Interbeing of Cranberry Apple Pie

adult learning, Apple Cranberry Pie Recipe, apples, art, Food, Imagination, Meditation, Michelangelo, Ministry, Painting

I am “one with this pie”

“Taste and see that the LORD is good!” Psalm 34:8 reminds us not only is the LORD good, but “happy are those who take refuge in him.” If we make our home with god, if we desire unity with god in all our doings, as well as our comings and goings, we will find happiness. Happiness isn’t in the wealth or success of this world, but in our alignment with the life and being of god. 

If we want to get into our art, to become one with beauty, we need to experience our subjects first hand. The more we can identify with the subject means the more we get out of our own selves. Learning to empty our minds of our own lives’ daily concerns will let us become more responsive to whatever subject we are painting on a certain day. 

Apple Cranberry Pie before Top Crust Placement

We experience life through our five senses: sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste. Sometimes we have so many thoughts running through our minds, we’re almost numb to the sensual world. Sunsets happen every evening, but too often we never notice them unless we’re on vacation. We snack and graze all day long, so our appetites are often dulled for a meal. The edge of hunger can sharpen one’s taste buds so an ordinary meal tastes like a banquet. Many of us live in highly saturated lighted urban environments so we never see the Milky Way or the planets journey across the night sky. 

Full Moon: Photo enhanced by Apple Pencil

As one who has traveled from the Dallas megalopolis to the countryside, when I first came to Arkansas I almost drove off a twisting back road one dark night.  I came around a curve and confronted the largest full moon I’d ever seen in my life rising up between an opening in the pine trees. I was certain this road was a straight shot into that moon and I was not long for this world. Or perhaps I have an overactive imagination, for when I was a child on late night travels home, the dark woods we would pass held all sorts of strange and dangerous creatures. 

 


Robert Seydel, “Rare/Hare Leap” from “Book of Ruth” (Siglio, 2011) (courtesy Siglio and the Estate of Robert Seydel)

Our imaginations are enriched by our “salient experiences.” I found this very fancy word when I followed an internet rabbit trail on how the senses can enrich our imaginations. Salient comes from the Latin verb salire to leap; akin to Greek hallesthai to leap. The form in English is the present participle of salire to leap, which in Latin is salient-, saliens. When we see an extraordinary sight, our heart leaps within us. More often than not, today our cell phones will rise to capture this special moment.

I recently ate a slice of German chocolate cake from a local bakery. It was so delicious, I sang with every bite. I was among friends, and they were amused.

“How long has it been since you’ve had cake, Cornelia?”

Wayne Thiebaud: Cakes, 1963, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

“A long time! And this cake is extraordinary! Great crumb, moist, dark chocolate, and not overly sweet.”

My friend said, “Kroger and I slaved all day over a hot stove to get it here.”

“You did well to make sure Kroger was on top of their game. I vote for this cake to visit us again.

It was a salient moment for my tastebuds. Also, food tastes better when eaten with friends. 

As we get older, we may face several problems. We may have had so many experiences, we’re not able to choose one to paint, or in a worse case, we lose our memories all together. An interesting area of research is the relationship of food and creativity. Researchers from the Aarhus University in Denmark have made the following proposal:

“If creativity is based on the process of discovering heretofore unknown links between different areas/sensory attributes, then consuming food that offers more sensorial experiences should give more opportunities for inspiration.” 

Creative people are those who able to devise multiple solutions for a given problem, rather than a single solution. The common saying, “to a person with a hammer, everything looks like a nail,” doesn’t apply to them. They carry an entire toolkit on their pickup trucks, even if they ride a bicycle. These will be the people who come up with the most answers for “how many uses can you find for a brick.” They are the ones who will bring the Apollo astronauts safely home with spit, baling wire, and duct tape. Who said engineers were boring?

 

How To Video for Prepping Mixed Apple and Pear Tart: video link here—https://pin.it/2bbZArcl6

The Danish scientists’ research has shown that sensory information from all sensory modalities can boost creativity in different ways: emotion modulation, priming with creativity or related concepts, and helping people find unexpected connections. They believe multi-sensory experiences have the potential to change the way we think. Unfortunately, there has been a dearth of research on the creativity boosting potential of eating, one of humanity’s most multi-sensory daily activities.

The authors, guided by previous research, have made recommendations/suggestions for ways in which what we eat, where we eat, and how we eat can induce greater creativity (Table 2). Moreover, the potential to increase creativity via our eating experiences has major implications for the workplace and home. Therefore, they conclude this is an exciting area of interdisciplinary research deserving of future attention. (The paper link is below)

 

Aspirational Pie—maybe next time!

To test out this premise on National Pie Day, of course I had to bake a pie for Art Class. Of course, we must have a pie to touch, smell, taste, see, and hear (the smacking of lips is one of the signs of joy) as we consume pieces of pie. To get into our subject matter, we must become “one with the pie,” as “we will be what we eat!” This last is a truism, for the pie will become us, eventually, even as we consume the pie. We don’t have to eat the whole pie, but a slice is enough to know and experience the pie. 

Microwave thin Apple slices and roll into Rose Shapes

This is what the Zen master Thich Nhat Hahn called “interbeing.” The apple, cranberry, wheat, and other ingredients once received the nurturing sun, water, and fertilizer. They took in these elements, transformed them, and then became nourishment for our bodies. When we consumed these in the form of crust and pie filling, they nourished our bodies. As a result, we too are now not only “one with the pie,” but we are also “one with the nature and the people who brought the various elements together.” 

Whole Wheat and Almond Flour Crust to stabilize blood sugar, plus the cranberries are low glycemic also.

What thoughts do we have when we eat pie:

Will I get fat? Are others hungry? Is there pie in heaven?

Do I have to give up pie for Lent?

Can I eat dessert first? Do I eat to ease my pain?

Do I remember the farmer, the miller, the sugar cane cutter, the grocer, the baker, or God’s provision when I eat pie?

 Once we rid our minds of these pressing issues, we can then enjoy the sights of the colors, the textures, the aromas, and savor the tastes. If we gobble down our food like a starving dog, our senses never have the opportunity to register any joy or pleasure. Also, my physician father often reminded me, “Masticate! Masticate! Remember, digestion begins in the mouth.” He loved to use his medical school Latin. Chewing food well does prepare it for the stomach, and we will be satisfied with less because our satiety point comes at around 20 minutes after the start of a meal. 

Michelangelo: Creation Scenes from Sistine Chapel, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Rome, Italy

Some of us may think we don’t have a creative bone in our bodies. This is not so. We are born to create because we are made in the image of a creating God. Many of us have been trained to color only inside the lines or to do only what others approve of. This squelches the creative spirit of a child and the inner child of the adults we become in later life. Picasso once said he only became a true artist once he remembered how to create as if he were a child. 

Sally Mann, photographer, artist and author of Art Work: On the Creative Life  said, 

“Creativity is not, in the end, about camera equipment, or about whether you choose to draw on wove or laid paper. Those questions are important. But art draws on something deeper and more elusive. Within each of us is a precisely tuned and personalized sphere of receptivity — think of it as a magnetic field — whose unique settings have been determined by our own life experiences.”

Our class time on the Friday before the storm became a fellowship time. Half of us were working elsewhere, some of us were taking care of church business before the expected blizzard, and one of our prodigals had returned. Eating pie and being present for one another was performance art at its finest. We were present in the moment and savored the pie flavors, the crunches of the crusts and the sweet apple contrasts with the tart cranberries before the giddiness of the anticipated storm took over our lives once again. 

In my ministry training sessions, I learned about the “non anxious presence.” Edwin Friedman, who also authored Generation to Generation, a family systems therapy book, wrote about the courage of leaders in crisis times such as ours. If we can be the quiet center when everyone else is going crazy and choosing up sides, then we are the non anxious presence the moment calls for. Often doing is less important than being. I didn’t learn this truth until I’d been in ministry for five or six years. Of course, if there’s pie, sitting and savoring mouthfuls and morsels is a much easier choice than scurrying and scampering like a scatter brained squirrel. 

This fish has no chance of getting out to Walmart

The projected 17 inches of snow never arrived, but six inches of sleet and snow did come to visit. Old Ben Franklin rehashed a 16th CE quote from John Lyly’s work, Euphues—the Anatomy of Wit: “Fish and guests in three days are stale.” These iced over roads are as fish to me now. I ready for them to pack their bags and leave. I would evict this frigid weather but I can’t get up my hill to the exit of our property, nor can I trust the ice slick hill which ends at the highway intersection. 

I have taken this event as a sign from God I should clean out whatever is in my fridge. Therefore, I have an opportunity to be creative and make hearty soups. When I tire of one, I can freeze the remainder for the rest of the winter. Resilient people keep this principle from Romans 8:28 in mind: 

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Not just good things work together for those who love God—that’s prosperity religion. Even when things seem to be bad at first, God can use them to bring about good into a broken and fallen world. This is true religion, for those who have hope in God’s power and grace, more than our own goodness or busyness. I have attached the pie recipe below. There’s no shame if you want to use store bought crusts or if you want to vary the fruits. We might be in for another cold spell. And why not try your hand at pie?

Joy, peace, hot chocolate, and pie for breakfast,

Cornie

 

Can Eating Make Us More Creative? A Multi-sensory Perspective

https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/10/2/469

Does it really take 20 minutes to realize you’re full? | Live Science

https://www.livescience.com/health/food-diet/does-it-really-take-20-minutes-to-realize-youre-full

 Sally Mann, photographer, artist and author of Art Work: On the Creative Life

 The Truth About Ben Franklin’s Epigrams

The Truth About Ben Franklin’s Epigrams

 MASTICATE: Late Latin masticatus, past participle of masticare, from Greek mastichan to gnash the teeth; akin to Greek masasthai to chew — more at mandible: Middle English, from Late Latin mandibula, from Latin mandere to chew; probably akin to Greek masasthai to chew

 

RECIPE FOR a Cranberry Apple Pie

Make a double pie crust:

Sift together into a large bowl:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour 

1 1/4 cups almond flour 

1 tsp salt

10 tablespoons of cold vegetable shortening

10 Tablespoons of unsalted butter (142 grams)

4 Tablespoons of ice water

Add in the 10 tablespoons of cold vegetable shortening until the mixture is the texture of coarse sand. (46 grams)

Cut 10 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Work butter into flour mix with fork, pastry cutter or clean fingers. Uneven size is okay here because this makes a flaky crust. 

Drizzle 4 Tablespoons of ice water (57 grams) over flour mixture and toss to combine. Add enough water, tablespoon by tablespoon, to make the dough into a whole mass. Kneading too much will toughen the crust. 

NOTE—DO NOT FORGET THIS STEP—

Lay out a piece of parchment paper and transfer the dough ball to it. Press the dough into a rough rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter going into a short envelope. Wet any dry areas, press and fold again until all the dough pieces are incorporated. This creates more layers. Then divide dough in half for the 2 crusts. 

Shape the half dough into a rough disk. Put the dough into a plastic bag and chill in fridge for 30 minutes. Also overnight is OK. Can also be frozen for 2 months. 

 When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 F. 

 Roll out the dough on parchment paper, place pie pan on top. Take extra parchment paper over the back of pan, and turn the whole over. Press dough into pan, and remove the parchment. Trim edges, fix tears. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes to set dough for quiche or a filled pie that needs to bake some more.

 FILLING:

Slice 4-5 medium apples about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick. 

Toss them in a large bowl with 

2 cups cranberries, 

1/4 Splenda, 

1/2 cup brown sugar,

 2 Tbs cornstarch, and 

2 tsp cinnamon. 

Squeeze 2 Tablespoons orange juice over this and toss. 

Let the filling sit for 15 minutes to draw out some of the juices from the fruit.

 Preheat oven to 400F. 

If the fruit is extra juicy, you can discard some of the liquid or add an extra tablespoon or two of flour or cornstarch to help thicken the pie. 

Roll out the bottom crust on a floured surface, then transfer it to your pie plate. Arrange your slices and cranberries on top. 

 Dot with 2 Tbs small cubes of butter. 

 Roll out top crust. Lay on top and cut vents. Or make a lattice crust which is a natural venting method. 

 Brush tip with an egg wash and dust with sugar. 

Cook at 400 F for 20 minutes on a lower rack on a baking pan to catch any errant drips. 

 Without removing pie from oven, decrease the baking temperature to 350°F and continue baking another 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. You may need to use a pie crust shield to protect the edges from browning too much.  

 Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3-4 hours at room temperature before slicing. Filling will thicken as it cools.  

Enjoy!

 

Emotional Responses to Antique Art

adult learning, apples, art, beauty, Cezanne, Creativity, Icons, incarnation, inspiration, Love, Ministry, Painting

Sometimes we struggle so hard to paint the image before us—the form, shadows, the colors, and lines—we forget to also paint our emotional response to the subject matter also. In the matter of faith, John Wesley once said, “There have been many in every age and nation, who were almost persuaded to be Christians, but are not altogether a Christian.” Some have the outward appearance of religion, but not the inner heart of a transformed person, that is, they do all that is expected of a religious person: honesty, generosity, service, worship attendance, but they lack “sincerity.” Wesley, in his sermon, The Almost Christian, writes:

“By Sincerity, I mean, a real, inward principle of religion, from whence these outward actions flow. And, indeed, if we have not this, we have not heathen honesty; no, not so much of it as will answer the demand of a heathen epicurean poet. Even this poor wretch, in his sober intervals, is able to testify: Good men avoid sin from the love of virtue: Wicked men avoid sin from a fear of punishment.”

In art class, a student can master the skills of image making with practice, but taking the time to discover their own inner voice is more challenging. I would equate it to Wesley’s own experience of transforming grace, which occurred at the Aldersgate meeting place:

“In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while the leader was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”

Before this experience, this preacher’s son never doubted his faith, but it was never personal. He had the faith of assent, but not the faith of assurance. We English speaking people often confuse faith and belief. In Greek the word for faith or belief is πίστις, which comes from the verb πείθω, meaning “to persuade, to convince, to trust, or to have confidence.” Faith (πίστις/pistis) involves belief, but it goes beyond human believing. The true faith of assurance involves God working within personal revelation. Faith is always God’s work. Our believing has eternal meaning when it becomes “faith-believing” by the transforming grace of God.

We artists understand this transformation of the heart in creative terms. We need to move from our head to our hearts to get our whole selves involved in our work. If we use only a part of our being, we are less than the wonderful self which God created. Too often we slip into a Greek platonic heresy, especially when we denigrate the body as nothing. God sent his Son Jesus in human flesh with a mind, a heart, and a soul to redeem the whole of fallen creation to God’s original glory. 

 

Marc Chagall: The Tale of the Ebony Horse, lithograph, 1948, Cleveland Museum of Art

As artists, we try to unite the colors, shapes, lines, and images on our canvases to bring the beauty of creation and harmony into this world of chaos and destruction. While we are not gods, we are creators. We yearn for beauty, joy, and love. As Marc Chagall once said,

“If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.”        

Amedeo Modigliani: Head, c. 1913, limestone, 20 5/8 × 9 3/4 × 14 3/4 in., Kimbell Art Museum, Ft. Worth, Texas. 

I recently visited the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Having brought back several postcards of artworks from various ancient eras, I showed the group other images of modern artists who were inspired by these pieces. The simplicity of forms of these pieces from early Cycladic art influenced both Modigliani and Brancusi.

Constantin Brâncuși: Sleeping Muse, 1910, Painted bronze, 6 3/10 × 9 4/5 × 7 1/10 in 

I offered the cards to the group and let each one choose the image which spoke to them. Then I asked them not to copy the photograph, but to paint their emotional response to it. 

 

Paul Cézanne: Still Life with Apples and Pears, ca. 1891–92, Oil on canvas, 17 5/8 x 23 1/8 in. (44.8 x 58.7 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY.

Paul Cezanne, noted for his analytical approach to his paintings, nevertheless claimed, 

“A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.”

Mike: After Modigliani

Mike always enjoys his time in art class. His heart and hand are connected. Even if he has not yet the skills which come from practice and seeing, he has the heart of a creative. His paintings always exude joy. Back in the days of my art school—the 70’s—we would have said, “Let your freak flag fly!” Epictetus, an early 2nd CE stoic philosopher, was more profound:

“If you would improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”

Gail chose the card with a mosaic of a vase and a vine. The original mosaic represents a chalice, the cup that holds the consecrated wine and water of the Eucharist. This image reminds us of the Last Supper and Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. The ivy is an allusion to immortality.

Mosaic Chalice with Two Strands of Ivy mosaic (circa 400 AD), Kimbell Museum of Art, Fort Worth, Texas.

Gail spent her career in the National Park Service, so anything with nature calls her name. Artists always do best with a subject that speaks to them. They will walk through the woods, full of many trees, until they find the one tree with the light and the surroundings that cause them to stop in their tracks. I’ve walked through an entire forest, only to turn around at the end of my hike and see the most magnificent tree in the best light ever. It was waiting for me. I only had to hear its silent voice. If I had been in a hurry to get to my car and do the next thing on my busy life list, I would have never seen this beautiful tree. This is why some artists have their muse, or favorite still life objects, or paint certain landscapes repeatedly. 

Caspar David Friedrich, The Sea of Ice, 1823–24. © Hamburger Kunsthalle / bpk Photo by Elke Walford. Courtesy of Hamburger Kunsthalle

Caspar David Friedrich, the German romantic landscape artist, reminds us:

“The task of a work of art is to recognize the spirit of nature and, with one’s whole heart and intention, to saturate oneself with it and absorb it and give it back again in the form of a picture.”

Gail often envisions her paintings in her mind before she commits her brush to the canvas. If she isn’t seeing a complete image, she has already sketched out in her mind the rough proportions and planned out the colors she wants to begin with. Only then does she begin to work in dialogue with the emerging image. As an artist begins to put colors and shapes on a surface, each stroke changes the dynamics of the blank area. It takes time to learn to be comfortable with those shifting marks.

I always suggest making a preliminary sketch with a line of light-yellow paint wash. Painting over this sketch is easy and it lets you know if you have your shapes correctly sized for the canvas. Gail has been doing this long enough that it is second nature for her. 

Gail’s Reinterpretation of the Mosaic

While the rough mosaic stones of the original force the lyric vines into a stylized rhythm, Gail painted the vase and vines more naturally using the liquid medium of paint. Gail often thins her paint into washes which she layers on top of one another to get the colors and depth of shadows in her works. In this painting, she uses free brushstrokes. If she had more time, she might have added some yellow highlights to the leaves, but we were working with a limited color palette. I didn’t look to see if yellow was a chosen color. We were using up our oldest tubes of colors as part of the challenge in the limited palette. 

Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, ca. 1817. © SHK / Hamburger Kunsthalle / bpk. Photo by Elke Walford. Courtesy of Hamburger Kunsthalle.

 Friedrich repeatedly used a technique called Rückenfiguren—figures with their backs turned to the viewer so that their expression is concealed. An artist uses this method as a means to encourage or invite the viewer to reflect on what it means to see.

Unknown Cycladic Artist: Marble head of a figure, 2100 BCE, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, Leonard N. Stern Collection, Loan from the Hellenic
Republic, Ministry of Culture.

My oldest tubes are earth colors and deep chemical blues. I most often paint in a bright color scheme. In my last months of college, I made many black and gray paintings. My dear parents were worried I was depressed. When they found out I was merely using up my least favorite pigments so they wouldn’t go to waste, they were relieved. They grew up in the Great Depression era and believed in wasting nothing. My daddy kept all his bent boat motor propellers nailed to his workshop wall, waiting for the day when it would be cheaper to hammer them true rather than buy a new one. He always bought a new one because a machine could make them better than a human hitting an old-fashioned anvil. 

Cornelia: Meditation on an Antique Sculpture

When a face has no eyes or mouth, and it has no ears or distinctive hair, who is it? Is it our inner self, or the god we imagine in our own image? Could it be our ancestor/s? The unknown and uncertainty of this identity, or this object’s lack of identity, I find both unsettling and attractive. It has both a light and a dark side: a side for good which it would show to all, and a side which it would hide from everyone, if possible.

In human terms, we suppress our negative traits and project them onto the “other.” We only see the bright and positive side in ourselves and those like us. If we are ever to become whole persons, we must face the darkness within us, as well as the darkness in this world about us. A split person is neither whole nor holy. 

My grandfather often told me not to point out other’s shortcomings because I had three fingers pointing back at myself. I understood if I could recognize something missing in another, I was lacking in that also. We all have room to grow in love, until our hearts are so full of love for God and neighbor that nothing else exists. When I search this empty face, I ask myself if my heart is yet overflowing with love. If it is not, I can count on the grace and mercy of God’s love in Jesus Christ to bring me further along, if only I cooperate. After all, love is a journey, just as art and the creative life is a journey to perfection. Perfection in love may look different, just as famous artists find different solutions to the challenge of beauty. 

 

DeLee: Icon of the Christ who Bears Your Burdens, 2026, acrylic on canvas, 16”x 20”

Remember, creating is a natural process for everyone. The core idea in art therapy is “Everyone is creative and can be expressive in the visual arts when working in a supportive setting.” No one will be asking us to repaint the Sistine Chapel anytime soon, but we can all enjoy giving our own expression to the blank spaces before us. Yet, perfection in love will always be the great standard which guides us all. We don’t need Ten Commandments, when two done well suffice:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

I hope you spend your new year more focused on loving God, whose steadfast love abides forever, and loving the neighbor, whom God has placed in your path, as a recipient of God’s love shed abroad from your heart into your neighbor’s life. Our class meets on Fridays from 10 to noon. Art Fridays are a one room schoolhouse. I’ve taught all ages from preschool to adults. Bring your own supplies and you can start from where you are. You can’t be behind unless you never start. I can promise you won’t make museum quality paintings this year! However, you will be better at the end of the year than you are now. You will know more. Plus, the art life is a better, more beautiful life. 

Joyce and peace, 

Cornelia 

 

Wesley’s Sermon Reprints: The Almost Christian | Christian History Magazine

https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/wesleys-sermon-reprints-almost-christian

Discipleship Ministries | Aldersgate

https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/blog/aldersgate

Strong’s Greek: 3982. πείθω (peithó) — To persuade, to convince, to trust, to have confidence

http://biblehub.com/greek/3982.htm

Epictetus | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Epictetus

At any skill level, making art reduces stress hormones | ScienceDaily

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160615134946.htm?ref=hyperallergic.com

 

 

Not Sad to See the Old Year Go

art, Attitudes, Creativity, Faith, Habits, Healing, Health, Icons, inspiration, Light of the World, New Year’s Day, Painting, purpose, rabbits, renewal, Spirituality, vision

Prudence: Allegory of Obedience (ca. 1320)
“Fresco” [Lower Church, San Francesco, Assisi, Italy]
Giotto di Bondone (Italian; ca. 1267 – 1337). Detail.
With her dual face, Prudence sees both past and future.

Welcome to the New Year of 2026! This year is looking much like the latter part of the old year. The good news is the first part of 2025 was a struggle, but every month afterwards was an improvement. I’ve found staying hopeful always helps recovery from any setback easier. If I keep to a regular routine, stay focused on healthy practices, and manage my stress, I can keep a positive attitude.

I have learned I need to eat at regular times, or I’m good for nothing. My first new year’s achievement is outwitting the AI Assassin in the new Office365 program update. As I age, managing new activities every year gets more difficult. I finally asked the AI for a blank document. It made me one. And now I’m writing with one finger happily. Not trying to get past its gatekeeping is a thrill. I have ended my old year on a high note!

Heinrich Kley (German, 1863-1945), Boxende Hasen; ink on paper; from the collection of The Walt Disney Family FoundationHeinrich Kley/Walt Disney Family Foundation

Our condo group was going to have a little get together and watch the old world welcome the New Year, but the flu bug decided to lay everyone low. For some reason, I’ve escaped this go round. I may be waiting for the sucker punch in the next round. I watched the first half of the football game and went upstairs to see the bitter end. Not having a dog in this hunt means I don’t remember who played, but on New Year’s Day, I got the benefit of three college bowl games! One of these was a defensive battle, the Heisman Trophy winner proved that it takes an effective team to make a quarterback great, and the SEC game is ongoing as I write.

1924 English Soap Advertisement

Folks say what you do on January 1st, you’ll do all year long. If that’s the case, I’ll be cooking, creating, and watching sports on tv. At least I took a shower and washed my hair; I know my neighbors will be glad I’ve chosen cleanliness for the new year. I don’t ascribe to the idea I might be “washing the good luck out of my life.” Instead, I believe others would count themselves lucky to be near my clean smelling self.

Some of these superstitions are geared to make us “turn over a new leaf” as we begin new habits with the new year. Fitness centers are jam packed in the first three weeks of January, but by the end of the month, the regulars will notice a real drop in attendance. By Valentine’s Day, most of the resolution driven members will have stopped attending. The regular members will have the gym back to themselves. Fact check: This superstition doesn’t actually hold true.

Lindt Gourmet Truffles are here for your Valentine

Many reasons exist for this quitting: change is difficult, some people set unrealistic goals which lead to early burnout, routines aren’t easy to establish, and new exercisers sometimes compare themselves to experienced people (and get discouraged or overwhelmed). Plus, it’s winter, and much of the country experiences bad weather and darkness before and after work. Having said this, one almost wonders how anyone keeps a New Year’s resolution! Especially when candy and cookies keep coming around!

Other new year resolutions are work oriented, for they seek to make us more productive or manage our time better. These are great if you think your purpose is to be an economic engine or to be a cog in the global economy. A Wall Street Journal survey in 2023 found the only value Americans came to care more about was making money.

DeLee: Christ for the Heavy Burdened, 2026, acrylic on canvas, 16” x 20”

I would suggest your first goal is to be more human. If time management skills help you to order your life so your faith, your integrity, your family, your health, your livelihood, and your concern for the future of our world and its people fall into proper alignment, then put those skills to the greater purpose.

Most likely, no one offering these skills will suggest how to order your priorities in any way other than to be more productive at work. They may suggest you’ll have more free time for your family, but work will notice your “efficiency” and promote you to more time consuming, yet higher paying responsibilities. In this new year of 2026, do you hear a call to tune your heart and soul to the spiritual presence of God in your life? Is there more to life than the daily grind?

When the days are cold and dark, I open my Bible to the gospel of John. John speaks of Jesus as the “light of the world,” indeed he “was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”  (John 1:4-5)

There are many reasons today to be negative or to tune out the world beyond our daily lives and our families. The system seems too big or too broken to understand, repair, or change. The world is very large and we are only one small voice in its vast wilderness. We can find ourselves easily lost in the cacophony of voices telling us, “I have the solution. Follow me.”

Vintage New Year’s Card, circa 1905

How do we test the truth of these voices who promise the moon but never deliver even the cheese? First, remember these false leaders will tell you what you what you want to hear. They will speak to your fears, your angers, your hatreds, and your base desires. A true leader, however, will tell you the truth and not make promises they cannot keep. Only the spiritually strong will be able to sort the false from the true, for their hearts and minds love all their neighbors. Their only anger is against the system which often treats some privileged individuals better than others and others of lower status very badly.

Of course, I’m old and I grew up in an age in which I believed my voice counted. In high school, we held our student elections using our local government’s voting machines. Our principal trained us to expect to vote in city elections once we became eligible. In college I marched with other students for civil rights and in peace demonstrations. I was not a believer in Christ or God, but I believed in Life. I made a circuitous journey back to faith in Christ by the grace of God believing in me, even though I had quit believing in God.

To wrap this up, I say no one is ever so lost that God cannot find them. If you want one resolution to keep for this new year, read one verse in the gospel of John a day. If so moved, write it down, and jot some thoughts that come to mind. If none come at first, don’t worry. As you read more, wait more, and open your mind and heart more, thoughts will come. You can’t force this. It takes a bit to let go of all the “jumping monkeys” in our minds that call us to be busy with our “gotta get it done now” lists. Trust the process. Grow with it. There’s a learning curve.

Not showing the ugly scar! This is three months post operative. It’s barely noticeable anymore.

On a personal note, in March I had cervical neck fusion surgery. These last couple of years were painful due to the neck injury from picking up groceries. Now I’m recovering well and getting my spark back. However, I’m coming to grips with the realization I’m having to retire my Wonder Woman crown and belt. The lasso of truth, however, you’ll have to pull from my cold, dead hands. I will always tell you the truth, you can count on that. You might not like it, but as Jesus said to the ones who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32) However, don’t believe in me, but in the one who sent me! I’m just the messenger.

Blackeyed peas for good luck in 2026

For my New Year’s supper, I enjoyed a hearty bowl of blackeyed peas, brown rice, and quinoa, all simmered together with baby spinach cooked in rich leftover pot roast liquid. To finish it off, I sprinkled a bit of shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Here’s wishing everyone a prosperous, healthy, and peaceful New Year in 2026! Eat more plants, more veggies, and more home cooked meals. Spend time creating, sharing, and learning.

Joy and peace,

Cornelia

David Brooks: We’re Living Through the Great Detachment

 

 

 

 

A Life of Mystery and Hope

adult learning, arkansas, art, brain plasticity, Creativity, Faith, hope, Icons, Israel, mystery, Painting, Spirituality, suffering, vision

Our weather is changeable. Last week I had the heat turned on, but this weekend I have gone back to ceiling fans and my air conditioner. I was so ready for cooler temperatures, but I am not in charge of the thermostat outside, only the one inside. Of course, while the calendar may say it is autumn and the northern states may get their first snows, we southern folks should know better than to put away all our lightweight clothing just because we have had a first frost. That first frost freeze is just a tease, since an eighty-degree day or two will soon follow.

I talk about the mysteries of our weather because when we try a new art medium for the first time, we sometimes think, “Oh, this has some similarities to a prior experience.” Then we get into it and come to the “unknown land”—the place where we realize we are lost and have no idea which way to turn. We cannot go back, we do not know how to go forward, and we think if we stay in this place, we might starve to death.

We are like Abraham, who heard God’s call to “go to a land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1), but we have no idea how long that journey will take or where we will end up. We go from our safe place as an act of faith, travel in faith, and meet every obstacle and detour with the faith God will bring us through. Every artist is an Abraham in their heart, for they are always on a spiritual journey. Even when we reach the promised land, we always are moving spiritually “from Dan to Beersheba” as we hone our craft, just as Abraham and his family followed their flocks to the seasonal pastures. Like the ancient Jews, we too can confess:

“A wandering Aramean was my ancestor…” (Deuteronomy 26:5).

If we wander, we need a guide. Beginning artists have always sought more experienced artists as their guides and teachers. For the basics, we more experienced persons act as teachers by giving instruction and directions. Some teachers give their students works to copy so each person produces an approximation of the teacher’s image. Since this method does not encourage creativity or intense attention, I have always taught people to use their own eyes to see the image, rather than have me prescribe and define it for them. That would take the greater part of the “seeing and imagining” work away from the students. This would build my neurons but not do all that much for theirs. The more difficult task challenges us and keeps our brains from becoming numb from disuse. Art is one of the best exercises for stimulating the brain.

Marie Woods: Seeking Serendipity II, Mixed media on birch panel, 12″ x 12″, 13″ x 13″ overall, Framed in a tray frame

To start the class, I showed some multi-media art works using words and found objects. Because everyone has a different learning style, I find showing images for visual learners helps those who learn through sight, while talking about these examples helps those who are auditory or hearing learners. I sometimes need to take the tools in hand to show the haptic or hands on learners. No style is “better” or more “advanced” than another, but our unique style of learning has to do with the design of our brains. We can train our brains to work in a different fashion, but our preference will always be easier.

I had begun working on a piece the week before when Mike and Gail were in class. Mike had to go away to handle a work emergency and Gail wanted to finish a pumpkin painting. Since they had known what we would work on, and we had a week off, they were ready with a fleshed-out idea. These two also have experimented with other media in the past also. Gail’s granddaughter brought a variety of materials to work with and already had an idea. Marilyn had a promising idea, but needed technical help to bring it to life.

This is where we become those who say, “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). We might look at our canvas, the paint we have put on it, the gauze we tied to it, and say to ourselves: “Well, this is a fine mess I’ve gotten myself into!” This is when a call for help, the lack of activity, or the smoking of a brain working overtime makes me look up from my own work and ask, “You need some help?”

I do not read minds, but my old schoolteacher skills never really die. If the room gets too quiet, someone is either in trouble or fixing to cause trouble. In our Friday art class, we do not have the latter. When I went to help Marilyn, she was at a decision point over what to do with her image without the netting. To begin with, she had tied it on tightly and did not have scissors on hand. In our class, we are willing to share, so no one has any need. As the writer of Hebrews 13:16 reminds us,

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

My scissors broke when one of our group tried to cut a cork, so I borrowed Gail’s X-acto knife. Plan A was not available so we moved to Plan B. First the blade fell out, but I put it back in. Marilyn may have been wondering if we ever were going to find a working tool to cut away her netting. She had tied it very securely on the canvas board. Once we got it off, we could look at the paint texture on her board. There was always plan C—arm wrestle the netting off the canvas by sheer force of will, but Plan D would have been better: use the shears in the kitchen. Nothing stops us when we are going to make art. We will find a way.

Marilyn: Continental Drift

“Talk to me about your goals here,” I said.

“I was trying to get some green here, like a green ground.”

“You have plenty of green colors on your palette. Do you want solid greens or washes, like transparent greens?”

“More like transparent greens.”

“So, use your big brush and water.”

“I did not bring my big brushes. Just my small ones.”

“You can borrow mine.”

This is how the art studio life goes. We chat things out for a bit until we get over a hump, and then we let a person explore on their own some more. Some things they will discover for themselves. The more water you put into a color, the thinner it is on the canvas. The more paint put on your brush, the more opaque it is. If you want transparency, you thin your paint with a medium or water, but if you want to cover an area, you paint straight out of the tube. Keeping your brushes clean by changing the water often is also important. Otherwise, you are dragging colored water into your other colors. None of your other colors will be true colors, but will take on the color of your water.


Jimmie Durham: “Still Life with Spirit and Xitle”, car being crushed by a volcanic boulder with a comical smiley face painted on it.

When we journey, we sometimes need to take a detour along our well-planned route because a boulder has rolled down into the middle of the road or a recent flood has washed out the bridge. My map reading skills before GPS were so suspect, my daughter was frightened whenever I announced, “I’ve found a shortcut to save us some time.”

“Oh, no! Not the long cut!” She would wail. Unfortunately, she was usually correct. The shortcut might have been true, but my map reading skills always turned these short trips into long journeys. I do get to see the “unknown lands” off the beaten path of the scenic tours of whatever place I visit. “Oh, the places I have been!”

Dr. Seuss is a prophet

Learning how to paint, create art, make pottery, play a musical instrument, or any other creative activity does require attention, practice, critiquing, and patience. We must be pilgrims on a journey, knowing the long walk is part of the spiritual process of becoming the person we want to be. Our works will reflect our inner journey as we get closer to our destination. An artist never quits learning, so the artist’s journey never ends until they can no longer create physical works here on earth. As Anselm Kiefer, a modern German multimedia artist says,

“Art is longing. You never arrive, but you keep going in the hope that you will.”

Anselm Kiefer: Feld (Field), 2019-20, Emulsion, oil, and acrylic on canvas, 110¼x149% inches (280 x 380 cm)

Gail tried laying her paint on with a painter’s spackling knife. Normally she thins her paint out with water and treats it like a watercolor painting. She will build up layers to add depth and color. She also has a good clean edge to these works. She brought none of that vision to this painting, but laid on the three primary colors so thickly, they glistened. She tried printing the words with a rubbery shelf paper, but they did not stand out enough. I asked, “Do you think those words would read better in a different color?”

Gail: Elusive Peace

Her reply, “Peace is elusive these days. It is hard to find.”

“Form follows function” is a design principle, so Gail must be on to the metaphor of her theme word.

My Heart is on the Sea

Harper came to visit and made an ocean with sea foam bubble wrap and a heart floating on the water. She also brought her latest fancy bead bracelets.

Michael’s Cross and Crown

Mike was making up for missing art. He sat down with all his materials and worked his background in paint. After listening to my intro, he returned to cut up his purple cloth, arrange it on the canvas, and set the two pieces of scrap wood into a cross shape. Then he used spray fixative to hold the lot together. I saw him trying to get the wood to stick, so I suggested putting spray on both surfaces. This way the two would bond together. That piece of information was a technical revelation.

“I just need it to stick together long enough to get it home,” he said, “and then I can glue it for real.”

Aurora Across Arkansas 11/11/25

I noted his background colors reflected the unusual auroras which graced our evening skies this past week.

Eternal Hope

I had started my small canvas the week before when I was half sick. My hand, heart, and mind never feel quite connected when I feel bad, but I still work anyway. The beauty of acrylics is I can paint over them later. In fact, this is a repurposed canvas. If a work does not “speak to me” after a few months, I either cut it up to reweave it or paint it over entirely. I always think I will find hope for it in another form, but it may need to take its own journey to find its best self.

Jeremiah once said to the Jewish exiles in Babylon,

“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (29:11)

When we have forgotten what our home looks like, God still remembers where we once lived. When we have lost our memories of the ancient Temple practices, God still knows the rituals. God will remind God’s faithful of our service. If we have lost our knowledge of how to walk with God, God will send us teachers once more. God always provides us with what we need.

Christ the Redeemer, 16th CE, Gallery of Art, Skopje.

Hope is part of our GrecoRoman heritage also. “Dum spiro spero” is Latin for “While I breathe, I hope.” Some form of this saying has been around since the 3rd century BCE. My grandmother sewed her antique crochet trim onto pillowcases for wedding gifts. This is a scrap I found in her sewing kit. I stenciled the letters HOPE and glued down the wooden letters H, P, and E. I used an old metal circle for the O. Torn corrugated paper added a touch of texture, as did a few string prints. Sometimes hope appears to slide away or seems raw and unvarnished. The colors are blue and violet because Advent is the great season of Hope. Matthew quotes the Servant Song from Isaiah in 12:18-21—

“Here is my servant, whom I have chosen,

my beloved, with whom my soul is well pleased.

I will put my Spirit upon him,

and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

He will not wrangle or cry aloud,

nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.

He will not break a bruised reed

or quench a smoldering wick

until he brings justice to victory.

And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

This is the Messiah of Hope of Israel and the Anointed Christ in whom we hope today. We can best share the hope of this Christ to our suffering world by serving the suffering, the grieving, the hungry, and the overlooked.

Joy, peace, and hope,

Cornelia

 

Skulls and Turban Pumpkins

art

Hokusai: Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa-oki nami-ura), colored wood block print, Publication: 1831

During chaos, we humans search for order. We are not good in the storm! Jesus may sleep comfortably in the boat while the waves crash against the sides of the boat and the wind threatens to rip the sail to shreds, but like the disciples we scream,

 “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. (Luke 8:24)

Guest Artist: Cosmic Star and Galaxies,
Gel bleach on black T-shirt

Change is a constant in our lives. We are each constantly renewed every 28 days. At least, our skin is a new creation, even if we have not undergone a spiritual transformation. Due to the constant formation of new basal cells in the lowest layer of our epidermis, the new cells push the overlying cells further upwards, where they slowly dry out, become keratinized and become dry, dead skin flakes.

Younger skin cells, which I lost long ago!

These new skin cells replace the old skin cells by moving them upwards towards the surface of the skin. This entire rejuvenation process takes an average of 28 days and is known as a skin cycle.

Mike had to rush off before he finished his T-shirt

We have other cycles in our bodies, for our bodies are always renewing themselves. We might feel old and worn out but we are just comparing ourselves to our younger selves. Old is a state of mind; old means we are no longer curious, no longer open to hope, and no longer open to change. Old has become fixed in place. Old is not an age on the calendar. Old is an attitude.

Marilyn’s Day of the Dead T-shirt, acrylic

We nod to old traditions and seek to interpret them in new ways in our Friday Art Class. The past two weeks we have used the Day of the Dead skull motif and turban pumpkins as our inspiration. These both have the October vibe about them. The Mexican festival of Dia de los Muertes is kin to our All Saints Day, since it is a veneration of the ancestors and a celebratory feast in their honor.

Sugar Skull Cookies we made in Art Class one year

The skull motif comes from the cookie or sugar “offerenda” gifts offered at the family altars and the grave sites for the benefit of the ancestors. The pumpkins stand for the harvest (and the ubiquitous pumpkin spice in everything edible or not) during this time of year. Some years we do ordinary pumpkins, but this year I went hog wild. (Unfortunately it didn’t help our Razorback football team get their mojo back!)

Gail S: Day of the Dead T-shirt, Gel bleach on black T-shirt

We painted turban pumpkins this year, with a twist. I asked Mike to cut a chunk out of one of the pumpkins so we could see the seeds inside. The seeds represent the small bits of life which look nothing like the final product, but contain the whole germ for a full life. The seeds are part of the transformation process of life: hidden underground, the mystery of growth takes place. The ground may appear dead and lifeless, but underneath, energies we cannot see are at work.

The Turban Pumpkins

So it is with the Christian life and the creative life. A seed planted may not come to life right away. We farmers might want to walk away from this field or plow it under and start over with a new crop. We don’t understand how the seed we plant may have settled in an unprepared field. We might need to bring some fertilizer to this field and nurture it a bit more, or in art class, we need to continue teaching the same lesson in different forms.

Cornelia: Turban Pumpkins with Seeds, acrylic on canvas, 8” x 10”

When people are learning a new skill or changing behaviors, the process takes time. This is why John Wesley believed it was possible to become perfect in Christian love in a moment by God’s grace, but most people would do so over time.

In art school, after hours of practice and challenge, some few of us would be fortunate enough to have the other students come by our easels to inspect our scrawlings. Not that these works were ready for museums yet, but they did show a unique hand, which the others lacked. That uniqueness is the individuality of personality that comes through the expression of the artist’s hand.

Gail S: Surrealist Transformation of Pumpkins into Mushrooms (AKA The Compost Heap)—when given a prompt, the creative mind will run with it! Gail’s years with the Park Service and nature inform all her work.

In the 18th CE, Europe was at the heights of both international trade and conflict. This trade began in the 14th CE with the Crusades going to the Middle Eastern countries and returning home with luxurious carpets and other goods. Although coffee houses were prevalent in Constantinople (Istanbul), we have no record of crusaders bringing coffee beans back on their return journey. Merchants began to import coffee beans at various port cities in Italy and France in the 16th CE. When the Turkish government sent ambassadors to the French king, the king enchanted by the group’s exotic dress and the court began to adopt Turkish elements in their daily attire and in their household furnishings. History calls this appropriation style “Turquerie.”

Victoria, Princess Royal, in a Turkish-style costume by William Charles Ross. Turbans were all the rage.

The Ottoman-Austria wars (16-18th CE) made traditional Turkish coffee (“Türkentrank”) popular in Europe, notably in Paris through the war captives. Some cafes inspired from the Turkish-style became a common meeting point of intellectuals and socialites, and even became a symbol of Paris. Turquerie fashion influenced European architecture, design, and even daily items. The Belvedere Palace, which has side domes covered by a tasseled tent design or the Karlskirche, makes the towers reminiscent of minarets and are further examples of this orientalizing trend.

Belvedere palace dome in Vienna

Of course, after this era, the discovery of Herculaneum (1738) and Pompeii (1748) fueled a love for the styles of ancient Greece and Rome that were to form the basis of Neoclassicism, a style popular through the early part of the nineteenth century. Styles in art are continually evolving, depending on the outside forces which currently influence our lives. If we constantly repeat the patterns of the past without any sensitivity to the pulse beats of the lifeblood of this world in which we live, then we are like dry bones in a dryer desert.

Marilyn is learning to draw with a brush, rather than to make a pencil design and fill it in. I ask students to work in this manner to loosen up their thought process and make big decisions, rather than many small ones. This helps us to see the whole before we see the parts.

Richard Rohr in his book, The Tears of Things, writes:

Ezekiel is forever telling us, “Prophesy to the breath…. Come from the four winds, breath; breathe on these dry bones and let them live!” (Ezekiel 37:9). Our love matters in this universe. Dry bones can still be remade with living flesh. It is God’s very job description, I think. And now ours, too…It is our very own breath—and God’s, too—that we breathe on the dry bones of this world.”

In art class we work with God’s spirit activating our spirit to bring our unique experiences to the fore. The water may be choppy at times, but Jesus always calms our soul. After all, what we paint on a canvas will not impair our salvation. God’s love in Jesus Christ assures us of our salvation, not our ability to make great art or amass riches.

Joy, peace, and assurance,

Cornelia

 

— The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage by Richard Rohr

(Chapter 9: EZEKIEL—REDEMPTION AND THE GRACE OF GOD)

https://a.co/3wBhPRn

THE CONVERSATION US: Pumpkins’ journey from ancient food staple to spicy fall obsession spans thousands of years

https://apple.news/AVG9dy_XHSjOMsK-YkTsRXA

VIRTUAL CONSULTATIONS

https://www.drsturm.com/virtual-consultations

History of coffee | Origin, Spread, Ethiopia, Arabia, Facts, & Timeline

https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-coffee

Turquerie: Evolution of Turkish theme in European art, style 

https://www.dailysabah.com/feature/2016/10/07/turquerie-evolution-of-turkish-theme-in-european-art-style

 Hokusai: Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa-oki nami-ura), colored wood block print, Publication: 1831, Size: Horizontal ôban; 25.8 x 38 cm (10 3/16 x 14 15/16 in.),

 

 

 

Four Pears Still Life

art, Cezanne, Creativity, failure, nature, Painting, Pompeii, Transfiguration

We painted a still life of four pears and a handmade blue bowl in our recent Friday art class. After looking at some art prompts and reminding the class, “Pears are just variations on spheres piled on top of each other,” we got down to business. In art class this means spending some time looking. Unless we’re designing an abstract creation, we usually have a desire to make our images reflect what we see. Yet each of us sees from a unique perspective and we each have a special creative use of color and line. This is our creative genius which lives within each of us. My goal as a teacher is to lead this genius out of each person and set it free to feel confident to exercise its own voice.

Pompeii Genius mural, House of Lares

The genius is a Greco Roman idea like our guardian angel, in that each person has a guardian spirit. The Romans put the father at the head of the family, so the genius was the spirit of the male head of the household. In the family altar areas lares, (guardians of the family, who protect the household from external threats) stand on either side of the genius, who wears a toga and makes a sacrifice. Beneath them all is a serpent. The murals often depict snakes in the lararia because the Romans believed they were also guardian spirits of the family and as well as messengers to the underworld.

The poet Horace half-seriously said only the genius knows what makes one person so different from another, adding the genius is a god who is born and dies with each one of us. Individuals worshipped their own individual genii, especially on their own birthdays. Today we use the term genius to mean “gifted or special,” but each of us has special abilities of our own genius, just by the grace of God at birth. As Romans 12:6 reminds us,

“We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.”

Some of us may be rich in gifts, and some of us may be letting our gifts lie fallow, but we can all work at increasing the gift we have. Some of us may discover a hitherto unknown gift! None of us would ever want to be like the third servant who received the one talent and promptly buried it out in the back yard in a coffee can, only to return it to the master without even added interest. He was so afraid of failure and loss, and worried about future punishment, that he did not even loan the money out at interest. (Matthew 25:24ff)

Samuel Beckett in in Westward Ho (1983), said:

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again.

Fail again. Fail better.”

This quote was written on the back of a envelope in my grandmother’s art studio up on the second floor of the big wooden Victorian home my granddaddy built for them when he was promoted to conductor on the railroad. He had an eighth grade education, but made sure his boys had more. My grandmother was not going to let anything stop them.

Failure is how we learn what we don’t know. Then we learn some more things and discover we still don’t know everything! We become lifetime learners because the world is always changing, whether we want it to or not. We too will transform, because this is the truth of the Christian life.

Test of Vanguard launch vehicle for U.S. International Geophysical Year (IGY) program

Most of life in the art studio is a process of failing upward. Most people think failing is always a negative activity, but children always fall before they can consistently walk. We give them joy, cookies, and hugs. I am old enough to remember rocket ships blowing up on the launchpad more often than streaking into the great beyond. NASA had a few kinks to work out before we sent chimpanzees or humans into space. Even then, space has claimed its heroes. We don’t call NASA a failed organization. These sacrifices taught us much. We are infinitely more careful and do not want to move so fast that we break humanity. Break the technology but care for the humanity.

In my own work, I can learn so much on one painting, I will look at it a month later and want to “fix it.” I realized long ago I needed to let that feeling go. If I were to work with new insights on the old work, I would have to totally repaint it. I would be better off beginning all over. I’m now in a new place and have new skills. My individual genius is ready for a new challenge. I will learn so much on the new work, I will be eager to start on the next one.

Transfiguration Icon

Art is like life. We get a new day to do better and another opportunity to do better. There are cynics among us who believe people cannot do better, or they will never change. Those of us, who afflicted with incurable optimism, believe change is possible and a better life awaits. We would have no teachers, healers, or community leaders, much less no clergy of any faith, if we didn’t believe in transformation or think we have no part in bringing it to fruition. I am not one to settle for chaos and despair. I keep saying this world has enough negativity, and I will not contribute to that excess.

Henri Rousseau: Pears, Apples, and Teapot, c.1910, oil on canvas, private collection

Simplifying what we see before us is a first step in drawing from life. The KISS Principle works in art class too: “Keep It Simple Silly.” Most of us try to eat the elephant all at once. We look at a houseful of boxes and collapse: where to start? After years of itinerating, I can say with certainty, “The one nearest to you at the moment.” If it took three weeks to pack, expect the same amount of time to unpack. Hooray, you get to eat out until you find the kitchen gear. Likewise with a painting, we make a mark with a light-colored wash. If it is in the wrong place or the wrong size, we can overpaint it. No one will ever know.

Our Four Pears: One View

Mike kept his pear painting simple. He made a study of the one pear which called his name. Just because I brought four pears and a blue bowl didn’t mean he felt the need to paint the whole still life. This is his unique genius. In his work life he can find the primary truths and key facts to support his clients’ cases. Those same attributes will show up in his artwork. At the end of the class, he was unhappy, however.

“Use your words,” I always say, “or at least point to where you are unhappy with your work.”

Pointing to the waistline of the pear, he said, “This section here looks wrong.”

“That’s where you quit looking at the pear and were just putting paint on the canvas.”

“OK, I thought that was what was bothering me about this, but I didn’t know why.”

Mike: Four Pears are The One Pear

“We have to keep looking at the objects while painting. Our memories aren’t that good to keep the image in mind for long.” We can train our memories by the technique of blind drawing, which is the technique of only looking at the objects, but never at our drawing. This trains our hand to connect to our eye. Our first drawings are very lopsided because the right side usually won’t match up to the left side. Yet with practice, these blind drawings will look somewhat realistic.

Gail S: Four Pears

Gail S has a more reflective and introspective approach, so she will dissect the major elements of the still life before she makes a mark on the canvas. Some people can imagine three dimensional objects as two dimensional patterns without making marks visible. I consider this a particular form of genius, for they also can usually access their thoughts without having to write them down, which is what extroverted thinkers need to do. This is another example of how different people approach art from their own specific genius: if we all were all alike, we would produce indistinguishable results as if from a factory. Art class isn’t a factory production line, but an experience and opportunity to get in touch with our creative selves.

Cornelia: Four Pears

I managed to catch the personality of the different pear species. I was painting on a raw, unprimed canvas, so my first layers of paint soaked into the weave. The successive layers built up the colors. I ignored the drapery and the busy background of the actual setting, but I added the rainbow clouds of my own. The violet grey of the tablecloth might read to some eyes as a mountain. Then the size context of the pears and the bowl becomes questionable. Are they normal sized pears on a table or giant-sized pears on a mountain? The tension is part of the painting.

Rembrandt: The Night Watch, 1642

Once the artist makes their work, they give it a title for what it is meant to say to others. That is its “birth name.” Much like a sermon, once the word or image gets out into the public, people interpret it according to their own lived experiences and prejudices. As an example, historians have misinterpreted Rembrandt’s Night Watch, which wasn’t its original title.

Contrary to popular myth, the commissioners did not reject painting, but it has suffered many indignities in its almost 400 year history. In 1715, the townspeople pared it down to fit between two doors in Amsterdam’s Town Hall, and its current name arrived at the end of the 18th century on account of varnish and dirt that had darkened it into a nighttime scene. The action takes place at dawn’s first light, a fact revealed after a recent 2013 cleaning.

Paul Cézanne: Still Life with Apples and Pears, ca. 1891–92, Oil on canvas, 17 5/8 x 23 1/8 in. (44.8 x 58.7 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY.

The same goes with any spoken word or sermon. If we wonder how so many people can get so many different meanings from a preacher’s sermon, or how people can read the same Bible, but produce wildly different interpretations of the claim Christ has on their lives from the same holy word, it might be because we all come from differing perspectives, environments, cultures, and therefore have unique “geniuses.”

In the seminary we try our best to strip all our preconceived notions away from our hearts and minds and hear the texts as the authors originally spoke to those who wrote them down. Then we ask, “What meaning do they have for us today? What is Christ calling us to be? What are we to do to bring God’s kingdom one step closer?” If the scripture cannot touch us, transform us, and call us to action, we will be as John Wesley once feared, only “almost Christians.” To be fully Christian we need to have not only the outward appearance of the Christian life but also have “the love of God and neighbor shed abroad in our hearts.” That is the mark of the “altogether Christian,” rather than the one who is only just as good as the “honest heathen.”

Wesley never minced his words, as you can read in his sermon, “The Almost Christian.” When our toes tingle, we might want to give some thought to our strongly held beliefs. If scripture contradicts them, then we might want to look deeper into the background of that text and see if the rest of the Bible speaks with the same voice. We also might want to consider if this word has meaning for today (for instance, we no longer make animal sacrifices to God, since Christ made that need irrelevant by his gift on the cross).

Cezanne: Still life with three pears, Pencil and watercolor on paper, 1880-82, 12.6 x 20.8 cm, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Koenigs Collection

When we struggle in learning a new art technique, we are also undergoing a transformation. We sometimes must unlearn an old comfortable habit to learn a better one. Anyone who has played a sport knows the difficulty of making a swing change or adjusting their throwing motion. We are creatures of habit and want to take the well traveled path. We fear any disruption from the ordinary. Yet it’s in the challenge of the new where we learn. Iron sharpens iron. We never hear the metaphor, “Wool sharpens steel.”

We will do Day of the Dead T shirts next and turban pumpkins after that. It is always an interesting time in Friday Art Class. You can join us and begin at your level. Bring your own acrylic paints, brushes, and a small canvas or canvas panel.

Joy and peace,

Cornelia

 

Genius | Ancient Beliefs & Practices

https://www.britannica.com/topic/genius-Roman-religion

Revealing the Secret History of Rembrandt’s ‘The Night Watch’

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/secrets-of-rembrandt-the-night-watch-2627404

BBC – History – Ancient History in depth: Pompeii Art and Architecture Gallery

https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/pompeii_art_gallery_08.shtml

Wesley’s Sermon Reprints: The Almost Christian | Christian History Magazine

https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/wesleys-sermon-reprints-almost-christian

Test of Vanguard launch vehicle for U.S. International Geophysical Year (IGY) program to place satellite in Earth orbit to determine atmospheric density and conduct geodetic measurements. Malfunction in first stage caused vehicle to lose thrust after two seconds and Mission Control destroyed the vehicle.

 

HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS

adult learning, art, CharlieBrown, Halloween, holidays, Imagination, Ministry, Painting, picasso, pumpkins

Michael Jackson: Thriller Video still, 1982

Let’s party like it’s 2025! Nothing takes our minds off the stresses of the real world’s ghouls and goblins like pretending to be a ghost, zombie, pirate, princess or superhero in the All Hallows’ Eve hijinks of the holiday we know as Halloween. Especially if we have the license to eat candy or drink purple fluid to slake our thirst after our door to door “threats of trick or treat.” With all that masked mayhem in the cities, towns, and county seats of the country, the forces of ICE and Homeland Security won’t know which to turn. The INSURRECTION they conjured out of thin air will suddenly become real, only to disappear shortly after sunset. And before troops can surge to all points involved. 

Portland ICE protest—October 11, 2025—gives people an opportunity to wear costumes early

How many people in America will celebrate Halloween? Across the country 132.6 million households purchase about 745.8 million pounds of candy during the Halloween season every year. This works out to the weight of 33.9 billion bats or 62.16 million jack-o’-lanterns. Also only about 20% of people don’t celebrate Halloween at all. While I don’t eat loads of candy, I also don’t expect to micromanage other parents. My folks put a limit on our consumption back in the dark ages, plus we only went to a single neighborhood. Once we made the circuit of our city block and arrived home, we were done. The concept of “haul” was nonexistent in the days when dinosaurs lurked in the shadows, along with actual ghosts and other scary creatures. 

Vintage Card, reminds me of the Headless Horseman

Most Halloween shoppers (79%) anticipate prices will be higher this year, specifically because of tariffs. Despite these reservations, nearly three-quarters of consumers (73%) plan to celebrate the holiday, in line with last year’s 72%. Top holiday activities include handing out candy (66%), dressing up in costume (51%) and decorating their home or yard (51%). 

Economist’s Pumpkin, noting the scary prices of everything

Also, chocolate costs more because of cocoa prices, which have soared in recent years, have hit record highs amid adverse weather conditions, pest outbreaks and supply tightness in West Africa, which produces around three-fourths of the global supply. Cocoa futures have remained choppy but overall eased this year, falling from $8,177 per metric ton at the start of January to around $7,855 in August. That compares with $2,374 three years ago. Your basic Hershey Kiss is up 12% in price. If your favorite chocolate seems a tad lean on the chocolate, remember a warming climate means pests, droughts or floods, and fungi, all of which impact growing food. 

Medium Pumpkins are the Best Buy

Even if candy costs more, it continues to be the most popular purchase, with total spending expected to reach $3.9 billion. Across other categories, 71% plan to purchase costumes and spending is expected to reach $4.3 billion. Another 78% plan to purchase decorations, up from 75% last year, and will spend an estimated $4.2 billion in total. And 38% plan to purchase greeting cards, an increase from 2024’s 33%, with total spending estimated at $0.7 billion.

Picasso: Blue period, The Family of the Blind Man, 1903

Compared with last year, more people also plan to carve a pumpkin (46%), throw or attend a party (32%), visit a haunted house (24%) or dress up their pets (23%). October also means our art class works on a pumpkin still life. This year instead of making a realistic rendering, we looked at Picasso’s different styles. He began as a classically trained artist, and then broke all the rules of realism with cubism by fragmenting his subjects into multiple surfaces or flat geometric patterns. Later he did return to a “balloon” neoclassicism, but reverted once more to flat patterns of color. Picasso was always reinventing and responding to the creative genius within him. He didn’t feel constrained to continue to produce art to please others. 

Pablo Picasso, Mother and Child, 1921, Art Institute of Chicago, IL, USA. © Estate of Pablo Picasso.

Our pumpkin paintings reflect this creative energy. Gail S chose various red hues and deconstructed the pumpkin, as well as imagining it from above. She added some gourd shapes to the mix. 

Gail S’s Deconstructed Pumpkins

If Picasso had an orange period in addition to his blue and rose periods, my pumpkins would fit right in. They certainly look like his balloon neoclassical period! I confess I spent more time visiting with a stranger who graced the church door and who seemed to need to talk, but could not find her words. 

Cornelia’s Orange Period Pumpkins and Leaves

She didn’t want a pumpkin muffin either, so we let her sit. After a bit, I began to talk about how some of my well meaning friends give me advice that doesn’t make any sense. Like if I make one small mistake, they think I’m ready for assisted living!

“What are they thinking?” was Gail’s response. 

“Exactly, this comment says more about them than me. I ignore it and go on. Some folks are perfectionists.” 

We painted for a while and then I spoke up again, “You can’t please everyone. If you make A happy, B gets upset, or if you make B happy, then A is upset. Group C is just contrary and nothing ever pleases them. I try to make God happy and let people know that is my only goal. I’m not here to choose sides in their puny fights.”

I must have said something that helped her out, for she said she now felt strong enough to deal with her day and its problems. We thanked her for stopping by and wished her well. We didn’t have much attendance in art class, but if there had been more people, this lady might not have felt free to be with us. God must have provided this quiet space for this woman who had an unvoiced need that day. We aren’t always open to the human needs of those on the margins, but we should recognize they struggle with the same need for autonomy and authenticity as everyone else does. 

Another vintage Halloween card

Speaking of pumpkins, the Wôpanâak are a Native American tribe from the eastern coastal region. Their language gives us the loan word for the ubiquitous fruit that “grows forth round,” also known as a Pôhpukun or pumpkin. Marion Webster posits the derivation of this word as follows: “alteration of earlier pumpion, modification of French popon, pompon melon, pumpkin, from Latin pepon-, pepo, from Greek pepōn, from pepōn ripened; akin to Greek pesseinto cook, ripen — more at COOK.”

Of course, this pedigree prefers the Eurocentric derivatives because Native Americans were once considered savages, and therefore unworthy of their historic contributions to our language. We know better today and celebrate the gifts and graces of all persons who contribute to the vast melting pot of the great stew we call America. 

What a dull soup we would be if we were just the pale watered down broth with no pumpkins or spinach, no tomatoes or onions, no garlic (to ward off werewolves), and no corn, beans, chicken or beef to provide substance to our stew. We need a variety of spices to make a good soup, just as we need a variety of people’s to build a great community. 

Some people go all out for Halloween

One night a year, we can dress up in the costume of our shadow fears or our innermost desires. We get to act like our inner child. We carve our pumpkins with scary faces and put them on porches decorated with all sorts of ghoulish things. The Halloween holiday is cathartic, for it allows us to share with others our innermost selves, an act many of us have difficulty doing.

Worst Halloween Candies

If we eat a bit of candy here and there, it’s ok. It’s one night, and we can plan for this. The goblins do not win, for they are not real. They are here today, and gone tomorrow. I usually set my candy haul into the freezer where I can’t see it. Out of sight, out of mind. I have a piece now and then, “for medicinal purposes,” as my nanny would say, when she took a nip of the bottle stashed in the linen closet. Always with a table spoon, a measured dose, of course, because she “didn’t drink.”

Always go for the Chocolate!

If it helps to keep your cravings in check, you do what you have to do. I just ask, remember our life is short upon this round ball, so don’t rob yourself of the joy of this time. Find something to celebrate daily. On Halloween, we can celebrate our inner child. Even better, we can give the gift of magic to a small child by entering into the fantasy of the night. 

Joy, peace, pumpkin spice, and magic, 

Cornelia

USDA List of Retail Prices for Fruits and Vegetables, page 11, pumpkins.

https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/fvwretail.pdf

NRF | NRF Consumer Survey Finds Halloween Spending to Reach Record $13.1 Billion

https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/nrf-consumer-survey-finds-halloween-spending-to-reach-record-13-1-billion

The states most mad for Halloween — and candy — revealed in new survey

https://www.scrippsnews.com/life/holidays-and-celebrations/the-states-most-mad-for-halloween-and-candy-revealed-in-new-survey

Chocolate lovers, brace yourselves: Prices are rising, but not forever

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/22/chocolate-set-to-get-more-expensive-but-2026-outlook-looks-sweeter.html

How Americans Are Celebrating Halloween Despite Rising Prices

How Americans Are Celebrating Halloween Despite Rising Prices

Fun with Words | WLRP Home

https://www.wlrp.org/fun-with-words

Two Types of Color Wheels

adult learning, art, color Wheel, Creativity, flowers, Painting, picasso, Rumi

Rumi, the 13th CE Persian poet and theologian, once said, “Inside you there’s an artist you don’t know about…say yes quickly, if you know, if you’ve known it from before the beginning of the universe.” Most of us live unawakened to this talent. When we were children, we had no thoughts of “trying to be an artist.” We picked up colors or clay and made our shapes and designs without a care in the world. Our loved ones praised our projects, and we felt good.

Johannes Itten: In the beginning

Somewhere along the 4th or 5th grade, many of us lost touch with that artist within. As Picasso said, “It took me my whole life to learn to draw like a child.” What Picasso meant is he learned all the adult rules for a good painting first and then unlearned them so he could create something completely new. When children are between 9 to 13 years old, they try to draw more naturalistic figures and landscapes by using shadows and perspective. They also start comparing their work with others, but this discourages those who are not discovering the new visual language of realism.

Picasso: Great Still Life on Pedestal, 1931, oil on canvas

As a result, by the time many children reach middle school, they are no longer in touch with their inner artist. Young children do not worry about whether they are wrong. They will forge bravely into unfamiliar territory, even knowing they may make a wrong decision. However, as we mature, we quickly learn that being wrong often has negative consequences. We learn quickly in school that making mistakes brings negative consequences. Not studying for the test brings a bad grade. Talking too much might get a time out in the dark cloak room (traumatic 3rd grade experiences).

Jeannie: Color Wheel Flower

Teaching art to middle school students who say, “I can’t draw a straight line without a ruler” always got my retort, “We don’t have straight lines in nature, so you won’t have that problem in this class!” They learned working would bring improvement. This is a lesson learned well by the folks who have been with me for the last five years since Pastor Russ Brashears invited me to teach classes here. While we are saved by faith, not by works, in art class we need to have faith that our work will bring us closer to perfection. (Of course, there’s always an exception …)

Frank Stella: Harran II, 1967, Polymer and fluorescent polymer paint on canvas

At work, the boss penalizes us for being wrong. According to Sir Ken Robinson, an expert in creativity, “If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never produce anything original. Since creativity inherently requires a willingness to be wrong, we begin to avoid it. For many of us, we become so good at avoiding it that we convince ourselves we are “not creative.” Another destroyer of creativity is current need to teach to the test standards. The one right answer for this important test leads children to think many questions have one answer, when in truth, multiple answers might be worthy.

Gail: Color Wheel Designs

In addition, many factors that seem related to the self-controlled aspect of ourselves—like research, facts, or being grounded in reality—feel like they are helping us mitigate the risk of being wrong. Therefore, we rely more on our executive function skills and behaviors, and less on our imaginative behaviors. Psychologists at Cornell University conducted a study that showed that we have an implicit bias against less conventional, practical-seeming ideas. We tend to like what everyone else likes, rather than original or creative ideas.

Johannes Itten: Bau Haus Color Star with Shades, 1921

This tendency runs deep since studies going back to the 1950’s have shown people are prone to conforming to popular opinions and perspectives. Research suggests that the rote learning and direct instruction used in schools often drives out whatever nonconformist tendencies we may have as children. This type of instruction may counteract our more exploratory and creative modes of thinking and learning. The Fauves, or “wild beasts,” were a group of French artists who scandalized the Academic standards by painting in wild and unnatural colors to evoke emotion, rather than observable reality. Of course, we love their works today.

Mike: Age of Aquarius: moon in 7th house

Half our class has been doing the color wheel multiple times, while the other half is getting their first exposure to it. Gail and Mike have made enough color wheels that I would not ask them to make another unless we changed our medium. Then it is always worthwhile to see how a new set of colors behaves when mixed. I gave them the guide, “Choose any design you want, and mix up the colors to make an interesting design.” Of course, they are two different personalities, so they produced two different paintings.

Basic Color Wheel

The basic premise for the beginner’s color wheel exercise is to take the 3 primary colors of red, yellow, and blue, and mix them to form the 3 secondary colors of orange, green, and violet. The tertiary colors are the “in between color” of each primary and secondary color. I was pleased that both Jeannie and Tonya mixed the colors well and kept their brushes clean in between the varied colors. This showed concentration and care, which are attributes of good craftsmanship. This will pay off in the future when we paint more complicated three-dimensional objects.

They also took time to add backgrounds. Jeannie made her color wheel into a giant flower on a green stem, with a softly sun kissed leaf. Tonya set hers against a night sky, as if it were a cosmic wheel of time. I enjoyed the burst of enthusiasm from their hearts when they added these parts of their own imaginations.

DeLee: Doves returning with green leaves after the flood

One of my goals as a teacher is to release the artist within each person. Some people keep a tight rein on that creative genius living within them. Society has acculturated us adults to conform to the common denominator, so most of us have lost our spark of creativity. This is not an individual problem, but a societal fact. Creativity scores among adults have been declining since the 1990’s, even though intelligence scores are rising worldwide due to better health care and nutrition.

If I can have a second opportunity to help create minds which are more flexible, more imaginative, and more productive over the long term, I will have fulfilled my call to teach another generation the joys of the creative life. My own example is from the Genesis story (8:10-11):

“He waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; and the dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.”

The square is a symbol from the language of the icons for the earth, so I painted it primarily in earth colors. The surrounding is in various shades of blue or blue blacks. The abstract doves hold an edge of green in their beaks. Is it too abstract to understand? This is a creative solution to “color wheel,” not a travel book. It is a painting, not a map. If you need to find Mount Ararat, ask your GPS for directions. Not everything has to be functional. Some things can be “art for art’s sake.”

Leaving you with thoughts and the hope you dream more,

Joy and peace,

Cornelia

 

Why Art — Give Kids Art

https://www.givekidsart.org/why-art

 7 Surprising Facts About Creativity, According to Science – Fast Company

https://www.fastcompany.com/3063626/7-surprising-facts-about-creativity-according-to-science

Kyung Hee Kim (2011): The Creativity Crisis: The Decrease in Creative Thinking Scores on the Torrance

Tests of Creative Thinking, Creativity Research Journal, 23:4, 285-295

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2011.627805

Frank Stella, Harran II, 1967. Polymer and fluorescent polymer paint on canvas, 10 x 20 feet (304.8 x 609.6 cm), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Gift, Mr. Irving Blum, 1982. © 2023 Frank Stella / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Picasso: Great Still Life on Pedestal, 1931, oil on canvas, Picasso Museum, Paris France. 195 x 135 cm

 

Solid Geometric Perspective

adult learning, art, Attitudes, Creativity, Faith, Holy Spirit, Leonardo da Vinci, Love, Ministry, Painting, perfection, perspective, picasso, shadows

Steps in drawing a Geometric Still Life: sketch, refined sketch, shadows, intense shadows and cast shadows

We are back in art class again on Friday mornings at Oakland United Methodist Church. Our first lesson is in solid geometry, but it’s not a math class. Art is more like learning a visual two-dimensional language to be able to render three dimensional objects on a flat plane. This isn’t as easy as you might think, but once you learn to see in perspective, you never can unsee it again. Art class is like an old fashioned one room schoolhouse, in which a teacher has students of varying ages and experience levels to instruct. I provide one lesson and modify it for each student according to their needs.

Gail S.—Pencil Drawing of Solid Geometry

The first day of class, I had three brand new students and one who has done this exercise at least three times before. Two others were out doing family obligations, just as I was missing in action last week due to attending my niece’s graduation ceremony for her MBA in Business Administration. Life and family watershed events are always important to make our presence known. The life of the artist is as important as the art itself. We aren’t just people who make beautiful objects for others, but people who make life beautiful by being present at their most important moments.

Vermeer: The Art of Painting, 1666-1668.

When we look at the painted floor in the Vermeer painting above, we know in our minds these stand for black and white square tiles. If we take a moment to closely observe them, we realize these are more like diamond shapes. This optical illusion is the result of perspective. Perspective comes in multiple forms. Linear perspective has one-point, two-point, three-point, and multi-point vanishing points. Aerial or atmospheric perspective uses color, clarity, and value as objects overlap each other and recede into the background. There’s also reverse perspective in which objects are larger as they grow more distant and foreshortening, in which nearby objects are emphasized.

Pop Tarts from the Pop Tarts Bowl Toaster Trophy in 2024

 Can we teach all of this knowledge in a single two-hour lesson? Absolutely not. Michangelos aren’t turned out like pop tarts from a toaster. In the Renaissance era, a family would place a youth between the age of 7 to 14 with a master artist to learn the trade. This child would do the chores of the studio and learn to grind the pigments and mix paint. Then they would progress to drawing and composition. After a training time, they might get to do the backgrounds of the paintings or the landscape. After eight years, if they were any good, they would be entrusted with an entire commission. Then they would venture out on their own or take over from their master’s studio.

Cornelia—Purple Geometric Forms

I started taking art lessons when I was eight years old from the city parks and recreation art teacher on Saturday mornings, and then after school from a former art teacher in town. My grandmother was a portrait and still life painter. I have been taking or teaching classes for over seven decades. Art is not a skill or a product a person can ever perfect. It is more like a journey of faith, one in which we are always going on to perfection, but by the grace of God, will only be completed at our last day. Even at my age, I have more than a few “needs improvement works” left to create.

Tonya—Black and white Geometric Forms

The more you know, the more room for improvement you can find. I always ask students to first find three positive critiques of their work to praise before they begin to talk about their “improvement areas.” In this lesson, if they drew all three shapes, used two distinct colors for light and dark, and used up the space on the canvas, rather than drawing an inch tall image, those are positive points. Then they can point out their troubles.There’s enough negativity in this world. We need to overcome that in our own lives. What we learn on this canvas will carry over to the next one. Then we will find new opportunities for improvement yet again!

Marilyn—Geometric Forms in Aqua

No one who gets a significant health condition finds making a wholesale change overnight easy or achievable. This is why people who try extreme diets like Whole 30 that restrict too many foods discover they can’t stick with it or must continually start over. People looking to make lasting, healthy changes must start small and focus on progress over perfection, according to nutrition coach Brady von Niessen. “You start feeling so good about them that you can’t even imagine not doing them.” The same principle applies in art. Over time, a student’s skills will improve if they trust the process. Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Jeanne—Geometric Forms

Another important aspect of art class is relationships. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said, “The most empowering relationships are those in which each partner lifts the other to a higher possession of their own being.” As a teacher, I try to help each person find their own creative voice, rather than trying to copy an idea of what “good art should look like.” Beginners in tennis don’t get to play on the same courts as Wimbledon or the US Open, or at least not at the same time as those who claimed the trophies! As Picasso once said, “It took me my whole life to learn to draw like a child.”

I consider this first class a success for each student. First, I got to hear some of their stories, which helps to build relationships. I got to hear their fears about not being perfect—none of us are perfect, but as United Methodists we are all going on to perfection in love by God’s grace and that’s the only perfection we concern ourselves with in art class. Can we love ourselves and give ourselves the grace to come up short? As the great Leonardo da Vinci said, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.”

I look forward to next week when we mix colors for the color wheel for the first time students. The returning students will get a lesson that uses geometry and mixed colors also. The more seasoned students project is a step up because they have more experience, so they have a greater challenge.

The one room art schoolhouse meets at 10 am on Friday mornings. It’s never to late to join.

Joy and peace,

Cornelia

 

 

 

Rublev’s Holy Trinity

art, epilepsy, Faith, generosity, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, Icons, inspiration, Painting, Rublev, salvation, vision

Rublev: The Holy Trinity, 1411 or 1425-27, Russia

One of my favorite icons is Andrei Rublev’s Holy Trinity because it not only has the theological theme of the Trinity, but also the message of hospitality to strangers. As Hebrews 13:2 reminds us,

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

This subject of this icon is the three angels for whom Abraham spread a feast in the wilderness where he and his barren wife Sarah lived while they tended their flocks. The angels appear with their walking staffs and sit at Abraham’s table set with a dish of food. In the background is a mountain, representing the wilderness and a tree, locating the scene at the oaks of Mamre.

Koulouris Iconography House: Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, West Bank Territory, Holy Land

Rublev’s palette is full of light with a predominance of gold, shining ochre, delicate shades of green, pink, and violet, and his inimitable sky-blue, too, in combination with the fine rhythm of lines and perfect composition. Altogether this produces an image of unearthly beauty and a heavenly harmony. This isn’t just a banquet in the desert wilderness, but a meal in the inbreaking moment in which we experience the timeless realm of heaven.

On earth, we count the minutes, days, and years, but in the company of God, we enter into the eternal and timeless experience in which God lives. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow are the same for the God who is known as I AM, for I AM lives always in the present and I AM is always becoming. There never was a time when the I AM was not. God always IS, even if we think God is not.

We may forget God, and our love may fail, but the steadfast love of the great I AM never fails because God’s love is, as the prophet Isaiah describes it (43:25):

“I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”

Copy of Rublev’s Holy Trinity, iconostasis at the monastery, 16th CE, St. Sergio’s Lavra, Russia.

Andrei Rublev painted the original icon in the Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery in either 1411 or 1425-1427. An artist made a copy of the Holy Trinity icon in the 16th CE. The Orthodox Church certified the Rublev Trinity as miraculous in 1626 and gave it a place of honor in the church, as well as metallic and jeweled embellishments. Over the next 500 years, artists restored the original Rublev icon several times. The early 1900’s saw two professional restorations: each one removed more layers of paint and lacquer until they revealed the original. The restorers decided hiding with a frame what was an “exclusive, in its worldwide importance, work of art” from the palette of Andrei Rublev was unacceptable.

Dating this important icon is more difficult than deciding its painter. Some think the icon was originally meant for the wooden Trinity Cathedral erected in 1411 and believe after the stone church was built, the congregation moved the icon there. Other art historians believe Rublev painted the “Holy Trinity” at the same time as his workshop painted the iconostasis in the new cathedral in 1425-27.

Rublev received a commission to paint this icon for the image of the Holy Trinity from St. Nikon of Radonezh: “an image for the Holy Trinity to be painted in his time, to venerate His Holy Father, St. Sergius the Wonderworker,” the monk who founded the monastery at Radonezh.

Since a cathedral dedicated to the Holy Trinity should have an icon of the Holy Trinity in it as its primary icon, the obvious choice was to select the best image that would convey the spiritual essence of the cathedral. This icon would embody the name of the Holy Trinity in color.

Icons have a purpose in worship, beyond mere mere beauty or illustration or teaching of doctrine. St. John of Damascus spoke in his “Apologies against Those who Decry Holy Images”, with which he addressed the Seventh Ecumenical Council calling on renowned painters for brave deeds, to set forth in their art the images of the Old and New Testaments, so that those who were not learned and could not read the Holy Scripture, would be able—by examining those stories—to enjoy the lives of holy men and their good deeds, for

“What the book does for those who understand letters, the image does for the illiterate; the word appeals to hearing, the image appeals to sight; it conveys understanding.” (Treatise 1.17)”’

Betsy Porter: Holy Trinity icon with Holy Communion

In other arguments against those iconoclastic believers, those who advocated instead for the use of images in worship reminded people the icon represents the truth of a spiritual reality. Some have compared the icon to a “window into heaven.” No one then or now worships the icon itself, but they do venerate the holiness of the person represented in the image. They hope to recognize the presence of God with them when they come to the quiet and stillness before the icon at their home altar and when they share in the presence of God in public worship in the sanctuary among the holy icons.

Abraham and the Three Angels, Mosaics in Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome (432-40 CE)

Theologically, the Western church has treated all three members of the Holy Trinity as coequal members, as seen in the mosaics of the 5th CE basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. By placing all the heads on one level, or the use of isocephaly, the artist tells us the figures are equal in stature. Abraham is therefore lower than the heavenly visitors. Isocephaly is the art term which originates from the Greek words “isos” meaning “equal” and “kephalos” meaning “head”. We already know this word from our common knowledge: isosceles triangles have two equal sides and encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain, which is within our heads. (Sorry, old schoolteachers never die, but keep on explaining our 50 cent words; it must be that “back to school” time of year!)

Commercial Paper icon appliqué on wood panel “after Rublev,” but lacks the background architecture and has a substantial table without a cloth covering.

The Rublev icon has the heads of the three angels arranged in a triangle. They represent the Triune God. The center figure is slightly higher than the other two figures’ heads. This is because the Eastern Orthodox Church holds a slightly different view of the Holy Trinity. The incomprehensible God has indeed revealed God’s self in a manner that is incomprehensible.

All errors in trying to explain the Trinity come down to the following issue: we try to explain the living God, using a method of human thought—rational, natural, or philosophical—instead of witnessing to the reality and the truth of an encounter with the living God. To ask what God is, is the wrong question. Rather, who God is, is the primary question.

Prepratory stage

The answer is—God is Triune. We know God by God’s activity in the world, or energies, which we can see and can understand. In fact, all our understanding of God or what we say about God, comes from what God has done in the world, from God’s energies. The essence of God is still beyond our understanding, inaccessible to our understanding. If we could understand it, it would not be God, for God is beyond our understanding, as Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Second day, making some corrections

Both the Western and the Orthodox Churches are in agreement as regards the unity of the Trinity as to the persons and their shared being. They also agree the Trinity isn’t three separate gods or three different revelations of one singular god. The Eastern Church and the Western Church did split over whether the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Son alone (East) or from the Father AND the Son (West).

Gaining on it, another studio day

The earliest creeds from the 4th CE didn’t even mention the Holy Spirit, mostly because the early church was combatting heresies about the nature of the Son (such as he was actually human, only appeared to be human, only parts were human, and other variations other than he was a full member of the Trinity and in Christ being fully human and fully divine).

By 381 CE in Constantinople, the creed included the words:

“And in the Spirit, the holy, the lordly and life-giving one, proceeding forth from the Father, co-worshipped and co-glorified with Father and Son, the one who spoke through the prophets; in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.”

The first Latin council to add the phrase “and the Son” (filioque) to its creed was the 447 CE Synod of Toledo, Spain. The filioque formula was also used in a letter from the Catholic Pope Leo I to the members of that synod regarding opposition to a form of the fifth century manifestations of the Arian heresy which was prevalent among the Germanic tribes of Europe.

Stage 4, the draperies are taking the shape of the bodies

As football season heats up in the USA, we fight our culture wars on social media, not in the streets. The latest heresy for some is professional football teams now have male cheerleaders on the sidelines. The conservative rabble rousers destroyed their coffeemakers and burned their team jerseys in the past. Wearing paper sacks to maintain anonymity at the games is too yesterday. The recent announcement of the heroic and rugged Minnesota Vikings football team’s addition of two talented and athletic young male dancers is more than they can take. The keys of their favorite social media platform have been clicking and clacking. Radio waves are sizzling and heating up our already too sweaty summer.

Trinity, stage 5: two steps forward and one step back

The bishops at Toledo affirmed the Holy Spirit’s procession from both the Father and the Son to exclude the Arian notion of the Son being something less than a co-eternal and equal partner with the Father from the very beginning of existence. Street protests were common during this time over theological beliefs: the Catholics chanted, “There never was a time the Father was not a Father, the Son not a Son, and the Spirit didn’t proceed from both!” Against them, the Arians marched, “The Son was born, not begotten!” Exciting times, the late 5th CE.

Stage 6, details showing up

Several of our past GOP presidents were college cheerleaders, including Ronald Regan and George Bush. On a personal note, six decades ago, my big city high school in the Deep South had a tradition of boy and girl cheerleaders on a team of equal numbers to do exciting and complicated stunts. We were not aware of being “woke.” We were, however, always seeking to bring out the best of each person to reflect well upon our school and our city, which we represented.

Unfortunately, accusing the present NFL teams of being “woke” ignores American history, since the USA FEDERATION FOR SPORT CHEERING recognizes the first cheer in America as occurring on November 2, 1898 at the University of Minnesota, when student Johnny Campbell got up from the seats and took the field to lead the student body in a chant. If 127 years is too far back for people’s minds, we can turn to more recent history.

DeLee: Holy Trinity after Rublev, acrylic on canvas, 16” x 20”

Cheerleading is a metaphor for hospitality, which is one of the great attributes of the Holy Trinity. Hospitality is only possible where love resides and where community is experienced and practiced. Los Angeles led the way in 2018 by including two male dancers on their NFL Ram’s team. They were part of the Super Bowl LIII in 2019. Tryouts have always been “open,” but only women had shown up before. Like the strangers who showed up at Abraham’s tent, the cheer squad welcomed the men into the family and brought them under the protection of their group. When we practice hospitality, the “other” is no longer a “them.” The “stranger” becomes one of “us” because we reflect God’s loving nature to the vulnerable and we offer the bounty of our table to nourish their body and spirit.

I began working on this icon during social and personal distress. The social distress is obvious to anyone who reads a newspaper or watches a television newscast. Never have I seen so many professing Christians refuse to “love their neighbor as themselves,” or “do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” I don’t know how they sleep at night, for my own heart hurts for the pain inflicted upon the strangers who walk among us, who very well may be the Holy Trinity in earthly disguise. If we treat them like their next stop on their journey, only a few of us will walk away unscathed.

My personal distress comes from the blessing of living long enough, thanks to excellent medical care and the ability to live a structured, carefree life. As we age, medication affects us differently. My neurologist dropped the amount of my seizure medication, and my cardiologist upped my blood pressure medication. I was taking too much magnesium, so that was making me lethargic as well as lowering my blood pressure. Now that I’ve gotten stabilized, I feel a lot peppier.

Unfortunately, I began painting and drawing this icon while all this unwellness was going on. I can see “room for improvement,” as I always remind folks to say when critiquing their own art works. I have learned much from this time and have seen the icon in a new and closer light. I will come back to it again when I feel I’m more competent to give it my best.

A masterpiece always deserves the best we can offer, yet I rest secure knowing God has grace for those of us who are wounded, weak, or broken in any way. Whatever we bring in this time and place right now is the best we can offer upon God’s altar. God refuses no honest gift. If we spread peanut butter sandwiches on the table for the visitors as the offered feast because this is what we have, God will bless this gift.

The Holy Trinity of God lives in a loving community of self-giving hospitality and generosity within its unity of being. All three persons love, support, and care for one another in equal measure. As we humans would understand this: no one in the Trinity carries a heavier burden than another. In like manner, each person shares all the energies and work of the others.

The work of salvation may be through our faith in Christ’s work on the cross, yet it was the Father who sent the Son to redeem all creation and the Holy Spirit who brings us to the understanding of this saving grace. The whole work of God in Three Persons saves us if we have Trinitarian faith. And it is by the power of all the Holy Three we can stand against the hatreds and evils of this age.

Indeed, if we can offer any service well-pleasing to God, following the admonitions of Hebrews 13:1-2 would help all:

“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Rublev: The Holy Trinity icon

Abraham’s angelic visitors blessed him and his wife Sarah with the promise of a longed-for son. We might learn to love our neighbors more if we shared our hospitality and opened our hearts to the people we meet. May you meet angels in your daily life and share whatever feast is in your pantry.

Joy and peace,

Cornelia

Andrei Rublev: Image of the “Holy Trinity,” The Tretyakov Gallery Magazine. Andrei Rublev painted the Holy Trinity icon, which is the central image in the cathedral’s iconostasis. One of the most famous Russian icons, he created it “in praise of St. Sergius.” The original is in the hall of Old Russian painting of the Tretyakov Gallery, in a special glass case with controlled humidity and temperature. In Trinity Cathedral you can see a copy of the icon to the right of the royal doors in the first (lowest) tier of the iconostasis.

https://www.tretyakovgallerymagazine.com/node/7196

Excerpts from Three Treatises on the Divine Images by St John of Damascus, translation and introduction by Fr. Andrew Louth, St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2003.

https://www.svots.edu/blog/st-john-damascus-divine-images

 A Miracle of Knowledge: St. Sergius of Radonezh / OrthoChristian.Com

https://orthochristian.com/41950.html

Venerable Nikon, Abbot of Radonezh, disciple of Venerable Sergius – Orthodox Church in America

https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2016/11/17/103316-venerable-nikon-abbot-of-radonezh-disciple-of-venerable-sergius

Daily readings from the lives of the Orthodox Saints:

https://www.oca.org/saints/lives

Home – Icons: Windows Into Heaven – LibGuides at Duquesne University: This is a reputable source for orthodox icon information via the Duquesne Library. Links to outside sources are broken. Reference books are available elsewhere.

https://guides.library.duq.edu/icons

Mosaics in Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome (432-40): if you’ve never been to Italy, you can see the entire beautiful interior of this 5th CE basilica here.

https://www.wga.hu/html_m/zearly/1/4mosaics/1rome/3maggior/index.html

Introduction to Orthodoxy 4: The Holy Trinity – Orthodox Catechism Project

https://www.orthodoxcatechismproject.org/introduction-to-orthodoxy/-/asset_publisher/IXn2ObwXr9vq/content/introduction-to-orthodoxy-4-the-holy-trinity

First Council of Constantinople 381 – Papal Encyclicals

First Council of Constantinople – 381

First Known Cheerleader was a Male Student

The First Cheerleader

Vikings Respond to Male Cheerleader Backlash – Newsweek—12 NFL teams are reportedly set to have male cheerleaders on their squads this season. The teams as the Vikings, Ravens, Rams, Saints, Eagles, 49ers, Patriots, Titans, Colts, Chiefs, Buccaneers and Panthers.

https://www.newsweek.com/minnesota-vikings-respond-backlash-male-cheerleaders-2113864