WALK: origin

"Origin" by Kathryn Beals, 2010

The front of our bulletin at Grace has quotes for reflection as we gather to worship.  Frequently, I also like to feature a piece of art on the cover with a similar function, tied to the sermon series or to the current period of the Christian calendar.

This past month has featured an artwork by Kathryn Beals called "Origin."  Her art has been featured in the past for our Advent season covers.  This past fall, I asked a few visual artists at Grace to reflect upon one of the themes in our FOLLOW series in hopes that I could feature it on the cover of a sermon series this winter/spring.  Kathryn chose the WALK sermon, and "Origin" is the result.  Not only has the painting enriched our community, it also took on a unique significance in her life.  In her own words:

Most of my surreal landscapes are based on dreams, and I had had a vivid dream just before the birth that my baby was at the top of a mountain on an island and I had to get him. The mountain in the dream reminded me of a difficult pass Travis and I climbed in the Sierras a few years ago, so I painted it in the distance. I started painting with the Walk theme in mind but it took on new meaning for me with Max's birth - the contractions started 12 hours after I finished painting it, and I ended up using it as a "focal point" during my 55 hour labor.

Kathryn also filmed the painting from start to finish, which she is editing into a speed painting video for her website.  Here is a still from it.

UPDATE: Watch Kathryn's "Speed Painting" video of this work.