Artist bio

Caroline is a college senior who is studying studio arts with a 2D concentration. She has been drawing since she can remember and especially likes drawing people.

Title

Presence

Medium/Genre

Painting

Artist Statement

Presence is a painting about the relational aspect of our Spiritual battle. It highlights the importance of communion with God and other Christians to strengthen believers against temptation and despair. In the painting, a group huddles together to pray, creating the interior of a cathedral in their midst, symbolizing the presence of God, the power of prayer, and the spiritual impact we can have on each other as we come together to meet with God and put our needs before Him. The colors and composition are meant to evoke a moment of peace in prayer and fellowship where believers prepare to face the forces of evil in their daily lives. The setting is ambiguous as the people stand both on the floor of a cathedral and in the surrounding world of darkness. The colors outside the cathedral are cool and dark while the inside is warm and bright, inviting the viewer into a space where they can be reminded of the presence of God with His people.

How it fits into contest

My painting engages with Ephesians 6:10-20 on a few different levels. One of the things that the passage instructs us to put on is truth. Knowing the truth about ourselves as humans and as the people of God is part of the armor we need to wear to withstand the attacks of Satan. One of these truths is that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. We belong to God and what we do in our bodies matters (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). This passage was the inspiration for the Imagery in Presence, where the people’s bodies morph into a Cathedral. I wanted to communicate this sense of God dwelling within us, but also the sense in which God is present with His people in a special way when they meet together in His name. (Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”) Although the battle is a Spiritual one, we are not called to fight it alone. This takes us back to Ephesians 6:18-20, where Paul urges his audience to pray in the Spirit and to pray for him and all the saints as they fight in this Spiritual battle. My painting illustrates the way we can make a space for God in our daily lives when we gather and pray for each other. The light streaming into the Cathedral from no visible source in the people’s surroundings represents the Holy Spirit, being present with God’s people and interceding for them as they pray. “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8: 25-26)

Credits

I am the only one who worked on this painting

How to Purchase this Artwork

The painting is for sale for $1050 plus shipping. If you would like to purchase the artwork you can contact the artist directly at barbedwirebrowns@gmail.com

Other Goods & Services Available from this Artist

Caroline exhibits her work at Barbed Wire Browns Art Studio at 133 West Bay Ave, Historic Longwood, FL 32750. You can visit our website at barbedwirebrowns.com

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