Artandicon's Blog

  • How Do I Love Thee?

    Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the poet answered in her Sonnets from the Portuguese, “Let me count the ways.” On Valentine’s Day, some of the many ways people shared their love were by sending chocolates, flowers, and cards. Most of us think we are honoring St. Valentine, or at least one of the three third CE saints…

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  • Emotional Responses to Antique Art

    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…

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  • Not Sad to See the Old Year Go

    Happy New Year to All! May 2026 be full of light and life, art and soul, grace and generosity, as well as Joy and Peace.

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  • Solid Geometric Perspective

    An introductory lesson in perspective and shading using solid geometric objects for determining the skill level of students in a first art class. This lesson allows the teacher to modify the future lesson plans to build on the students’ noted strengths and weaknesses. It also allows for making several levels of the same lesson, if…

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  • Rublev’s Holy Trinity

    My artistic and spiritual journey with the Rublev icon of the Holy Spirit left me wanting to return again when I am in better health. I’ve made my way into the common pitfalls which result from inattentive observation and will be in a better frame of mind at a later date.

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  • Pillars of Creation

    The Bible has many creation narratives. We’re familiar with Genesis 1 and 2, but our scriptures also include creation stories in Job 38-41, Psalm 104, Proverbs 8:22-31, Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 and 12:1-7, and excerpts from Isaiah 40-55. Some believe God created the world and all of creation in seven 24-hour periods. Others believe God had nothing…

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  • Never surrender!

    “Never give up! Never surrender!” This is my favorite quote from the 1999 sci-fi parody film Galaxy Quest. As a fan of Star Trek, I love the heroics of the storylines and the movie’s devoted fans. What sets this spoof story apart is how an alien culture has modeled its entire identity on the “historical…

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  • Weaving a Life Story

    Weaving is a metaphor for our life’s story and journey. We envision the weaver in charge of the colors, designs, and textures of the finished fabric. The weaver’s goal is to produce a beautiful product. We often think we are in charge of our own destiny, as “The Weaving Song” by Carolyn Hester, in which…

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  • The Iconography of the Nativity

    What Makes a Nativity Scene? The gospels remind us the story of Christ’s birth isn’t necessary for our salvation. Only our faith in Christ’s saving work for us on the cross is necessary “to transform our humble body that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables…

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  • Light Overcomes the Darkness

    “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” —John 1:5. Some of us can hear these words with hope, two thousand years after John’s gospel was first written. These words come as a ray of hope, like a flashlight’s beam bursting into a collapsed mine to let imprisoned workers know…

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