The Decision

# 1. This (above) is the photo, a close-up "preview" I took 

of a portion of the original painting below.

# 2. This is the complete original painting.

"Finding Safety"

I've been forced to deal with the artists dilemma of the centuries. In some way I'm reluctant to even bring it up because a lot of time, words, effort and emotion have been part of this discussion. It is not my intention to open the discussion again but just to share my journey and where I have come out on this. 

I was invited to do a painting for the silent auction that happened on Nov. 30th. I had two canvases ready and attempted the first painting with a different concept and it did not turn out at all. I set that aside thinking all was lost for that idea at least for this event. I went then to the second canvas and did the first painting which you see above, image #2. 

I then wrote a tweet letting the public in on the fact I was doing a painting and submitted the photo (Image # 1) a "preview" if you will, of the painting.

It turned out I still had time before the event, so I turned back to the first one I'd set aside and started over on that one. It turned out surprisingly well. It is the one on yesterday's blog, "Desolation #1". In the hours before the event I placed them side by side and decided to take "Desolation #1" to the fundraiser.

You must know that in the meantime this image of the photo above was being seen on twitter. People commenting on how awesome it was and how they were looking forward to seeing it at the fundraiser.

When I placed "Desolation #1" on the display table, the folk responded with disappointment since they, being twitter readers, knew of the first painting and had seen it's image. They thought the photo of the fist image had been amazing and were so disappointed. Meanwhile, others who had not seen the photo, liked the one I'd brought, no problem.

It is hard for me to tell you exactly why, in the last moment, I chose to bring "Desolation #1" over "Finding Safety". Did it have to do with style? I am probably more comfortable with realism than with the symbolic one above. "Desolation #1" is also more contrasting in colour and so more dramatic. 

My question was, is the teaser photo enough to represent the message? These folk liked it a lot! Now I know they had not seen the whole image but am I being arrogant thinking that the whole image needs to be on display rather than that smaller portion in the photograph? 

The inspiration of "Finding Safety" is David's experience in the cave of Adullum. As I explained yesterday, this is when many hurting people came to join him, looking for safety with a prince of the nation, a war hero and one who'd been anointed to be king. They were willing to go into the desert, live in a cave as fugitives hoping that someday he might be the promised king. The painting is showing them "drifting" in, bleeding and hurting emotionally, physically and spiritually. History has proven, they were reworded. David's leadership and success brought healing, wholeness and recognition to them as heroes in their own rights. In the background you see the cave and David represented as a harp. Also, you see Greek printing on the canvas, snippets of Psalm 57 which he wrote while in this cave of safety. 

So, for me, this is a painting of victims searching for help. In this case, the Candace House, a safe place where they can grieve, find resources for healing, life and living again.

Back to the painting. What do I do now? Do I leave the whole painting as is or do I listen to the public, and paint a likeness of the photo of my own work? I have to admit, having placed them side by  side above, that I do like the first image better. So really in the end this is actually part of the process to find just the right image to represent this idea? Looks like I will be doing one more painting! 

"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us."

John 5:14