" FALSE MAGIC"
James Christensen

375 Signed & Numbered Giclee Canvas 9" x 12" Email-price
85 Artist Proof Signed & Numbered Giclee Canvas 9" x 12" Email-price

 

April 2008 - False Magic- James Christensen

In the fantastic world of James C. Christensen’s paintings, fish are a symbol of magic and wisdom. “Their floating presence in the air reminds us that anything is possible,” says Christensen, “and those touched or surrounded by fish are considered truly blessed. When the fish don’t arrive, however, sometimes a person will take matters into his own hands, with compelling but less-than-convincing results. Non-magical fish, as you can see, don’t really enjoy hanging in mid-air.”

“I’ve always felt that defining a spiritual experience is very much like trying to define love. Writers and poets have tried to express ‘love’ in words for hundreds of years. Some things we read give us a feeling or a cue about what love is like, but nothing ever really gets it right. Love is beyond words. It is nonverbal and the attempt to explain it in language trivializes the moment to some extent.

“Every once in a while the Lord will give you an ‘aha’ moment when he deems that you need one. For me, he chose trash night. I was carrying the trash can down the driveway and all of a sudden I just lit up. I was consumed with light and warmth. I can remember it today as clearly as the moment it happened. I thought I was on fire. My soul was filled. I just stood there for seconds, holding the trash can, feeling out of space and time. It then just gradually dissipated. 

“No words were spoken out loud, but when I set the trash can down, I thought, ‘I’m going to be called to serve the Church.’ Even though I was anxious and felt overwhelmed and under qualified, I knew that the Lord wanted me there and I knew that with his help, I could fulfill the calling. 

“I painted the fire in this image with gold leaf, so when from across the room, the gold catches the light and reminds me of a twenty-nine-year-old junior high school teacher taking out the trash.”

False Magic- James Christensen

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