Melanie Stokes Art

Tag: Sacred Heart Cultural Center

  • Even In A Storm

    This post is for me, but you may read over my shoulder if you want to…

    The day began with a flurry and a storm of activity!  I was vacuuming my floor at 7:30 a.m., anticipating prospective buyers to come through the house in the afternoon.  (Getting a house ready for realtors and sellers is not on my top favorites list.   But now the house was clean and orderly, to the point of me becoming obsessive about it. ) My husband was checking off items on the Honey-Do list I had given him.   The Weather Channel was stirring up panic in the minds of America about a hurricane that was predicted to run in forty directions and cause evacuations in three or four states.  I received a text inquiring if our house could be used for evacuation while we were gone, if needed.  And we were discussing our 1000 mile road trip with a UHaul, coming up in two days.

    I could feel the tension in my neck. (Or maybe it was the barometric pressure from the storms brewing.)  But I knew for my sanity, and my husband’s sanity, that I needed to keep my Wednesday appointment to paint!

          

    When I arrived at Sacred Heart Cultural Center in Augusta, the “Women on Paper” group I paint with, was already scattered around in places. And they were all looking up!?  So I did, too.

    As I watched the billowy September clouds circling around the spires of the building, I relaxed.  I painted.  I pondered.  “Keep looking up.”  The words seemed to form in my head.  “Keep looking up, even when your world is unsettled with all the factors spinning this way and that.”  “Keep looking up, even in a storm.  God is so much bigger than you, your house, your life.  He is your Peace.”

       I found my mind moving from myself to all the friends who are in the predicted path of this Hurricane.  I wondered who might need to evacuate to our house that would be empty while we were away.  I listened to the angry sounds of busy traffic just on the outside of the hedge behind me.  I noticed the individuals who walked past on the sidewalks, with backpacks, a cup of coffee, and hungry eyes.  And I prayed.  I prayed, not that my house would sell, but that people would be safe, be fed, know Christ’s Peace.

    I finished painting and left the group of women.  They had listened and responded with encouragement when I whisked into place with all my morning drama.  Friendships are gifts.  And now, with a renewed peace and attitude adjustment, I went about the rest of the day.

    May I keep looking up, fixing my eyes on Him, who is steadfast and stable, my Strength in all storms.

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    Keep Looking Up
    8×8 Oil

     

     

  • Painting From The Inside

     

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    “Man of Sorrows” 9×12 Oil

     

    Several painter friends and I met inside the Sacred Heart Cultural Center, in Augusta,  and searched for something to paint for a couple of hours on a cold, March day.   The Sacred Heart Building, a former Catholic Church, was in disrepair for years when Pete Knox decided to restore and reopen the beautiful building.  Today it is used for weddings, concerts, parties, and a variety of art events.  Yet, the architecture, the stained glass, the sculptures and ornamental details are still rich with Christian history.

    In the quiet, hollow cathedral, I walked around looking at light and shadow, colors and lines, repetition of shapes and tried to find a focus . . . and then I saw it . . . the face of Jesus carrying his cross.  It was on one of the “Stations of the Cross” relief sculptures that line both sides of the building.  I saw what I needed and pulled out paint to begin.

    As I painted, a hymn tune  began to play in my head:

    “Man of sorrows what a name
    for the Son of God, who came
    ruined sinners to reclaim:
    Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

    (and the song kept going over and over for another hour while I painted, know what I mean?)

    Yet, as I painted the face of Christ, I saw pain,  sorrow, rejection and exhaustion.  melaniestokesart.com And I hummed to myself, “man of sorrows, what a name for the Son of God who came…”

    I remembered his love and marveled at his endurance.   I noticed the figures around him in the sculpture, some helping him carry the heavy cross, some mocking him and some perhaps begging him for one last miracle.

    I worshipped through paint as I studied the face of Jesus and sang in my soul, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

    This Lenten season is a good time to look on the face of Jesus, listen to His Spirit and remember.

     

  • November/December Show at Sacred Heart Cultural Center

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    Last night was a wonderful evening with so many friends and new friends coming out for the show, despite the rain.  Be sure to visit the Gift Shop for the small nativity paintings and postcards.  The red dots on six paintings denote sales!  The paintings will be at Sacred Heart Cultural Center in Augusta, GA until December 22.

    The Artist Statement from the show, “Back Roads…Back Yards…Back Home” is copied below.

    Back Roads —-
    I’ve traveled many dirt roads to outdoor adventures with my husband. There is something peaceful about breaking the sound barrier from a paved road to a dirt one. The higher pitched hum of the tires as they swish through sand, accompanied by crickets and frogs and birds singing through open windows, calling us to step back into nature’s more original state, away from today’s rushing society. There is something about the possibility of seeing just around a curve that brings hope.  You don’t know what is ahead, but you can always hope.  I like the idea of hope in my paintings.

    Back Yards —-
    I grew up when children could play in the back yard without the supervision of adults or fear or intruders. It was a safe place where our imagination took us to all kinds of fun. Back yards can often be the sanctuaries of beauty needed to encourage us after a day on the job.
    Back yards supply southern flowers to give to friends, trees for shade, swings for comfort. In the front yard, one needs to be ready to meet others. In the back yard, one can be alone, unless they host the party.

    Back Home —-
    I grew up in Georgia, not exactly in the setting you would imagine from my paintings. (I was in a subdivision about a mile from the GSU campus in Statesboro.) Yet, in my adulthood, I have come to appreciate rural settings more than ever. The beauty of landscapes beckon me. The scenes and old houses I am attracted to in my paintings are from my parents’ era. And maybe that is the connection – for “home” conjures good memories and stories of the ones who provided home for me.

    I pray my paintings speak peace, hope, beauty and worship of the God who created all. As you view the paintings, look with your own life experiences, let the paintings lead you to realizations about your own journey. You may travel a memorable road back home, and on roads toward the future ahead.

  • Is November 9 on your calendar?

    Is November 9 on your calendar?

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    November 9 is circled on my calendar!  I’m finishing up some new paintings by day and thinking over show details by night!  I am still not over the excitement that Sacred Heart Cultural Center is hosting an Exhibition of my paintings, beginning November 9 with an Opening Reception from 5 pm to 7 pm.  Pictured here is the invitation to be sent to 1100 people in the Augusta Area!  The Exhibit will be open during their business hours through December 22.  If you can’t make it to the reception, I  hope you can drop in to see while in Augusta, GA.

    The theme, “Back Roads…Back Yards…Back Home” is one I’ve used previously.   Many of the new paintings are still leaning toward the rural, nature setting, and ‘homes of the past’ images that I’ve been developing.  There will be some Back Home-Christmas Nostalgia images added for the season, also.

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    If you’ve not been to Sacred Heart at 1301 Greene Street, enter through the back gate, by the sign that says Gift Shop (Ellis and 13th Street Gate).  The paintings will be hanging in the back halls, which weave around under the cathedral, making me think of the Catacombs of the early Christians.  It’s a wonderful setting for an art show!

    Hope to see you November 9!   5 p.m. to 7 p.m.  And as always, everything is for sale!