44 weeks of drawing 44 Bible stories

Live

Created during Sunday gatherings at
​Christ's Fellowship Church, Valdosta, Georgia.
Drawings created between    2/7/2016 - 4/2/2017

Drawings

All drawings are charcoal on paper approximately
​36 x 42 inches with a time constraint of 45 minutes.
Collaborating for 44 WEEKS...
Pastor Ken Webb  
Pastor of Christ's Fellowship Church (Jan 1995 - Aug 2019)
THE PROCESS 

I received a rough draft of Pastor Ken's sermon on Tuesday or Wednesday of each week. I read the sermon, the children's Bible lesson according to the Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones, and the scripture passages that both of these are based upon.  Next, I began to ponder, listen, and imagine the authors' thoughts, the commentary, the story, and seek the heart of how this all applied to me, to us who believe, to the human condition/To what it means to be human. Usually a picture or phrase began to resonate in my heart and mind. I followed that reverberation, shared it with my wife and close friends. The idea clarified and solidified itself with a short written statement for each drawing. I sought approval of that statement with the pastor before each service. Finally, I got absorbed in the process of drawing during the Sunday gathering. As Ken preached, I drew. Together we sought to present our hearts and scripture to the glory of God. 
​
THE RESULT

​The Emmaus Road series was a long term collaboration between Ken Webb, the Pastor of Christ's Fellowship Church, Valdosta, Georgia (Jan 1995 - Aug 2019), me, and the one in whom we place our faith and hope, the God of all creation. Through the act of drawing, one drawing per week for forty-four weeks, I  sought to bring a form of visual communication that would buttress the pastor's heart felt intentions as he delivered a sermon every Sunday morning. I was invited to give a quick artist statement for each piece at the conclusion of each Sunday morning service to summarize my thoughts and intentions for each creation. Each drawing was created live in tandem with the delivery of the sermon, approximately 45 minutes. 

I found myself so much more connected and in tune with each Sunday morning gathering because of the amount of study and preparation that went into each drawing per week. It gave me the honest opportunity to ponder the story and scripture for each sermon, picture what it may have been like, and pray about what I was to do with the opportunity to edify the body of Christ. We live in an increasingly visual culture full of signs and symbols encouraging quick assumptions that simplify and deliver decontextualized instruction for living, like giving rational thought to a subject without a predicate. As a culture we may not truly know how to see due to our expectation for immediate gratification. The appreciation of life through the creation of a simple drawing can slow us down; giving more time to recognize what we see. The appreciation of art and its process can help us truly live or experience more of what it means to be human. I felt more connected to God after these drawings are finished. Concerning our perceptions and understanding of the world, G. K. Chesterton explains that, "God is like the sun; you cannot look at it, but without it you cannot look at anything else." Because of this series of work I feel like I can see better both physically and spiritually. I definitely see all 66 books of the Bible as intimately connected.