Painting: Dance of Transcendence

This original art was inspired in someone else's Guest Room, and now resides in a church. Pastor Barton Buchanan had an idea to paint Jesus in a dance pose with a ball and chain. After visiting art museums in Chicago and D.C., he realized most of the Jesus paintings were of his passion, descent from the cross, or his burial, and not celebrating triumph. Believing "suffering has a purpose, and not only are we not to stay in it, but transcend from it", he adjusted his original "ball & chain" concept. Here, Jesus finds a way to transcend pain and humiliation by dancing and using his thorny crown as a tamborine, a symbol of turning suffering to victory. Inspiration is just part of the story; execution is the other. In 1998, he began a series of anatomical sketches. By 2001, he sought to dimensionalize the drawings. Instead of using a model, he sculpted first (left) and then painted (right). The sculpture used for the painting model was actually the first one attempted. The results are a powerful, uplifting painting. If you're in their neighborhood, stop by to see,http://www.windermereunion.org/. Another bonus there are original early 20th century stained glass windows that were relocated to the church's current location.

Portrait Miniatures

People wanted to carry "wallet-size" portraits of loved ones way before the invention of photography (and wallets). English 17th century innovation made this possible where artists painted palm-sized portraits. The small size required advanced portrait skill, producing amazing results. Some strokes were applied with a single-hair width brush. For example, viewing these images with a loop reveals eyelashes have individual strands. The "canvas" medium was also important: parchment (not pictured), celluloid (left), and ivory (right). Ivory offered superior luminosity. Here, avoidance of dark backgrounds allowed lighter colors to surround the figures, resulting in a less contrasting, but warmer feel. Kodak's predecessors made this art form obsolete, but more collectible.

Moche Portrait Vessels

Moche people thrived in pre-Columbian Peru, contributing advanced clay-molding talent that resulted in portrait vessels (like pictured, circ. 100BC-300AD). These vessels were not only usable but the faces were so accurate they also provided a record of everyday people from all aspects of society, i.e. warriors, infirm, family, professionals, laborers, erotica, etc. Artists strived to capture exact likeness, including all imperfections and avoiding any artificial "beautification". When you see it, this level of realism really adds to identifying with this person's portrait, even millenia later. A great private-gone-public collection is in the Museo Larco in Lima, Peru. Get a glimpse at museolarco.org.