Circle Dancefeatured

For the last several days I have had the privilege of attending an art workshop in Santa Fe, NM. The class was taught by an incredibly gifted and generous artist, Sandra Duran Wilson (a link to her website is at the bottom). 

One of our projects was to focus on our ancestors. Frankly, I don’t know much about my ancestors. Once I get past my grandparents, I’m pretty much in the dark about family history.  So, I started thinking about my spiritual ancestors. Ok, there was Martin Luther and then . . .?  I did think about Abraham and Moses and the Apostles but thought if I’m going back that far, I might as well go back to the ancestor of all of us – God. 

Now who can paint God? Michelangelo painted God in the Sistine Chapel but I’m not quite up to his level yet! It’s also hard for me to think of God without thinking of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and it’s even more difficult to conceive of me painting the Trinity!! 

Greg Ogden wrote of a beautiful concept of the Trinity in his book, “Essential Guide to Becoming a Disciple,” which is focused on Matthew 28: 18-20: 

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

Ogden’s concept is that the three members of the Trinity are in eternal fellowship together in a Circle Dance. I find that to be an intriguing and compellingly beautiful visual concept. Another aspect of the Circle Dance is that upon baptism, believers are invited into that holy Circle Dance, eternally in a fellowship with the perfect love of the Trinity. To the extent that I can wrap my head around this, I am filled with a profound sense of awe and wonder. The beautiful thing about Circle Dances is that they generally occur at joyous occasions (weddings and Greek restaurants!) and there is always room for one more!  So, with that in mind, I began to explore how to paint a Circle Dance.

I decided to use three interlocking circles to represent the Trinity but left one circle open and extended as a reminder that there is always room for one more.  Eternal joy awaits! You’ll notice that I left the background a bit dark. While we are still residents of earth we will still have problems. However, in the midst of problems, we can still experience joy – a taste of what will we experience perfectly in eternity. Remembering that we are part of the Circle Dance and focusing on our most ancient of spiritual ancestors will move us into joy regardless of our earthly circumstances.  So, when times are tough put on those dancing shoes and remember who you are dancing with!

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11 

Sandra Duran Wilson Fine Art – http://sandraduranwilson.com

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