Sunday 3 March 2013

Postcard Theology

I spent a second day at Art from the Heart taking a workshop described as a 'gymnasium for the soul' with the talented Dyan Reaveley and the amazing Rev. Andrew Hall.

I met my friend Carolyn and she has blogged a detailed account of the workshop.  So I suggest you pop over there to read it and then come back to find out what I did.

My Psalm was number 126. (NIV)

When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion,
    we were like men who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
    our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
    like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow in tears
    will reap with songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping,
    carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
    carrying sheaves with him.


Andrew gave us our copy of the Psalm from The Message version and whilst I like to read The Message, this Psalm spoke to me more in the NIV version.

We meditated for a while on our psalm and Andrew had provided various books and notes where we could look up our psalm.   One of the notes said that the Jews would have understood the parched desert of the heart.  This inspired me to work on heart shapes and I used one of Dina Wakley's stamps.

I coloured the background of the A5 card with Distress Inks and then splashed water onto it to represent tears.  I stamped the first heart (the one on the right at the back) directly on to the background.  The heart to the left is stamped onto a map of the Sahara desert from an atlas and the front one was stamped onto music paper for the songs of joy.


I stamped the word hope onto the card because the overpowering feeling I got was that there is hope - that though we sow in tears we will reap with songs of joy.

I wrote some of the psalm around the edge.

The day was very different from any workshop that I have ever done before.  It certainly introduced me to activities I shall use again for my faith journaling.

Thank you Andrew and Dyan.

Bernice






4 comments:

  1. Love this piece! Thanks for sharing how you created it.
    Sounds like a very interesting workshop.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Every time I see this I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Bernice
    I found your blog after seeing the recent list of workshops from Art from the Heart and googling faith journaling/Father Andrew/Dyan Reaveley. I've just got back from an art retreat over on the East coast where we did lots of creative activities of a meditative nature. I really hope you don't mind but since I mentioned the workshops I linked you in too! It looks like you had a great time and I love your page.
    Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds like a taste of Heaven, Berniece - wish he did this closer to me! I'd like to start some classes... x

    ReplyDelete

I would love you to leave me an encouraging comment. Don't forget to put your name. I love to know who is commenting. Thank you.