Skip to main content

The Peace Post



The Peace Post
Minnesota walnut, 6x6x60", November 2019



 This work was acquired by Linda Holmen in support of the National Lutheran Choir, and is in the Holmen collection in St. Cloud, MN.

Given a dry old walnut 6x6, I pondered for quite a while what to do with it.. it didn't make sense to mill it into boards.. then I remembered a few other 3D works that might apply in this case-- an 'ujamaa' (an ebony carving of the village or family, from Tanzania) and the central obelisk in Oslo, Norway in the Vigeland sculpture park.. Rather than figures, mine uses repeated text of 'love-joy-peace' with the open cathedral arch in the center for a votive candle.  There's also a slot for another candle at the top, not shown in this pic.  this is also reminiscent of the entry beams of the Art Barn at St. Olaf.  Arnold left several corners of those beams unfinished, waiting for someone else to contribute.






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Newborn Stars...

Newborn Stars 2013, 2014 walnut, 30"x60" collection Zion Lutheran Church, Hopkins MN I have gone through this process many times before--finding a text in a piece of choral music that is the source material for work in wood.  As a choral singer, it takes some time to learn new music--notes, intervals, phrasing, tempo--and then at some unexpected time, a phrase or verse hits like the proverbial ton of bricks.  Sometimes there are tears, often I just can't sing for a while when the profoundness of the text finally hits home.  This text is one of those.  It's a hymn text written by writer/theologian/musician Dr. Carl Daw, and the hymn is " As Newborn Stars Were Stirred to Song."  It was the perfect metaphor, especially the last verse-- the symbolism of the redeeming Christ set into musical terminology that just struck me... and a perfect choice to change the text into wood. An example of 'interchange', a favorite technique that I can onl...

Give Me Jesus

Give Me Jesus 2015, oiled walnut and brass 30" x 65" collection Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minneapolis Commissioned by friend and longtime NLC supporter Diane Fleming, this hangs in the narthex at Bethlehem Lutheran in south Minneapolis.  Text taken from the old spiritual "Give Me Jesus," it's one of the signature choral works of the National Lutheran Choir arranged by NLC founder, Dr. Larry Fleming. The panel separates four themes of the text and uses small detail carvings to illustrate and expand the meaning.  Each detail contains the shadow of the cross in the background.  The following pics are taken from the work in progress on the carving bench.. When I am alone... The solitary figure stands against the backdrop of earth, sun, stars...one thinks of Psalm 8--the work of Your hands, the sun, moon, and stars which You have created...  When I come to die... The prone Christ-figure outstretched on the cross is intentionally calling out ...

Cloud of Witnesses

Cloud of Witnesses 2012 white birch, brass accents 30" x 72" Anoka, MN Commissioned for the newly designed chapel at Zion Lutheran Church, it uses the text from the book of Hebrews focusing on 'such a great cloud of witnesses..'  The piece is designed also to be removed from the wall and used as a freestanding panel in the main sanctuary for funerals, weddings, baptisms.. The text is in a modified Herculaneum font in kind of a run-on style, flowing around the candle stands all the way to the bottom of the panel.  There are 12 candle stands in all, each with a brass bar at the back as a visual accent and for added reflectivity when the candles are lit. White birch carves cleanly, and has a fine capacity for darkening the cut edges when varnished.  Contrast the golden finish here with the blonde unfinished panel in the picture below.. This is the stand prior to the final finish, using the walnut base in free standing mode. Since the chapel at Zi...