" GETTING IT RIGHT "
James Christensen

Aug. 1993

4000 Singed And Numbered Lithograph Print 17.5" x 28" Email-price
Artist Proof Singed And Numbered Lithograph Print 17.5" x 28" Email-price

 

August 1993 - Getting It Right - James Christensen

This is the interior of the College of Magical Knowledge, warmed up by carpets. These are not dwarves
with names. These are simply Fellowes of the College and we have been allowed to go backstage
and see them get ready for the day.

Part of the humor of the piece is that all the multiple layers are part of the same garment. The outfits are prefabricated
to some extent, like theatrical costumes. Although they're pretending that it's all "oh, ho-hum, time to get dressed,"
they're pretty caught up in what they're doing - despite the look of disorganization. This is actually serious business.

By the way, these mice are not nasty rodents that eat holes in their outfits. They are friends, fellow
dwellers and part of the entire environment.

“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.”

Getting It Right - James Christensen

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