The finished piece is 24 x 32 inches on 300lb. hot-pressed watercolor paper ~painted with watercolor and ink. There were a lot of components I wanted to incorporate in this piece. Then, the painting kept "going". It moved of its own accord in places I did not anticipate, and I kept going with it....people that I know/have known intertwined in my mind as I painted the tree branches. Overall, the painting took on so many meanings to me as it matured
Sower and the Seed
This painting illustrates the parable “The Sower and the Seed,” a teaching of Jesus
recorded in the book of Matthew chapter 13. The four hearts in the sky represent four
different responses of those who hear the Gospel message.
The heart on the lower left represents those who have heard the gospel but reject it.
The devil then comes and takes it away from their hearts. This is illustrated by the
crows flying away with the seed that fell on the road side.
The second heart on the upper left side of the sky represents those who receive the
gospel message with joy, but it doesn’t take root in their faith, and their faith is temporal, falling away when trials or affliction come their way because of the gospel. This
is illustrated by a grape vine withering away in the heat of the day due to a lack of a
deep root system.
The heart in the upper right corner of the sky represents those who received the gospel
and believe, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the
word, and it becomes unfruitful. This is illustrated by the grapevine being choked out
by a purple, flower-bearing, climbing, strangling vine called, morning glory.
These vines produce pretty flowers, but they are an organic farmer’s enemy because
they will choke out his crops. I learned this firsthand in organic farming when I was a
missionary for a couple of summers.
The heart in the lower right corner of the sky represents those who hear, believe, and
are committed to living for the gospel, so they produce much fruit. This is illustrated
by a healthy, strong, fruit-bearing grapevine. The tilled field represents the world that
God has prepared to receive the Gospel message. The sower represents all Christians
that are commanded to go into the world and proclaim the gospel message. The seed
being thrown by the sower represents the gospel message going out to the world.
The seed bag has written on it, “The Word Seed Co.”
(October 28, 2017)
I often have weird dreams that inspire my artwork, and that one I had last night where I took over a jungle (or was it a forest? I don’t know) sure got me inspired.
