Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.
Person: Whitney Grimm
Hi.
I’m a Colorado native who moved to LA in 2012 to seek out and explore the world around me. I knew there was more than what I experienced around me at the time. It was during this time that I began learning who I was, where my gifts and skills were, and what I liked in life. While in LA, I met many people in the fashion and creative industries who helped open my mind and doors to the creative world, showing me how diverse these industries are. I was immediately drawn to visual merchandising, wardrobe styling, graphic design, screen printing, typography, painting, art, etc. After working in such areas, I wanted a more stable skill set to fall back on if needed. So I moved back to Denver and was accepted to a local art school where I graduated with honors, Summa Cum Laude, something I didn’t think was possible for me. That season of life was truly valuable. I was growing in self-confidence, my ability to design well, in developing relationships with clients and others in the industry, and even in pursuing being an artist. I’ve grown so much over the last five years in myself as an artist, developing skills in different areas of art I like. My aesthetic is simple: clean storytelling through lines, shapes, and texture. I’ve incorporated that idea into the three art pieces I’ve done for Park, one of which is this piece.
Piece
The house is a representation of a safehouse, the place in which you find comfort and safety, though it doesn’t have to be a house; it could be whatever structure provides safety and security for you. The hands are God’s hands. He is our ultimate security, comforter, and protector from all enemies, both visible and invisible. And greenery represents life that exists in God and what can be grown in His presence.
PROCESS: MIXED MEDIA
I did a lot of research in commentaries and in different versions of the Bible. I sat with God in it and did a lot of contemplating. I wanted to understand what Psalm 9 was about or what David was saying in it. As I sat at my desk reading and asking God what He wanted me to make and what my spirit felt from this Psalm, I got a picture of a simple line-drawn house. Then, reading the Message Bible, in verses 9-10, the word safehouse stood out to me. I then researched the meaning of safehouse. It’s defined as “a confidential, private dwelling where individuals flee to find refuge. A secure environment.” This Psalm was challenging for me on what to create, because there’s so much meat in it. I also couldn’t get out of my head. But here we are, a finished piece.
In Psalm 8, the weak are made strong and the lowly become the unexpected rulers of the world. Babies and infants are given power beyond their stature to defeat the enemies of God. And man, whose troubled and broken humanity is made evident in Psalm 7, is granted dominion over God’s glorious handiwork.
I selected Psalm 7 based on the first verse: “O Lord my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and deliver me.” The center photo of the volcanic rock cradling a small piece of coral immediately came to mind as a representation of God’s protection and refuge for us. This rock was about 5 ft up on a 12 ft tall volcanic rock wall that encompassed a small village. The only way that little piece of coral got there from the ocean, to be cradled and protected, was from a ferocious storm. The same place in our lives where we seek shelter, represented by the photo of the crashing waves on the rocks.
Although King David is awash with agony in Psalm 6, he trusts God with his prayer for help. This composition presents a posture that expresses both the heavy weight of being worn down from distress and bowing down in prayer. The placement of the angled rays of light shining from above through the clouds depicts God’s acceptance of David’s prayer. The rain represents the floods of tears David shed.
Alpha is a series of open and informal conversations about life, spirituality, and the person of Jesus. Sessions take place over a meal at a home with a group of peers. Each session explores an element of the Christian faith with an emphasis on creating conversation.