For a while now, I’ve followed a social media account of the prolific Birmingham artist, Miriam McClung. Getting on in years now, she has been painting for seventy-five years. Educated in the south, she also studied at the Art Students League in New York City and worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her website notes that she then returned to Alabama and painted landscapes of the state and scenes around Birmingham. She has studied with some of the best artists in the country.
At
the age of fifty, she pivoted from the work she had previously done to
especially seeking God’s purposes in her work. Her son curates her account and
during the Lenten season, he posted many of her faith centered works including several
from her Stations of the Cross series.
I
could go on and on about how much I love the videos of her talking about her
work, the scenes she painted of her home where she cared for her husband, and one of my favorite paintings which is of her laundry
room. It reminds me of a quote I’ve shared here before from Camille Pissarro, “Blessed
are those who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see
nothing.”
But
the painting I want to focus on today was posted a few days ago. It is one she
did while at an Atlanta workshop and is based on John 20:6-7. “Then Simon Peter
came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of
linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head.
The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.”
Confronted
with a model which didn’t interest her at the workshop, she decided in her
words to, “turn my easel around and did a pastel of a linen cloth … it reminded
me of when Peter went to the tomb.”
She
turned her easel around and focused on the reminder of Jesus’ resurrection.
This
image spoke volumes to me. At the time I saw it, a matter weighed heavily on my
heart. It rose up in front of me trying to demand all my attention. But I had
another choice, I could turn my easel around and instead give my attention to
the mighty work Jesus had done for me. That’s what I did, and that’s what I
intend to keep doing.
Some think art should just be a pretty picture we buy to match the sofa, but for me, it is so much more. Art tells stories and has the power to change the lives of others. Miriam’s work touches me deeply and though I may never meet her, I am so thankful to have the opportunity to get to know her and her work through her account and be touched by these exquisite works of art.
If
you’re facing a difficulty which threatens to overwhelm, maybe it’s time you turned
your metaphorical easel as well and instead give your undivided attention to
what Jesus did through his death and resurrection on your behalf.
If
you haven’t seen her work, check Miriam McClung Art on insta. You will be
blessed.