2018 Stations of the Cross - Our Artists' Reflections - St. Patrick's Episcopal Church
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Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as Way of Sorrows or Via Crucis, refers to a series of imag- es depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imitations of Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem which is believed to be the actual path Jesus walked to Mount Calvary. The object of the stations is to help the Christians faithful to make a spir- itual pilgrimage through contemplation of the Passion of Christ. It has become one of the most popular devotions and the stations can be found in many Western Christian churches, including Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, and Roman Catholic ones. Commonly, a series of 14 images will be arranged in numbered order along a path and the faithful travel from image to image, in order, stopping at each station to say the selected prayers and reflections. This will be done individually or in a procession most commonly during Lent, especially on Good Friday, in a spirit of reparation for the sufferings and insults that Jesus endured during his passion. Page 2 of 36
A History of the Stations of the Cross at St. Patrick’s (1999-2013) By Rob Grove We were not visiting the church in Marietta that evening in 1989 to see their display of paintings of Stations of the Cross. We were there because we were the featured act: a group of St. Patrick’s parishioners presenting an original play (My Beloved). I was the drummer for the production, but also saw myself as something of a painter. So, the Stations of the Cross caught my eye. They were locally done and recent. One artist had done all fourteen and I thought that that would be a great project to take on. So, I filed it away as something I might want to take on…someday. I had not reached that someday by 1998 and was thinking it was not likely to happen. We were just coming back to St. Patrick’s after a few years away and found that an artist’s colony had sprung up there during our absence, and I was seeing the products of one of their Art Retreats that Sunday morning in 1998, and I thought, “Wow. There are a lot of artists here. Maybe, instead of doing the Stations myself, we could get 14 artists to do one each and display them on Good Friday and Easter.” They would be in a variety of styles, ...but doesn’t that pretty well illustrate the diversity and variety of our faith community? I ran the idea by Gray Temple (our rector at that time) and he encouraged me to run with it. I had to ask him, “What are the Stations of the Cross?” He explained how when European crusaders finally walked in the Holy Lands after so many years they returned home with great clout. Cathedrals in France and England set up the Stations to provide a similar experience to those who couldn't travel to Jerusalem. Actually, I was asking for a list. I guess he figured I could walk around the Sanctuary and look at the wood and brass Stations to get the list. So, I did. I got the phone list of people who attend these art retreats from the church secretary. I knew some of them…Nancy Dusenberry and Anita Beatty…but many were new to me…Sue Davis, Susan McBride, Becky Mitchell, Joe Kenimore. At that time, most people were not really using email yet, so I called them, and many agreed to participate or at least meet and discuss it. That discussion led to the first Stations Project in 1999. My aspirations for the project were far reaching that first year. Fourteen artists would create one 24” x 30” work of art between Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday. We would custom build all 14 frames. I sketched a profile of mouldings that we would build into uniform frames. Andy Krakowiak, Bill Hunt and Doug Carlson each built about a third of them. We would get a model who looked kind of like Jesus…hopefully from our parish (Ron Hutchins) …and get a photographer from our parish (sorry, I forgot her name) and shoot depictions of all fourteen Stations. The artists could use these as inspirations or literal models for their paintings. You see, I am more of a literal painter and I work in oils, and I kind of assumed everybody would. Silly me. The artists that signed up agreed that the size would be 24” x 30”, but they had other media in mind: pastels, acrylics, watercolors, even stained glass. The photos were helpful to some and not to others. It was my first lesson that different artists approach the task of creating a Station differently. A good thing. The 14 artists of the Stations of the Cross for St. Patrick’s that first year (1999) were Becky Mitchel, Norman Thomas, Debby Witt, Cathy Sanders, Rob Grove, Jean Temple, Lynne Peavey, Anita Beatty, Anne Dusenberry, Joe Kenimore, Don Cramer, Wendy Keith-Ott, Nancy Dusenberry and Sue Davis. We set the deadline for the creation of the art at one week before Palm Sunday. At an evening event, we shared dinner then walked the circuit of original Stations for the first time. Then, in order, each artist presented her or his work and spoke briefly about the inspiration for and design process of their Station. This tradition has continued and is thought by many to be the most powerful part of the project. Page 3 of 36
We spent the following week framing and, in some cases, matting the works. Then, on the Saturday before Palm Sunday, we hung them in the same spots as our brass and wood Stations, except for Number two, which was produced in Stained glass and was hung under the traditional spot. There happened to be a window there. I believe that the cup hooks from which we hung it are still there. That first year, I made name cards using hand-made paper that Dianne, my wife, had made with rose petals. The exhibit was well received. A few weeks after Easter I was allowed to address the congregation during the morning announcements. I just had time to tell the title of the Station and the name of the artist, who stood at that point. This tradition also continued and was known as Station Identification. Two or three times over these fourteen years, I've gotten to replace the homily with a longer speech that paraphrased the information that the artists shared at the Presentation Dinner. Other years, we have printed booklets with that information about each Station. After that first set of Stations had hung a while, I started hearing people discussing what Station they wanted to do the next year. Or people who hadn’t done one were saying that they would do one next year. Next year?! I didn’t really picture that it would be an annual event. I thought we were done. But the following January there were more artists interested in producing a Station. So, we discussed the possibility of adding Stations, finishing the story. Why end with Christ laid in the tomb? We decided to add 7 scenes after the Resurrection, all described in scripture: 1. The Stone is Rolled Away, 2. The Risen Lord Appears to the Women, 3. Peter and John Find the Tomb Empty, 4. Jesus Appears to the Disciples, 5. Thomas Touches The Lords Wounds, 6. Jesus Prepares Breakfast for the Disciples, and 7. The Ascension. We were able to secure 20 commitments that year with “Jesus Appears to the Disciples” going unclaimed. However, the way I hang them, with the final seven across the front, it turned out that we had three on each side of the Altar and the Christus Rex was in the position to fill in as “Jesus Appears to the Disciples”. The next year, and each year after, we filled all 21 slots (although in these last few years we have fallen back on previously done Stations to fill vacancies.) For the next four or five years, Doug Carlson made our frames for us, charging just $20.00 each. After that I found that I could get more interesting profiles by buying stock frames from Aaron Brothers or Thompson's. We continued to have uniform frames, but didn't build them. These last four or five years, we have left it to the artist to frame their own work. This was in response to requests by artists who felt that different compositions or styles called for frames of different character. Some are willing to spend more on their frames. Some feel that a museum wrapped canvas, with the sides painted, was more fitting to their style. Many of us simply used frames from previous years. I don't remember if Barbara Allen began providing soup for the Stations Dinner that first year. I know it was early in the history of this tradition, and she has faithfully continued to cater our gathering for all these years. Assuming this was a soup-line for starving artists, we are asked each year to bring our own bowl. We eventually omitted the ritual of 'walking the circuit' at that Starving Artists dinner. It was powerful to see them all together, but almost overwhelming. We decided to omit that and have the presentation by the artist be the first time each Station was seen. That way each work got its own unveiling. We started the custom of sneaking our Stations into the Parish Hall on that evening, letting no one else see them. They would be brought to me and I would spirit them off to the Narthex there I would put them in order. During the presentation, where each artist stands and speaks about his or her work, I would bring that Station in and it would be seen for the time just as it is described. Our works have shown in a few other churches beyond St. Patrick's. In 2002, a grouping of the first 14 was shown at Central Congregationalist Church. Then, in 2009, Alpharetta Presbyterian Church showed a circuit of our Stations to inspire a Stations Project of their own the following year. Our longest exhibition, though, was at St. Andrew's By the Sea in Destin, Florida. Their Stations were taken when the church split. Page 4 of 36
Don Cramer, who had been an Associate Rector here at St. Patrick's a few years earlier when the Stations Project began, was the rector there in Destin when they lost their Stations of the Cross. He asked if we would loan them 14 paintings and we did gladly. They hung there for about eight years and were returned to us not long ago. By 2009 I had led the Project for ten years and was ready to step aside. Thankfully, Joel Becker-Sabik stepped forward and headed it up that year. Joel is a great artist and had produced wonderful Stations the prior couple of years and one that year as well. He also holds the distinction of the latest volunteer. In 2005, the first 14 were already hung when, on Palm Sunday, Joel learned about the project and volunteered to fill the one spot we still lacked, No. 15. He produced a powerful version of The Stone Is Rolled Away, and it was framed and hung within 6 days. Joel did not head it up in 2010. I resumed the helm. This year, Elisha Bailez is heading it up, after successfully leading 4 groups of youth artists in our 2012 Project. One aspect about the project that I find rather special and may or may not be apparent to the congregation, is that often the artists for the Stations model for one another. You can see Ron Hutchins and Evan Neal depicted very clearly in a number of Stations. Nancy Dusenberry has painted the Brantley twins more than once, and I used six women from our church in a painting I did for Station 8, Jesus meets the Women of Jerusalem. In smaller ways, we also sat for one another. My arm was used in two painting by Susan McBride and one by Linda Wilson. I used Ron's back and Judi's hair in Jesus Falls for the Third Time, and pieces of three artists at an Art Retreat in my “Jesus appears to the Disciples”. Anita Beatty has drawn many of us. After 14 years, I have produced a complete set of the traditional 14 Stations of the Cross. I did No. 5 twice. I've kept my style fairly consistent so they can hang together. But the circuits each year have included many various media: oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, charcoal, colored pencils, photography, mosaic, computer art, collage, encaustic wax, doll model-building, stained glass...even Legos. So, with the Project for 2013, we will have produced fresh works of art for St. Patrick's 15 times, 15 consecutive years. Between 1999 and 2012, 91 artists produced 275 pieces of art for this project. I never know if it will continue the next year. Hopefully, it will continue to bless the congregation and provide the artists with a meaningful Lenten exercise and a powerful evening of sharing and soup. Page 5 of 36
Station 1 – Jesus is Condemned to Death Jean Temple and Nancy Dusenberry Jean: When I started this station, I was imagining how Jesus would have felt as he stood before Pilot. I knew I wanted to try to convey that in an abstract way. I imagined Jesus feeling afraid and weary in the face of the terrifying darkness that surrounded him I wanted to convey his humanity sustained by the Spirit. Nancy had said she would help me and I thought she would be reminding me to notice darks, mediums and lights, but it soon got clear that we had the opportunity to have a rich experience of collaboration. She was generous in letting me remain the author of the idea as we worked together creating the composition. I saw clearly how my fear of committing my brush strokes and colors to the canvas robbed it of any power. Nancy was bold and confident that we could paint over anything we didn’t like and that the more we did that the richer it would be. As we worked together the painting took shape much as I had envisioned but with a different message. Now it seems to me to be about the power of a life lived in the Spirit in the face of the darkness of dominance and power. Nancy: In our collaboration, my only focus was on the paint: colors, texture, brush strokes. I wasn’t thinking about the content of the station’s story. I was into the “zen of painting” – getting past self-consciousness, trusting the strokes, knowing I can always move past this point. So, our collaboration involved my confidence in the paint and Jean’s confidence in the idea. It was only after we finished that the painting spoke to me personally. Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Page 6 of 36
Station 2 – Jesus Takes Up the Cross Amelia Jones My painting is about Jesus and when he takes up the cross. In the painting, he is depicted with a cross that still has the roots on it. The golden light depicts the hope in Jesus’ spirit rising to the heavens. The roots symbolize the connection to earth and to humanity that Jesus will always have. Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 8 of 36
Station 3 – Jesus Falls for the First Time Earl Thirey He is falling---temporarily releasing the heavy burden of the wooden cross he's been carrying. In response, a soldier wields a leather whip. Jesus doesn't try to shield himself. He receives the pain without expres- sion. This unexpected response exasperates and frustrates his captors. They try harder. But, Jesus' response to continual physical injury remains one of quiet dignity. The truth is---as well as dying physically---he is suffering mentally for a cause not understood by any of those around him. What did Jesus look like? Likely, this painting of Jesus does not fit the image you have of him. In 2002, Rich- ard Neave, a forensic expert and medical artist from the University of Manchester, along with the help of Is- raeli archaeologists, devised a way to reconstruct the head and face of a typical, first-century male resident, from the Galilean region around Jerusalem. Their mock-up of what a fully-fleshed face from Jesus' time pe- riod may have looked like was the basis for this painting. Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Page 10 of 36
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Station 4 – Jesus Encounters His Afflicted Mother Jane Thomas Jesus meets his afflicted mother is one that I painted 15 years ago. It has always been my favorite of the four stations I did back in those days. My idea was to show Mary remembering the beautiful baby she bore and her undivided love for her child. Now, she is facing his death and the terrible torture of his crucifixion. What a conflict she feels. Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________ Page 12 of 36
Station 5 – Simon of Cyrene Takes Up the Cross Page 13 of 36
Heather and Liam Chlup “And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear His cross.” Mark 15: 21 We had a wonderful experience working on this artistic project as mother and son. By doing so, we learned so much along the way about the bible, ancient geography, history and art. We started by looking at the historical context for the station. Who was Simon? Where was he from? Did he carry the cross through an act of kindness, or was he truly compelled, as the above verse would indicate? We discovered that Simon was from Cyrene, in nothern Africa (modern Libya). He is mentioned in three of the Gospels. Cyrene was the capital of the Roman district of Cyrenaica at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. The Cyrenaic Jews had a synagogue in Jerusalem where many went for annual feasts. This would explain why Simon was coming to the city at that time. “At any moment (in Roman occupied Palestine), a Jew might feel the touch of the flat of a Roman spear on his shoulder and know that he was compelled to serve the Romans. That is what likely happened to Simon of Cyrene when he was compelled (aggareuein) to bear the cross of Jesus.”1 Scholars believe that Simon converted to Christianity following this chance encounter with Jesus. Our inspiration for our artwork medium came from the toddler in our family and his love of textured baby books. We used a variety of textures: Paper mache, paint, fabric, cardstock and thread. Some surfaces are smooth to touch, while others, the crown of thorns and wood of the cross, are jagged and rough. Simon is portrayed as a young African boy, evoking his geographical origins while emphasizing the magnitude of the burden that Jesus bore for us that day and the fact that we are all God’s children. Finally, the bible verse attached is from Matthew 11:28 and reads, “Come to me, all you who are (weary and) burdened, and I will give you rest.” Through this, the Savior offers us an invitation to come into discipleship and relationship with Him, relieving us of the burden of sin, just as what Simon experienced after his encounter with Jesus. Reflecions: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Marshall, George L. Jr “Who Was Simon of Cyrene?” Page 14 of 36
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Station 6 – Veronica Wipes the Face of the Lord Becky Beal Using the Stations of the Cross and art as a spiritual reflection is a new experience for me. Understanding that the Stations were designed for people who wanted to take this journey in the footsteps of Jesus, but were not able to travel to the Holy Land, was the beginning step. My personal spiritual reflections usually begin with Lectio Divina and putting myself into a biblical sto- ry…maybe as a character in the story or maybe part of the crowd. The story of Veronica called me to do just that but in a different way. Veronica is not in the Bible so my question is, why is it a part of the Stations? It seems an opportunity to put ourselves into the story. Veronica might have received a consequence for wiping Jesus’ face, perhaps a kick or worse. She (or he) made a choice to help the persecuted, this time it was Jesus but perhaps it was her nature to be a part of this horrible injustice of the justice system of the time. Now to put my thoughts on canvas. My painting shows Veronica on the left, a person much like the privi- leged of our world, secure of her place in society. She has a cloth in her lap, to use if she wants. The person to the far right is of a different culture as we can see with clothing and skin color. Someone from the ‘out- side’, perhaps dealing with food scarcity, religious persecution, deportation, or any number of possible cir- cumstances of birth. Behind these characters, with arms embracing both, is Jesus, God’s son, who came to give us a visual as well as an example of the work we are meant to do. The figures stand close together, linked. The landscape is the city, the country, the world. ‘Here I am Lord, is it I Lord? I have heard your calling in the night.’ Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 16 of 36
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Station 7 – Jesus Falls for the Second Time Gavin Haslett This painting is about the second falling of Jesus. Because a dove is a symbol of Christ, I decided that to use the dove to represent Christ. When he fell, it was like the dove lost power and fell from the sky. The dove was painted with choppy strokes. This was to resemble how the dove is kind of unhealthy. I chose the dove falling because it was more of distinct emblem of Jesus falling. Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 18 of 36
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Station 8 – Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem Harry Delcher My art style is free. It is very hard for me to paint faces or figures. This painting had both. Painting the back of Jesus made sense. Painting crying faces made sense. Both I knew would be hard for me. The background of this painting is nearer the end of the journey than to beginning. Jesus is on his march to death. He has had/needed help. He has fallen a few times. He sees crying faces of women. The decision to stop would be hard. The decision and effort to walk over to them might be extremely hard. With that background, I start throwing paint on a canvas. The back ground just finds form and color. I find that I change the road as I go. I work on the Jesus figure for some time. I work on the women’s faces for some time. I like the tears especially. The reaction in me is OK. I have the moment; I have his stopping and I have their tears done well. It is always hard to know when one of my paintings is finished. I decided I liked this and it was finished. Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 20 of 36
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Station 9 – Jesus Falls for the Third Time Martha Myers As I prepared for station 9, I wondered what it must have been like for Jesus walking to his death, a death by means unimaginable to me. Helen Prejean, in her book, Dead Man Walking, describes how the prisoner asked her to pray that his legs would support him as he walked to the bench where he would be strapped down and injected with a lethal poison. How was Jesus able to walk, carrying his own cross? Like Robert Lee Willie who was executed in 1984 here in our country, Jesus knew he was walking to his execution. He knew it would be brutal and cruel. He also knew that it was state-sponsored and premeditated. In 2016, Georgia executed 9 people including one woman, Kelly Ann Gissendaner. Last year we executed J. W. Ledford, Jr. This was done in my name, in your name. When will we ever learn? This piece is a prayer quilt. It was constructed with various linen and cotton pieces, some that I dyed with indigo, onion and other natural dyes. Each piece comes from a garment that I have made and so carries some of my history. My prayer is that the Death Penalty be outlawed in my lifetime. Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________ Page 22 of 36
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Station 10 – Jesus is Stripped of His Garments Elisha Bailez Home is Blown Apart The Home represents Jesus, the blast of white off to the right represents the white robe that I imagine Christ wearing today. The large SHAME with the fading E represents the crowd of onlookers. The SHAME has a darkened E, which makes SHAM appear as a second word to be considered. The E has a dangling heart. The word Enough comes to mind for me in this part of the story. Jesus has been condemned, beaten, made to drag his cross through the crowd of onlookers. None of which were willing or able to stop the procession of this unfolding horror. Jesus followed through with all the pain that he was given. In Station 10, the pain seems to pause and switch; from the physical brutality to mental humiliation. This act was meant to bear his flesh to everyone, exposing his human-ness. And to expose what those felt was his lie: Son of God, the Savior, King of Jews. In this sole act, we as onlookers, are put into a place of immediate thrill: seeing Jesus’s skin, the flesh that supposedly is weak and full of sin. The robe protects our vulnerability to our own crowd of onlookers. Being stripped publicly opens a flood gate of shame. There is nowhere to hide at this point, Jesus knows this is it. He is going to be nailed to the cross exposing all his human-ness. I believe this is when he let’s go. My artwork is a collage of papers that represent my cross. The blasting of papers out of the home is a God given image through a dream I had 6 years ago. These papers were nailed to the walls of my very dark home. In one moment of letting go, the walls of the home are blown away and the papers fly off. This blast of letting go frees the heart, dangling by the E. Turning the SHAME into a SHAM. Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 24 of 36
Station 11 – Jesus is Nailed to the Cross Page 25 of 36
Nancy Dusenberry I searched for reference photos to inspire and to follow. Most were so gruesome that they only tapped thoughts of the horror of a crucifixion and somehow trivialized the death. I wanted to feel. I did what I usually do and went to, “What would I have seen had I been there...”. I think, she waited for the crowds to thin and for access to what she could reach, his nailed feet. Lightly holding the bottom of his foot, cheek against bruised toes, she kissed his most vulnerable foot, thanked him and said goodbye. 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Station 12 – Jesus Dies on the Cross Comer Duncan In painting this Station of the Cross I have tried to give an interpretation of the moments just after Jesus’ death. The transformation of Jesus as a man to a more than physical form and beginning to be merged with the Universe is the basic theme. I want to somehow show him undergoing the transformation but still gener- ally resembling the person he was just prior to death. I try to illustrate the transformation by showing him beginning to be converted to light and rising, a difficult task indeed. I stuck to a representational depiction as I think that is easiest to express. Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 28 of 36
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Station 13 – His Body is Laid on the Lap of His Mother Marea Haslett For this painting, I was inspired by Michelangelo’s sculpture, The Deposition, also known as the Florentine Pieta. His original sculpture was carved when the artist was in his late 80s and was never finished. It’s raw, unfinished surface emotes turmoil and anguish in this heartbreaking scene. Christ’s twisted body gives an agonizing feel as he is placed in his mother’s lap. I wanted to portray this scene in an expressive and somewhat unfinished style in hopes that the emotion of the moment reads through. An emphasis on diagonals through highlights adds to this turmoil. Mother Mary welcomes her child with the open arms in this instinctual gesture. I couldn’t help but think of how a mother holds a child, even when his body is larger than hers. It never changes. Her son’s head rests into the curve of her brow like a comforting puzzle piece. To support Mother Mary, she sits on a crescent shaped support. The curved surface symbolizes her openness in receiving Christ while at the same time resembling the chalice and sacred feminine. The shape is repeated in the halo where their head meet. She is the rock in which he finds rest. Their final union is both painful and peaceful; anguished but receptive. Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 30 of 36
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Station 14 – Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb Bob Renaud My vision is what Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus did on that Friday night. Also, their wrapping him in the Shroud of Turin. They played an important role in the burial of Jesus Christ. Joseph was actually a part of the Council, or Sanhedrin who called for Jesus’ crucifixion. He was opposed to the Council’s decision and was in fact a secret follower of Jesus. (Luke 23:50) He is referred to as a wealthy but a “good and upright man”. After Jesus’ death on the cross, at great risk to himself and his reputation, He and Nicodemus went to the Roman governor Pilate to request Jesus’ body. The two men were granted custody of Jesus’ body, and they immediately began to prepare the body for burial. Following Jewish custom, they wrapped the body in strips of linen and mixed in myrrh and aloe. However, it was the Day of Preparation—the sixth day of the week, just before the Jewish Sabbath—and it was late in the day. So, Joseph and Nicodemus hurriedly placed Jesus in Joseph’s own tomb, located in a garden near the place of Jesus’ crucifixion. Unbeknownst to Joseph and Nicodemus, their choice to put Jesus in Joseph’s tomb fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy spoken hundreds of years before Jesus’ death: “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth” (Isaiah 53:9, emphasis added). This is one of the many prophecies that have confirmed Jesus’ identity as the Messiah and Son of God. The day after Jesus’ burial, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate to request that the stone Joseph had placed in front of the tomb be sealed, and a guard posted, for three days. They cited Jesus’ assertion that He would rise after three days and claimed the disciples might attempt to steal the body in order to fabricate a resurrection (Matthew 27:63–64). Their precautions were for naught, as Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, just as He had predicted (Matthew 28). Many spurious stories and legends have arisen regarding Joseph. Some purport that Joseph of Arimathea was the uncle of Jesus’ mother, Mary. In addition, Joseph supposedly made many trips to Britain for trade and is said to have eventually brought the gospel to that country. What we do know is what we find in the Scriptures: Joseph of Arimathea was a rich man and part of the Sanhedrin, and he procured Jesus’ body and laid it in his own tomb—from which Jesus would rise again in power three days later. Reflections: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 32 of 36
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Your Turn Now that you have reviewed each of the 2018 Stations of the Cross, select one station that captured your heart, your soul, and/or your mind. On the right-hand page, draw/paint/color your version of that station. Once you have completed your station, provide your write-up below. While working on your station, allow yourself time…….time to consider multiple aspects of your station including historical, religious, and artistic aspects. Most importantly, pray. Pray over your station. Pray while you are creating your station. Capture your revelations in your write-up. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page 34 of 36
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