Stations of the Cross: Illuminated Poetry
My church does a Stations of the Cross art project for the season of Lent, and each year it reminds me how incredibly nice it is to be in a community that values creativity, imagination, and artistry. This year, the project involved pairing poets with artists, so I said yes to illuminating a poem written by Nick Bash. The arts council handed me a cardstock printout which I left on my desk, unsure what I wanted to do.
Nick’s poem is emotive and dramatic, leaning into the intensity of Mary’s pain while contrasting her experience of meeting Jesus vs saying goodbye. I knew I couldn’t match Nick’s intensity without making it seem garish, so I decided to lean the visuals in the opposite direction.
Gentle Layering
Starting with a strip of fabric, I let light layers guide the illumination process. A bit of hot glue allowed me to drape a winding sheet down from the title of the poem down to an imaginary horizon line, and across to where I imagined I’d draw a manger. I added a few lines in gold colored pencil to give a bit of structure, and then let the poem sit on my desk again.
After each layer, I took a break. I let myself stare at it a bit, then walk away. Examine each detail, and then walk away. Line a bit of gold paint along the hills and valleys of the fabric, and then walk away. Soon enough, I accumulated little stars, little marks, little drafts (as you see in the bottom left of the image below), and little drips.
I’ll give you a few close ups so you can see the marks. Each small, delicate, and added slowly. This was a piece I really didn’t want to overwork.
The process felt internally quiet. Soft and meditative. The lines felt intentional, intended to set a mood rather than create a big impact.
I didn’t want to draw a cliche manger. I’m a little cynical about the traditional Christmas nativity scene, which has taken on too many layers of cultural paint, landlord special style. It isn’t an honest or historical representation. So I chose to draw a modern crib with a star-topped mobile. The fallen baby’s blanket connects with the winding sheet.
Well, thanks for reading! I enjoyed this project, so I thought I might as well share about it. Give the art a chance to be seen before the images are filed away and, eventually, forgotten.
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