These are some of the portraits I have taken of a little girl named Hope over the past year. Amazing to see the difference one year can make in the life of a child. So honored to have been able to capture some of these moments.
Lately, I have been busy working on print graphic design projects for a number of clients.
The first is Jackson-Werner, a business development consulting firm. I was asked to create a logo and business card design. Another is Hiak Homes - house renovators, builders, and consultants in the Vancouver area. They wanted just a one page brochure to give to those interested. The last was for Peace Mennonite Church. Peace wanted a brochure to give to people, especially in their neighbourhood, that would explain more about the church and was consistent with the website I had built for them. All the designs reflect the nature and needs of the different companies or organization represented. They were developed through a process of conversation with the clients, so the clients were getting exactly what they wanted. To see more of my graphic design, click here. This month's painting is maybe my most unusual so far. It’s my first night scene to paint – not just in this series - but ever. I had to go out and by more black paint. And it is thus far the most abstract of my series. I must confess, I found the abstraction difficult. I like things that are neat and orderly and that I can understand. I didn’t know why certain areas were blacked out – were there shadows or black posts – I could never be certain. Why did so much of it have a yellowy-mustardy tint to it, when the largest lights were white? Why did the “East Van” sign seem to know its exact boundaries and just stay there. All these things and more I didn’t understand when I was painting. I had to paint in faith – faith that the final product would turn out somewhat like how I had seen and imagined it. As I reflect on my spiritual life and this season of Advent, I often feel the same. I don’t understand as much as I want to. Over the years, I have become less and less convinced of my ability to understand and live-out the Christian faith. Things that used to seem black and white now often seem gray. Not everything is so neat and tidy and easy to understand or translate. I sometimes miss the certainty I used to have - it seemed safe; it had these nice boundaries that let me know where I stood in the world and before God. Now I have to deal with the things I don’t understand and that don’t fit in a nice boundaried system. But in the midst of what can often feel like chaos I still believe Jesus is at the centre somehow – that He is in control of my life and this universe. Grace has stopped being just a concept and has become an experience and extension of Jesus’s love and care for me personally. And this grace has made me more okay with the things that fall into the gray - because I often fall into the gray. Like many of you, I am often grieved by this broken and unfair world we live in. From natural disasters and human trafficking to racism and friends who long for spouses or children; sometimes things can seem very bleak. But in this season, the darkness cannot have the last word for unto us a child is born, to us a son is given and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. He is not God far off, but Immanuel, God with us – who took on our flesh and our concerns who died an unfair and ugly death. Who came to mend this broken world. Who came to bring peace and equity (see Mary’s Song). The cross of “East Van” reminds us that there is hope even amidst the darkness. Hope in His incarnation. Hope in His life that showed us what it is to truly love and live and be human. Hope in His death and resurrection. Hope that He is holding us even when it feels like we are surrounded by darkness. As a follow-up to my last post, this time I want to focus on the process of illustrating, the medium I have chosen, and why I have chosen this particular medium. Illustrating is an interesting art form. It is a companion to the words. They are part of the story like narration can be part of a movie – it gives a different perspective on what is going on. Illustration’s whole purpose is to communicate, and maybe that’s why it seems to be put to the side in the visual art world. For me, it’s a way to help my words come alive. With my illustrations, I knew in Africa I wouldn’t have a lot of artistic supplies available to me, and so I decided to use only paper and mod-podge, a type of glue you brush on. I brought a stack of canvas boards, scrapbooking paper, cardstock, tissue paper, two large containers of mod-podge, and paint brushes. All things that wouldn’t take up too much room in my suitcase and that were not too expensive either. Necessity truly is the mother of invention. I think it’s interesting that I am using a medium (scrapbook paper) that is usually used to document people’s personal lives, and instead using it to tell a story that is not really my own. It has taken me time to discover collage as a means of illustrating. Before this project I had tried illustrating with acrylic paints, but these pieces are mere shadows of what I am able to do with collage. I also thought I would be able to do 24 illustrations in 3 months. Hilarious! By the end of my three months in Malawi, I had done 6 illustrations. One of the things that I have learned is - illustrating well takes a long time. I recently told someone that it took me 20 hours to do one illustration, and she bluntly asked, “Can’t you do it faster?” I was shocked by this question. It hurt my feelings and took me aback because it made me feel like what I was doing didn’t have value, or if I were a better artist I would be faster. I think at the core of the question though was a lack of understanding of what it takes to be an artist. To be an artist with integrity, it takes a lot of time. Illustrating is a craft – it takes time to do it well. I’m sure if I had chosen a different medium, it could be faster, but then it wouldn’t be my unique voice. I could also cut corners by drawing in lines or not having so much detail, but by doing that I would lose the depth of my art. Paper lines are different than lines drawn on with sharpies. I think especially in the Christian world there is a questioning about the value of art. I feel myself having to justify things like taking 20 hours to do one illustration or charging for different services I offer. It’s ok to be an entrepreneur as long as you have a physical building and are meeting a “real” need. It’s as if stories and art are not considered “real” needs in the Christian community, but I think they are because they force us to imagine and empathize – two things we all desperately need more of. I know I am not alone in feeling these things, but I also know that I have received great encouragement as well from my friends and family. You have no idea how meaningful even a simple “like” on facebook can be to me. When you are stuck in a room alone with your art work, as I am most days, it is nice to feel connected to people who are supporting you. I sense changes happening in the Christian community to make it more okay to be an artist/writer/creative – thank God, but I know we still have a ways to go. And so, I continue cutting out little bits of paper and painting on glue to make words come alive. Hopeful that my storybook will get published. Hopeful that others might experience a moment of joy – grace – transcendence one day as they read my book. Hopeful that it might inspire families and communities to draw closer together. You can view past illustrations & follow me as I create new ones at: instagram.com/aftenlt |