averyhopestudio


ASHES

Powdered charcoal, water samples, sediment samples, small rocks, oil bar, acrylic bar on raw canvas
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203” x 96”

This drawing is from a body of work where I allude to elemental forms God uses to make himself known. The manipulation of sediments, coffee grounds, and water samples is a symbolic depiction of veils, a visual representation of protection and control. I create microcosms in my process to depict universal and personal relations with God. Raw and mundane forms vulnerably represent and identify this work. 
This analysis of veils was built on the foundational tension of the human experience, vulnerability and control.The materials symbolically represent vulnerability and control through the combination of the raw and man-made materials such as: found water samples, sediment samples, hand made charcoal, small rocks contextually juxtaposed while visually unified with oil bar, acrylic bar, and store bought charcoal. These materials note a time and place where there was a Divine encounter, then illustrate physical representation of the conceptual veil.
Scripture and my personal experiences of discovering God’s presence dictate the course of this creative process. Scripture reveals God through powerful, yet relatable forms such as the ocean and fire. These elemental forms illustrate the unseen into tangible, memorable occurrences with the Divine. In this work, water and sediments are derived from places where God reveals His presence. These moments were recorded on canvas to illustrate the time and space where God reveals Himself to His people. 
I emphasized this idea of places where God dwells in relation to personal and universal relationships by using mundane materials. Sediments, water samples, ashes, charcoal, and graphite were collected from places where God invites us into personal relationship. These places, full of beauty and majesty, rub our hearts raw. It’s not until we linger in His presence that all of our calluses are soothed and we can begin to see something beyond ourselves. 
OCEAN
Powdered charcoal on cold press watercolor paper
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40” x 33”
This drawing was inspired by the power and comfort of water. It holds life and death, soothes and humbles, revealing the nature of the One who created the seas.  

BODIES OF WATER -
The Lake, Vaporous Descent, Symphonic Grappling


Powdered charcoal, water samples, sediment samples, twigs, pebbles
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44” x 30”
This body of work reflects on how God’s character is revealed through creation. Water is a place, form, and force that can hold, restrict, and replenish. It is powerful, yet full of grace. Throughout the Old Testament, God orchestrates His presence with water which is depicted as provision and protection for His people. These drawings record and memorialize places where we can experience the unveiling of God’s presence on a personal and universal level. Similar to a veil, they represent a moment in time where God reveals Himself to His people.  Each of these moments are woven together creating an intimate tapestry, telling the story of God’s reckless pursuit for His children. The nuances of every moment are created by God to warm our hearts to His glory and towards our continual surrender.  

The series of works, Bodies of Water, were installed Spring 2024 in the Quiet Place at the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building in Abilene, Texas.

THE BURNING BUSH
Powdered charcoal, burned twigs, ashes
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52.75” x 36.25”
This work figuratively and symbolically represents the Gospel. The physical creative process illustrates the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The drawing on the left depicts a live bush that has been uprooted from its rightful place to serve an authentic purpose. After this bush was drawn, it was burned with fire. The drawing on the right depicts the same bush after it had been burned, illustrated with the ashes and twigs derived from the bush itself. This drawing process metaphorically depicts how Jesus chose to descend from glory, where He lived a perfect life to be crucified for our sins on our behalf. The fire symbolically represents the crucifixion through the physical damage to the bush and the fire being representative of the cleansing and renewal of our sins. The symbolism behind drawing the bush after it had been crucified with the ashes, represents how the blood of Jesus, the ashes of the bush, make a new creation. 
The series of works, Bodies of Water, were installed Spring 2024 in the Quiet Place at the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building in Abilene, Texas. 


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