One of the joys of creating commissioned art is to add particular details about the client to the work. ” Ancient Words, Today’s People” is a set of white altar and pulpit frontals made for a congregation which has worshipped for over 250 years in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. I wanted the congregation to see themselves as those gathered at the cross, illuminated with the light of Christ. The inclusion of the figure in the wheel chair and the man lifting the child, developed from photographs of local members, heightens the recognition.
Interviews during the initial phase of commissioned works often reveal places to explore the particular. What would you want in your art piece?