Words cannot describe my joy with the recent development that The Light of the World Garden will be at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah. Karen Ashton's beautiful gardens and deep commitment to Jesus Christ will be the perfect setting for the message my work was designed to communicate.
As people have heard this news the first logical question they ask is when will it open? I wish I knew that answer to that. As the founder of the I Am the Light of the World Foundation I have the responsibility of raising the funds to increase the scultpures to life-size and then do the sculpting work. Thanksgving Point will provide the beautiful land and infrastructure that is absolutely vital to this endeavor. I believe in miracles and I also believe that this artistic presence of our Savior in our world is greatly needed.
As people have heard this news the first logical question they ask is when will it open? I wish I knew that answer to that. As the founder of the I Am the Light of the World Foundation I have the responsibility of raising the funds to increase the scultpures to life-size and then do the sculpting work. Thanksgving Point will provide the beautiful land and infrastructure that is absolutely vital to this endeavor. I believe in miracles and I also believe that this artistic presence of our Savior in our world is greatly needed.
So, it may be three to five years away. But I'm going to do everything I can so that people can come and spend time with Jesus, feel His spirit while pondering His teachings, miracles and most of all, feel His love.
Another Day at the Foundry/Gethsemane
I've been in Utah for two and a half weeks overseeing the completion of a large group of Christmas orders, meeting with Thanksgiving Point, finishing the scene of Gethsemane and spending precious time with close friends and family. I am constantly amazed at the personal journey of it all.
Sculpting a new piece is ALWAYS extremely demanding in many ways. The direct creative flow and visualization is intense. The constant refining and evaluating is relentless. Besides, there is never enough time in one day to do it all and so it's constantly spilling over to the next day. For example I was supposed to have finished up the Gethsemane scene today, but didn't. I was excited about going home but found that I had another hard day of work left to do.
Marianne Holman from the Ensign called me up this morning around 10:30 for about a two hour interview for the Church News segment of the Ensign. I was able to sculpt during the interview with the periodic cell phone cutting out frustration.
Each time I have the chance to share my artistic vision with someone like that it clarifies it again in my own heart. Bearing testimony of the Savior constantly brings me great joy.
As for Gethsemane, feelings of inadequacy have been part of the challenge of this scene. How do you sculpt the incomprehensible? How do you capture the infinite? A river of thoughts about the greatest gift and sacrifice ever given flow in and through me constantly. How do I depict the suffering of Jesus Christ as he took upon Himself the full weight and darkness of our sins?
The only thing that gave me comfort was the importance of creating the depiction of Jesus Christ expressing His complete submission to God and His all consuming devotion to His Father in Heaven. The scriptures record that as Jesus began to feel the horrible pain of what was to come, He fell on His face in agony. In the act of wrestling with His desire to be spared He turns over reaching up towards His Father pleading that if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. The increasing trauma to His body is shown by the stress seen in His veins and in the expression of His eyes.
The olive tree is the symbolic expression of torment and anguish.
Wisdom, love, purity, knowledge and pain needed to shine from the Savior's uplifted face. Being the Son of God He lost none of these virtues as He paid the incomprehensible price to deliver us from death and sin.
Another Day at the Foundry/Gethsemane
I've been in Utah for two and a half weeks overseeing the completion of a large group of Christmas orders, meeting with Thanksgiving Point, finishing the scene of Gethsemane and spending precious time with close friends and family. I am constantly amazed at the personal journey of it all.
Sculpting a new piece is ALWAYS extremely demanding in many ways. The direct creative flow and visualization is intense. The constant refining and evaluating is relentless. Besides, there is never enough time in one day to do it all and so it's constantly spilling over to the next day. For example I was supposed to have finished up the Gethsemane scene today, but didn't. I was excited about going home but found that I had another hard day of work left to do.
Marianne Holman from the Ensign called me up this morning around 10:30 for about a two hour interview for the Church News segment of the Ensign. I was able to sculpt during the interview with the periodic cell phone cutting out frustration.
Each time I have the chance to share my artistic vision with someone like that it clarifies it again in my own heart. Bearing testimony of the Savior constantly brings me great joy.
As for Gethsemane, feelings of inadequacy have been part of the challenge of this scene. How do you sculpt the incomprehensible? How do you capture the infinite? A river of thoughts about the greatest gift and sacrifice ever given flow in and through me constantly. How do I depict the suffering of Jesus Christ as he took upon Himself the full weight and darkness of our sins?
The only thing that gave me comfort was the importance of creating the depiction of Jesus Christ expressing His complete submission to God and His all consuming devotion to His Father in Heaven. The scriptures record that as Jesus began to feel the horrible pain of what was to come, He fell on His face in agony. In the act of wrestling with His desire to be spared He turns over reaching up towards His Father pleading that if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. The increasing trauma to His body is shown by the stress seen in His veins and in the expression of His eyes.
The olive tree is the symbolic expression of torment and anguish.
Wisdom, love, purity, knowledge and pain needed to shine from the Savior's uplifted face. Being the Son of God He lost none of these virtues as He paid the incomprehensible price to deliver us from death and sin.
