Astonishing!
I happened upon the artist, Cynthia Large while searching for an image of St. Christina the Astonishing. Her work is masterful! Please visit her website here to view her all of her work. What follows is a brief biography I took off her website:
I was born in Northern California in 1972, and raised among the redwoods. Between the ages of 15 and 17 I lived in some isolated areas of Utah and tangled with small religious movements and heresies. Curiousity has not yet killed the cat, and the study of both orthodox and heretical faiths continues to inform my work.
Theology is combined in my paintings and assemblages with ideas about music and mental illness; these themes form the (sometimes) overlapping spheres of genius, madness, and spiritual ecstasy.
In 1990 I moved to New York, received my B.F.A. from Parson's School of Design in 1994, and then spent two years in the Netherlands, examining the art and religious upheavals of the late Middle Ages. During this period I studied the techniques of the early Flemish painters, and developed a method of painting based on what I learned.
Egg tempera and oil are my primary mediums; the process is labor intensive, and each painting takes nearly two years to complete. The frames are handmade of various woods, with inlaid marquetry panels, and I often incorporate salvaged piano keys and organ pipes in my work. In 1999, I received a grant from the Money for Women / Barbara Deming Memorial Fund for my paintings of the composer and pianist Clara Schumann. My current series of paintings, "Holy Mischief", portrays the lives of the most restive and unruly figures in the history of religion.
I am a member of the Religious Society of Friends, and believe that artistic talent is a gift from God, as all gifts are. I strive, in my daily work, to honor that gift, and to remember the One who bestowed it. I currently live in New York. Cynthia Large, Quaker Artist
[Art: Julian of Norwich, Cynthia Large]
Beautiful works! What a find:0)
ReplyDeleteTom
"During this period I studied the techniques of the early Flemish painters, and developed a method of painting based on what I learned."
ReplyDeleteShe learned well!
St. Christina is my Confirmation Saint, although I don't believe I chose Christina the Astonishing. There were several Christina's, and the one I chose was punished brutally for speaking the gospel of Christ. They cut out her tongue, and she spoke more clearly than before. They cut out her eyes...and she could even see more clearly! I believe most of the story is legend, but at the same time, it grabbed me because God made her stronger through each trial...of course, it was God's strength, not hers!
ReplyDeleteI do remember that Christina the Astonishing could levitate, and there's a lot of legendary characteristics attributed to her...such as hiding in ovens to get away from the smell of sin. That was just weird and too much like Hansel and Gretel.
Besides, it's a commentary on what people in our society are doing...hiding in ovens to get away from the scent of holiness, and then congratulating each other on their enlightenment all the while the oven is heating up and they have no idea they're about to be roasted into oblivion....
Oh...did I digress....?
I just love the idea of the priest going, "Christina, you come down here right now! You're ruining your funeral!"
ReplyDeleteHi Terry!
ReplyDeleteThanks again for this link! I finally got pictures of my new St. Christina painting posted. I call it "St. Christina the Astonishing -- a Pelican in the Wilderness (Psalm 102)". It's been a three-year labor of love. Please come visit!
http://www.cynthialarge.com/christina-pelican/christinapelican.html
I don't know if that url will come through -- it's very long and sometimes doesn't work as a link. But come back to the site, and just look for the newest painting.
God Bless you,
Cynthia