. it is intense. the day is shrouded in a lie because as soon as your happily diapered child wakes up you tell him that it is a big party. we had balloons and streamers and noisemakers and silly string - all the trappings of a legitimate party. but it is most certainly not a party. it is a hellishly exhausting day. as soon as jack got out of bed, we gave him a present: an anatomically correct doll that wets himself. jack named him quincy. several times quincy successfully peed in the potty and even had an accident or two in his "big boy underwear." he also dropped a deuce that looked and smelled sus

keep reading

i'm giving away the swamp

so this is a collage called swamp. i made it in february of last year. it is currently framed in a homemade, hand-painted frame. it is paper collage on a book binding panel. it is 7" x 10". and i am giving it away. i've been wanting to have a blog giveaway for some time, and the time has finally arrived. here's how it works. all you need to do is leave a comment on this post. by leaving a comment you are automatically entered into the contest (as long as your comment offers a way for me to get in touch with you, or you know that i know you). the contest will be open until next wednesday at noon, eastern standard time. at that time the contest will officially be closed and i will pick a random number. the person whose comment matches that number wins! for example, if i happen to pick the number 33, the thirty-third comment will win. oh, and one more rule: you can only post ONCE. if you win, i will send you the collage, signed by me, the artist, free of c

keep reading

the unlikely orange

Search This Blog