A commission for a friend Rev Chris
Picture Commentary:
The picture of Jesus’s shadow stretching across the earth with his form on the cross has a shadow to the body of Christ as I felt whilst painting it; it to be right. Afterwards when I thought about the shadow within a shadow it seemed to say to me that Jesus left more than a shadow of himself on the earth after the cross. He left his presence behind, so the depth of the shadow around his head tries to show that he is still here.
Jesus’s head is laying below that of his children as he laid down his life for them; the ultimate sacrifice.
Jesus’s children are represented by the sheep who walk safely across his shadow and onwards passing through fertile land, and desert land. The footprints follow a narrow path to the cross: this represents our Christian walk.
There are times of spiritual richness; hence the grass, and times when we feel spiritually dry; the desert. When I painted the footprints they totalled 24, you can not see them all now as the sheep cover them. It was not my intention to paint 24 footprints, but it fits in with the number of the disciple’s feet. The footprints at the base of the cross are painted darker indicating that the journey is at an end and that this is the place to stop and think about God.
The rocks near to the path show that it is not always an easy choice to walk to the cross. At the base of the cross I have painted an oasis, a place of refreshment; elephants drink their fill. The elephants represent memory; we should not forget what Christ has done for us.
The sea with two fishing boats, although one is in the distance so it does not have a net, represents Jesus’s command to fish for souls throughout the world.
The poppies flowing from the cross representing Jesus’s blood that flowed for us like a river.
The three trees near the oasis represent the trinity.
Satan is depicted as a small snake; he is in shadow since he can not walk in the light of God’s new covenant with his children on earth.
Eve Weatherley, 28 June 2004
The picture of Jesus’s shadow stretching across the earth with his form on the cross has a shadow to the body of Christ as I felt whilst painting it; it to be right. Afterwards when I thought about the shadow within a shadow it seemed to say to me that Jesus left more than a shadow of himself on the earth after the cross. He left his presence behind, so the depth of the shadow around his head tries to show that he is still here.
Jesus’s head is laying below that of his children as he laid down his life for them; the ultimate sacrifice.
Jesus’s children are represented by the sheep who walk safely across his shadow and onwards passing through fertile land, and desert land. The footprints follow a narrow path to the cross: this represents our Christian walk.
There are times of spiritual richness; hence the grass, and times when we feel spiritually dry; the desert. When I painted the footprints they totalled 24, you can not see them all now as the sheep cover them. It was not my intention to paint 24 footprints, but it fits in with the number of the disciple’s feet. The footprints at the base of the cross are painted darker indicating that the journey is at an end and that this is the place to stop and think about God.
The rocks near to the path show that it is not always an easy choice to walk to the cross. At the base of the cross I have painted an oasis, a place of refreshment; elephants drink their fill. The elephants represent memory; we should not forget what Christ has done for us.
The sea with two fishing boats, although one is in the distance so it does not have a net, represents Jesus’s command to fish for souls throughout the world.
The poppies flowing from the cross representing Jesus’s blood that flowed for us like a river.
The three trees near the oasis represent the trinity.
Satan is depicted as a small snake; he is in shadow since he can not walk in the light of God’s new covenant with his children on earth.
Eve Weatherley, 28 June 2004
Very nice. I like all of your symbolism. I think that would be an interesting project to do with a class. To have them tell a story in a picture such as this. Thanks for explaining it. That really adds to the picture.
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