Rest In the Shadows
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” Psalm 91:1
It’s hard to type this verse without singing it. I’m really dating myself, but I used to have a cassette tape that had several Psalms set to music. I found that it was easier to memorize scripture if it had a melody.
In the winter of 1997, when I painted this, my graduation from Penn State University was fast approaching. It was both exciting and terrifying. Years earlier, when I entered as a freshman, I was already a single mom with a 1-year-old daughter. My parents had decided that it would be best for our whole family if my dad transferred offices and move our entire family from Pittsburgh to State College, Pa. As I write this, I am still amazed and filled with gratitude. The years in State College were like living in a safe bubble, it was truly Happy Valley. Not only was my daughter able to get to know her grandparents and her uncles, but she also tagged along and went to museums and art openings with me. As a student I thrived, I craved learning, I knew what my role was. As graduation approached, I couldn’t even imagine what the future would look like. I really needed to be reminded that if I put my trust in God, I didn’t have to have all of the answers right away. I could find rest.
“Rest In the Shadows”, 48”x48”, Oil on Canvas, 1997, Private Collection, Chicago, IL
Symbolism Decoded
“Rest In the Shadows” was one of six paintings that I hung at the Penn State HUB art galleries in 1997. As I described in an earlier post, I was trying to formulate a symbolic visual vocabulary. I included both the sun and the moon, referring to Psalm 1, meditating on God’s word day and night. As for the composition, I used the bearded iris again to organize the space. The overlapping and crisscrossing shapes represented a life that is complex. In the center, I created a safe “shelter” that is hidden in the shadows, referring to the Most High and Almighty. In the foreground, the iris petal is symbolic of protective angel wings.