Sunday, March 14, 2010

FEELING ANGELIC


I tend to go in spurts with my religion and faith, that is in expressing it. I have tremendous faith, but have a very hard time showing it in my jewelry and artwork, which is something I would like to become more comfortable with. It's a real guilt thing that goes way back to catholic grade school, and some wicked nuns. In any case, I have wrestled with that for years. It has started to become more comfortable, but it is slow going. The theme for this swap is a bookmark Thing with Wings, but it had to have an angel...so this really just fell into place. I wish I could keep it, but I know I will receive one just as nice if not nicer, and I hope it brings peace to the recipient in some small way! I'm starting to like my RELIGION a bit better...the key is just to keep believing , in yourself too.

16 comments:

stregata said...

Wow - awesome beautiful, Sharito! Love how you did this!

Diane said...

Amen to that!! Did you see the movie Doubt? Meryl Streep (the nun that she played ) was my 8th grade teacher--yes I went to a Catholic school too.

Flor Larios Art said...

I love to paint religious images eventough I am not a fervent catholic... I just feel an urge to do it. I like sad, melancholic, innocent faces.

Beautiful piece! Keep creating...

Terri Kahrs said...

Interesting to hear you discuss religion, Sharon. I find that even though I was raised Catholic (and, yes, I had the nuns too!), I find the older I get the more spiritual I become. You DO reconcile over time. Hugs, Terri xoxo

PS Your recipient will love her angel, and I think it will definitely carry serenity and peace!

Esther said...

very beautiful...!!!

Debbie said...

I'm in the middle of painting my first angel, and I know what you mean about struggling to show your faith in your art. Your angel is beautiful and I hope you do more of them. hugs, debbie

thekathrynwheel said...

I just adore this, I don't know how you can part with it! You did good :-)

sharon said...

Oooooh, you have all warmed my heart!
I always feel I am the only one feeling these things...until I talk to my friends, thank you all!

Kella said...

Yes it can be hard to sometimes express your faith, I was encouraged by my courage to do so in a series of posts last Dec 09 in this blog of mine.

As you said it has a lot to do with believing in yourself too.

The Joy of Nesting said...

Oh Sharon,

I think you have done an incredible job of incorporating religious material into a secular work!! I hear ya little sister on the nuns playing with our heads, and now living with the baggage. :) To this day I have trouble using rosaries as jewelry. But I keep telling myself that having honor and respect for a religion or a belief is what I wish to convey. Not the worship of a perticular item. For me this holds true for all religions and beliefs. I could no more paint a moustache and dunce cap on Buhddha as the Virgin Mother!

Pattie ;)
Mazatlan Mx.

Cindy said...

Sharon, your bookmark is really beautiful... I hope you continue on this theme and maybe make altered bookmarks for your shop...? I'd love one! I myself went to an all-women's Catholic college. The art instructors were known as "Sisters G&V" (their initials)...they were the most fun, out of the box pair of nuns and wore funky, bright colored clothes with Converse high tops... really! :-) I hope to see more work like this once your swap is over...your work is just amazing!

Lesley Edmonds said...

I so agree with you about religion Sharon. I too have great faith but expressing it visually is always a problem for me.

I just love what you have made here though. I don't think we can have enough angels in our lives.

Lesley x

Narrative jewelry said...

Beautiful Sharon, not so easy to work with religion and out one's comfort zone, but you have done it and in a lovely way.

Cathy said...

it's lovely, sharon!

i struggle with that, too: i feel my art doesn't measure up to my faith!

Pilar said...

Thank you for opening up and sharing this most personal story. I, too, am a child of Catholic school and had more than one negative encounter with the nuns who taught at my school. I think in many ways I lucked out in that since I was raised Mexican Catholic and religious imagery was such a huge part of my family's interior and outside decore, I was able to seperate that from the awful experiences I encountered. In a nutshell, I kept the imagery, but the rest I do lump with the nuns. I call myself a recovering Catholic because I find I have to reclaim the elements of faith and religion I want as my own and heal from the psychic wounds I suffered from Catholic School and twisted interpretations of faith. Sorry for the novel. I love your angel and I do hope to see more of in the future. : D

Pearl and Pebble said...

This is sooo beautiful! I don't think I could part with it either! I would have to make another one. It's very moving!! And I totally understand where you're coming from. I wasn't raised Catholic, but Independant Baptist Fudamentalist. Guilt AND Shame!!!It's kind of ironic that sometimes our spirituality's greatest obstacle can be religion isn't it?!?!?

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin

My Lucky Charms