Field of Wheat

March 2020 started off as a month of infinite possibilities. I had been living in Durham, NC for almost a year at this point after completely uprooting my life and starting over. I was maintaining a daily rhythm of walking 5-6 miles a day in the morning followed by hours of painting. At night I would listen to audio books or TED Talks about neuroscience while building 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles. Socially, I was involved in a book club, a women’s Bible study, an art journaling meetup, and a newly formed artists support group. I was also about to have a painting displayed in the Durham Art Guild Gallery “Swing into Spring” Exhibit. I was thriving mentally, socially, physically and my professional life seemed hopeful.

One Saturday evening after I attended book club, I stopped by the grocery store, and it seemed strangely surreal. Shelves were starting to empty as it appeared that people were starting to hoard certain items. When I arrived home, I turned on the news and saw that a virus had started to shut down schools and many local events were being cancelled. I was in shock, along with the rest of the world.

“Feild of Wheat”, was birthed out of this new world. My “Artists Supporting Artists” group pivoted and we started meeting over zoom to paint. I began in my art journal and scribbled in pencil, the words from the verse John 12:24, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop.” I then proceeded to cover up the words in thin layers of acrylic paint and collage. A field of wheat in brushy marks was created during that zoom and it inspired this oil painting featured below, among several others.

“Field Of Wheat”, 9”x12”, Oil on Canvas, 2020, Private Collection, Cary NC

Interpretation

As with many themes in my work, this theme seemed to appear out of nowhere. Once it had my attention though, it was like a song that I couldn’t stop humming. I grappled with the meaning of this verse, especially in light of the pandemic. Ultimately, I thought about Jesus’ death and how it brought eternal life to many through His resurrection. On a more personal level, I identified with that grain of wheat. I decided to lay down my preconceived notions about what I thought the future held. I decided to let these ideas die and see what harvest would come out of being open to new possibilities.