Fiery Depths

"Fiery Depths" is one in a series of paintings featuring lots of red. Red in Christianity usually suggests the blood of Christ, a symbol of redemption. For most people it could mean intensity, emotion, fiery passion, a sense of urgency. For me, red speaks of transformation. Fire transforms most physical things to ash. Fire can heat a pot on a stovetop to transform simple raw ingredients into a delicious meal. Fire can form steel that creates cities. And fire in abstract forms can change lives. As I painted “Fiery Depths”, I thought about how powerful we might think we are as independent humans in this world and the things around us that form our lifestyle. Yet a single instance of transformation can reach into the depths of who we are and make everything else seem trivial. My life has been a series of these events far too many to even think about. They come from the unknown, out of the abstract, the mystery of God’s creation to reach deep into who we are and how we will approach life in the future.