So, I got to do some really fun stuff this month. Our contacts had this wonderful schedule planned out for us, but they were adamant about allowing us to use our “Gifts” and “Talents”. So I mentioned that I paint murals. And they mentioned that they’d put me to work. Boy was I busy.
Lynne asked me to paint some murals in a building that was originally going to be an automotive repair shop, but they are now going to use it as their church/children/youth building. So there is a youth side and a children’s side. She also talked about making some paintings on canvas that they’d be able to move if their church moves. You can’t really “move” a mural, after all. So we got some canvas, stitched them together to build 9×9 foot canvases. I don’t think I’ve ever painted a canvas so big.
So you can see the walls in the picture on the left, and the canvas on the right. Ashley was my “personal assistant” for the month, so she got a first hand lesson on the joys of splattering paint. (Btw. Ashlee makes a fantastic personal assistant. If you ever need someone to help you draw a perfect Star of David, or a mean bicycle, she’s your gal.)
I.
Love.
This.
Woman.
————————————>
The first mural I completed was the Star of David, which is kind of a repeat of a project I’ve done before. Still it was really cool to do again, because I liked it so much, and on a bigger scale, it was just so much more fun. Ashlee likes to brag about how a paintbrush never actually touched the canvas.
I. Love. Splattering. Paint.
Finished Product. Love it. Hopefully since Lynne and Glen are completed Jews, they will too.
The next thing I tackled was the Youth Wing. I’ve had a thing for Lions on the race, especially the idea of Jesus as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, so that just seemed fitting to put on the youth wall. Youth like cool looking lions, right?
Graffiti (and Graffito, being the singular form of the verb) are quite popular here, so I decided to go with a Graffiti style “Jesus” also, and tie the two pictures together with a banner at the bottom that has Revelation 5:5 in it. “Behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Root of Jesse, has triumphed.”
The beginning of the Lion and the Graffito. . .
So in the children’s wing, I decided to go with something exciting, but not so much so that it would send the little ones into a flurry of nervous activity that would cause their teacher turnover rate to go out of control. So I went for more “Peaceful” things.
And Sheep.
And verses about how the Lord is my Shepherd, lying me down in green pastures and cool waters and all that stuff that sounds peaceful like.
. . .and for good measure I threw in a watchtower with a guy blowing a magical Shofar and a City on the hill in the background with obnoxiously bright sun colors.
So originally, Lynne wanted an “Ark of the Covenant” painted on the other canvas, and I got REALLY excited, because I’ve always wanted to do my own personal rendition of the Ark. Then I realized she wanted something called a “Torah Ark”.. and I didn’t know what that was. Thankfully, she changed her mind completely and mentioned something about “Moses holding up the 10 Commandments.” So I ran with it. Thankfully I had Tyler Thompson to model the perfect Moses Beard all month as inspiration.
Ashley for size comparison. Hmm. Tell me this doesn’t look like one of those, “What’s DIFFERENT in these pictures?” puzzles.
Moses, Mount Sinai and. . . Kige?
One of the coolest parts of this painting for me, was trying to paint Mount Sinai. I had a revelation while I was painting this, thinking about how awesomely powerful our God is. At one point, I was overcome by how difficult a task it is to try and “Paint” the Glory of God. It is impossible. Ashley listened to me vent for awhile, and then responded with, “You’ve got Glory in you, girl. You just have to get it out.” Great reminder, and I hope to remember those words for ever.
So Seeing as how we’re in the land of like, 100+ active volcanoes, and after seeing one, I began to think about how some scientific minds might try to pass off what the bible describes as Mount Sinai as nothing more than a volcano. So I tried my hardest to NOT make the holy mountain look ANYTHING like a volcano. In the end, I think I succeeded. I really like the way the light in the clouds turned out. It was quite the “religious” experience for me.
Over all, this has been the best month of the race for me. Sure, painting had some obstacles. Like:
THEFT.
Someone stole the blue can of paint. I tried to tell someone I was missing a can of blue, and they were like, “I never saw it.” Well, sucker, I had proof. I took a picture.
See? There it is in the bottom right corner. I needed it to make purple.
Extremely Contagious.
PILLARS.
Do you know how difficult it is to paint evenly around them?? YEEESH.
DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS.
Ashley and I have had some history going into this thing, and it turns out, walking 2 miles, painting, walking another 2 miles, lunch, walking another 2 miles to paint some more by yourselves really are a prime opportunity to get those things out into the open and hash them out. I think I’ve experienced some of the best relationship redemption this month, seeing as how three months ago I hated Ashley’s face and now I can’t imagine what it is going to be like on a team without her. It’s amazing what God can do if you’re willing to go to those “hard places” with people. This is what community is, my friends.
So there you have it. My month in a nutshell.. or a paint can. As Jen Miele put it, with a perfect Georgian accent, that sounds like you have molasses rolling out of your mouth. . . “Goodbye, month.”
A special shout out to all the peeps that helped me do this. Syd, Anna, Kyle, Chad, Jen, Lili, and Selina from the Real Life Team. Couldn’t have done this without you all. Love you forever.
