Still Life of Blooms Over Tinsel
Still Life of Blooms Over Tinsel
2025
36 x 24 x 1.5 inches (37 x 25 x 2 in. w/ frame)
Pigment stick, oil paint,
and black foil leaf on canvas
A luminous bouquet — Oriental lilies, Calla lilies, Alstroemeria, Chrysanthemums, Gypsy Flower, and Silver Dollar Eucalyptus — rises from a clear glass vase suspended in darkness. No defined ground is visible; only the strongest light from above reveals a soft, tree-like shadow below, evoking the hush of standing under a canopy. Beneath this floral 'tree,' roots stretch downward into the unseen — a quiet mataphor for spiritual depth, unseen growth, and divine design.
Rendered in thick impasto, oil detail, and pigment stick, the painting floats on a reflective surface of black foil leaf. This material choice revives a forgotten 19th-century American decorative artform: Tinsel Painting, traditionally created by reverse-painting on glass and backing it with dark foil to catch and reflect light. Here, that historical reference is more than aesthetic — it serves as a theological mirror.
This work engages with Scripture — specifically Isaiah 44:13–23 and Jeremiah 10 — inviting viewers to consider God's words about craftsmanship, idolatry, and the allure of outward appearances. The piece questions the value we place on surface beauty and material achievement, in contrast to what God sees and values most: the renewal of the heart (Deuteronomy 10:16; Matthew 23:26–28; Romans 2:28–29; 2 Corinthians 10:7).
In today's world of curated perfection and digital ornament, Still Life of Blooms Over Tinsel offers a quiet, sacred counterpoint: a meditation on rootedness, unseen spiritual vitality, and authenticity. As in Jeremiah 17, God's children are called to be like trees planted by water — resilient, fruitful, and ever green.
This painting asks not only what we place on display, but what takes root in the dark. It is a visual parable about modern faith, domestic life, and the spiritual cost of striving for appearances. Tinsel fades. True beauty bears fruit.
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