Renewal of All Things: Atrium Art Project

Starting this weekend November 15/16, the North Atrium at FAC Deerfoot will feature new artwork from our Arts community! Displayed above the Café, each piece was created to explore the theme of “renewal.” We asked the artists about their paintings and what renewal means to them. Here’s what they shared. 

 

Exploring “Renewal”

Heather & June Laubenstein 

“As we started brainstorming about the Atrium art project, we decided to approach it using our church vision, ‘Joining Jesus in the renewal of all things.’  We focused on the word ‘renewal’, and what it meant to us.  

I instantly had a visual of water, plants and growth, the colours green and blue, hands holding each other, hands wrapped around a cup of coffee while in conversation with another. It made me think of how Jesus works in the renewal of relationships and faith. When approaching this piece, I had a deep sense that I was not to do it alone, so I invited my daughter June, who is also an artist, to join me.  

We weren't sure what we were going to do. We talked about hands over a table with a coffee. Drew it, erased it. Eventually, we landed on a doorway; the idea of a door open in front of you: you need to choose whether you want to step into a new life, a place of renewal. ” 

Kendra Keir 

“The word renewal reminds me of water and mountains. In addition to this imagery, this piece in particular has been inspired by a variety of scripture verse phrases:  

• ‘as a child’ 

• ‘redemption’ 

• ‘tabernacle with God’ 

• ‘renewal of all things’ 

• ‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes’ 

The focus piece of the connection of Jesus and a child came to me early in July, two days before the Camp Mystic flood. I had already been thinking on the "renewal of all things" theme, and from this inspiration I quickly began to put my source image together over the next two days. Days later, I would hear of the news, and I knew the choice of these inspirations was a God-thing, not a me-thing.   

The project made me trust God even more, because all while we go through challenges and hard things, there are blessings, and I can’t help but see God in this project. He is our comfort, and He cares for us. He requires us to have faith, and this project both stretched my trust and deepened my faith in Him.  

Time after work and on Saturdays allowed for small bits of time on my project, and the timely discovery of just the right elements, colours, and changes to my source photo, all helped to piece together the final project, just like the correlation of all the bits of time we devote to seeking and learning more about God on our journey.  

I feel God uses art to settle me in stillness, so my mind doesn’t race and think on other things. It is during these times that I can contemplate more of God in that peaceful place, when I see more of His workings in my life, the Church and this world.” 

Ruth Roche

“In my mind, renewal can be a process or an immediate transformation which may involve a person, object, or place, an idea or plan, a creature or living thing, or relationship; Anything that appears ready to be cast aside and replaced, but instead has been given new life, new purpose, new strength, and integrity. I can think of so many renewal examples, from restoring broken furniture, to the restoration of relationships or one’s personal health and wellbeing.  

The piece I painted for our group’s renewal installation could to some degree be a visual of my own inner self. It is a painting with a mountain that looks like solid rock, a waterfall and river flowing through a landscape lush with mature forests, and then grassy parts which become bare ground, and an area that looks like dry clay.  

For me, the mountain represents what King David in the Psalms described as ‘the rock of salvation, the place of my mighty God, my strong tower in times of trouble.’ The waterfall and river speak of God and His Holy Spirit pouring life into my spirit. Jesus said, ‘I am living water… drink and thirst no more.’

The natural elements of trees, bushes, flowers and grass are the good fruits of the spirit, flourishing and maturing as I remain near the source of my salvation. But there are areas in my life that remain bare and even hard as dry clay. These are areas I continue to surrender to God’s loving and faithful restoring grace and mercy.  

The triangle, which is represented throughout this full arts installation and incorporated in each of my fellow artists’ work, is a symbol and representation for the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit, who is the restorer, and renews all things (Rev. 21:5). 

The colour blue was chosen in part for its innate versatility for artists to incorporate into their creative expression. Yet, it also holds meaning in colour theory of authority, trust, calm, loyalty, commitment, serenity, and peace. I like to think of how God has promised to make a new heaven and new earth, all of which bring the colour blue to my mind. 

As a visual artist, I aspire to bring the language of love to life through my efforts of putting paint on canvas and to offer a story of hope in my art.” 

Peggy Xia

“When I heard about the concept of ’renewal,’ an image of moving ’towards the light’ popped up in my head. This reminded me of when I was in the darkness in my life, and God was the light I was always searching for.  I started to think about the way to reveal the concept of ’renewal‘, so I came up with the idea of birds flying under a thunderstorm.

These birds symbolize individuals enduring suffering, actively seeking the light of God for solace and strength. In the process of creating this artwork, I had a challenge in effectively presenting the light source. Inspiration was drawn from a painting at the Royal Ontario Museum that I saw, which offered insights into effective colour combinations. 

This artistic endeavour is a deeply personal testament to faith for me. More than a decade ago, I gained a bachelor's degree of Fine Art in Printmaking, but I have been doing graphic design jobs after my university, and have not picked up my paintbrush for years. Not until the pandemic hit the world, I suffered with isolation and depression.

Through prayer and creative exploration, painting became a source of calm, happiness, and renewed purpose for me. Joining the Art Group at FAC further solidified this journey, affirming the belief that God provided the strength and inspiration for this new chapter of my artistic creation. "

Donna Carter 

“The eggs sheltered in the bird's nest in the crook of a tree branch signifies renewal to me. In the harshness of winter, it's almost hard to imagine that life can begin again. Painting is a significant way God brings renewal to me. I specifically remember the days after I was evacuated out of Haiti, having experienced the catastrophic earthquake in 2010.

Painting was so soothing to my tortured mind and heart; When you paint, you can't really think about anything else. I love how God designed creative activity to take us into the right hemisphere of our brains, giving our reasoning left brain a chance to heal.” 

Dawn Bon-Bernard

“When I hear the word ‘renewal’, I picture beginnings: A fresh new start. 

When sunflowers are young, they follow the sun across the sky in a process called heliotropism: They start facing east in the morning, track the sun as it moves west, and then face east again overnight. Following the sun helps young sunflowers maximize sunlight exposure, which leads to better growth.  

Sunflowers are happy flowers, and they make me smile every time I see them. They are an inspiration to me, as they remind me to start each of my days by following God’s Son Jesus with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind, which enables my relationship with God to grow stronger and deeper each day. 

One of the first things we learn about God is that God created, and we are made in God’s image, so we are also all creative to some degree or another. It gives me great joy to follow in God’s footsteps and create art. 

One of my life art verses is found in Psalm 19:1-4:  

The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech, night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. 

It is my desire as I paint that my paintings will draw people to God, the First Creator.” 

Art as a Reflection of our Creator

Heather & June Laubenstein

“After we painted the doorway, we were stuck again. What was missing? After brainstorming with one of our other artists, we landed on butterflies. What a perfect way to represent starting a new way of living and coming to renewed life! So, the jar with butterflies was formed.  

Creating with paint markers, June, who is a graphic novel artist, started to draw. The soft yet bold colours of the butterflies made them pop, the gold and magical light bringing attention to the renewed life of the butterfly.

It is truly a miraculous transformation; God is so creative! There is so much life and hope as they fly to the open door. We loved that this was the first piece in the series, opening the doorway to other pieces, showing us what renewal looks like.

Being a creative is something that speaks to all of us in a deep way. When we create, we are reflecting our ultimate Creator. It gives us life, fills something in us that we may not even know was missing.

When you get caught up in creating, it's like the rest of the world melts away, and only what is in front of you remains.

June would say that art is something that can affect and change you even if you don't realize it. In many ways, we are all artists in the different areas in which you are creative. God created us, so we can't help but create.”