Barley flour and bitter water

Artist

Elisabeth Baron

Artist bio

I am a Dutch visual artist and creative-systemic coach. I love art and creativity, but mostly I love to empower others by using creativity. I am autodidact in my artwork and received some lessons in Painting and Drawing, Sculpture and Ceramics. My artwork consist mainly of ceramic art and paintings, and also lino-printing, collages and leporello. I work with a theme, look for the challenge of a material or just let it happen and be surprised by the outcome. My work is abstract with realistic elements. As creative-systemic coach I listen to you with soft eyes and an open heart and soul, so you can discover new insights about yourself, experiment and grow. During the creative retreats that I facilitate you enter the silence of nature, where you can discover yourself, God and your creativity. The retreat is a healing for your soul, God is at work and I may guide it. Art, creativity and coaching go well together in my approach. Educations and Work: I am graduated with a masterdegree in the History of Art, with the specialization Modern Art. Recently I finished the Masterclass Cultural Leadership and also Systemic Coaching. I was for several years a boardmember of Platform Church & Art (Platform Kerk en Kunst), which supports the emancipation and professionalism of artists within Dutch churches and assists churches in the design and completion of exhibitions. In my atelier you can discover the joy of being creative by making your own painting, lino or leporello. Welcome to visit.

Visual Arts 2026 Contest

Title

Barley flour and bitter water

Medium/Genre

Painting

Artist Statement

Barley Flour and Bitter Water: the adulterous woman in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible

A text in the Old Testament (Numbers 5: 11-31) was so new to me, that I had to depict the story on canvas.
The story is about a man who suspects his wife of adultery (rightly or wrongly). He takes her to the priest who mixes a bowl of holy water with dust from the ground. She has to stand in front of the priest with loose hair, gets the barley flour in her palms, he pronounces a curse and writes it down and puts it in the bowl of bitter water. She had to drink the bitter, cursing water, and the barley flour was burned as a sacrifice of jealousy. If she has not committed adultery, her belly will not swell and she will not become infertile. Otherwise it will happen and she will be called forever in a curse.
Later I came across the text from the New Testament (John 8: 1-11), where they bring a woman, who has been caught committing adultery, to Jesus. He must condemn her. But Jesus says: "Whoever of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her". They're all running away. Then Jesus says to her: "I do not condemn you either. Go home and sin no more."
I also depicted this scene in the painting. Through the window, we see the woman walking away in freedom.

There is also a symbolism in it for everyone: Put your life in Jesus' hands, He drank the bitter, cursing water for you and gave His life so that you can walk in freedom.

How it fits into contest

A text in the Old Testament (Numbers 5: 11-31) was so new to me, that I had to depict the story on canvas.
The story is about a man who suspects his wife of adultery (rightly or wrongly). He takes her to the priest who mixes a bowl of holy water with dust from the ground. She has to stand in front of the priest with loose hair, gets the barley flour in her palms, he pronounces a curse and writes it down and puts it in the bowl of bitter water. She had to drink the bitter, cursing water, and the barley flour was burned as a sacrifice of jealousy. If she has not committed adultery, her belly will not swell and she will not become infertile. Otherwise it will happen and she will be called forever in a curse.
Later I came across the text from the New Testament (John 8: 1-11), where they bring a woman, who has been caught committing adultery, to Jesus. He must condemn her. But Jesus says: "Whoever of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her". They're all running away. Then Jesus says to her: "I do not condemn you either. Go home and sin no more."
I also depicted this scene in the painting. Through the window, we see the woman walking away in freedom.

There is also a symbolism in it for everyone: Put your life in Jesus' hands, He drank the bitter, cursing water for you and gave His life so that you can walk in freedom.