|
Brie Dodson
We spend our
Sundays in the country. The drive home
is often filled with regret that a
cherished day together has passed, and
foreboding toward the pressures of the
week to come. As just such a drive
neared its end, I glimpsed this sunset
behind us. The image was remarkable -
like two arms of a cross, stretched out
across the horizon and into the sky.
Since then I've painted this vista
several times, responding to the many
messages that the image conveys.
Part of the Order for Evening (Vespers)
service is a Prayer for Light. Several
passages from the subsequent prayers
evoke this image for me; but in the
context of this sunset vision, the
phrase "Prayer for Light" itself is most
evocative of all. We pray for light
indeed: light and warmth; the glimmer of
understanding; hope for tomorrow.
In the words that Thomas Cranmer wrote
for the Book of Common Prayer, Jesus
stretched out his arms upon the cross
and made of himself "a full, perfect,
and sufficient sacrifice"
–
and it is in that spirit that I see this
sky, with the magnificent arms of the
sunset redeeming us into sleep and
peace.
Brie Dodson is a realist painter who
seeks to convey a sense of the "unseen
eternal" in her work. She lives in
Virginia with her husband and sons, and
is honored to serve as ECVA's Director
of Communications.
Brie Dodson
Email:
bdodson@briedodson.com
Web site:
www.briedodson.com |
next
top of page