One of my top three sources of happiness is creating - specifically creating new paintings. I have more time off with my new job, and I've been using that time to get back into a painting hobby. I saw a simple song lyric painting on A Beautiful Mess and decided I need to shamelessly copy it. I used the lyrics from mine and Paul's first song at our wedding: Let's Stay Together by Al Green (one of the best songs in the entire world). Elsie from A Beautiful Mess said her painting only took her thirty minutes to complete; let's just say I took a bit longer to finish my painting. But I enjoyed the process, and I really love the finished product. It makes me smile and start singing Al Green everytime I see it. Can't wait to find a place to hang it up - and to do a pretty painting to pair with it.
0 Comments
As I write this post, the temperature is -3 degrees outside. The high is expected to be 7 degrees. The high. It's never a good sign when the words "arctic blast" are included with the weather forecast. I bundled up to walk Pedro this morning, but that didn't stop the inside of my noze temporarily freezing. The first time that happened to me I was waiting for the El in Chicago, and I had no idea what was happening. It's not painful, but it's definitely not something I enjoy experiencing on a regular basis. Freezing body parts are not my cup of tea.
When the temperature is this cold, I go into full hibernation mode. Hibenating yesterday included a little painting and arts and crafts time. I created these little winter decorations to brighten up a hallway in our apartment. If we're going to be spending more time in our apartment, it might as well look pretty! What do you do to get through the cold winter months? I had a request to post the rest of the Salvadoran Jesuit martyr paintings I shared here. Hope you enjoy. This shy priest was born in Spain August 29, 1933. Fr. Juan Ramón taught many subjects at both the high school and university level including biology, history, civics, math, English, and geography. One of his major contributions to the University of Central America was his work in the library updating the cataloging system and the archives. These two elements inspire the background of the painting which is composed of abstract books. Fr. Juan Ramón was also given the honor and responsibility of being a novice master, the priest who guides new Jesuits in their first years of formation. When he preached about liberation theology and evangelization at retreats and in front of various audiences, he was said to catch fire. For this reason, Fr. Juan Ramón is painted in orange. “It will be beneficial to have a faithful and competent person to instruct and teach the novices how to conduct themselves inwardly and outwardly, to encourage them to this, to remind them of it, and to give them loving admonition; a person whom all those who are in probation may love and to whom they may have recourse in their temptations and open themselves with confidence, hoping to receive from him in our Lord counsel and aid in everything.” --Jesuit Spiritual Exercises Fr. Amando López, S.J., was born in Spain on February 6, 1936. A teacher of theology at the UCA, Fr. Amando was a great source of comfort to those in need of guidance and counsel. Fr. Amando was described by fellow Jesuit Fr. Sobrino as “the one who knew best how to live” out of the Jesuits who lived in his community. For this reason, the background of this painting is made of red flowers symbolizing his ability to help people grow and his own ability to continue to live life in a compromising situation. Fr. Amando is painted in green to show his vitality. “We sometimes talk of leaving also. But our hope is not in leaving, it is here. If I leave, the crisis will stay. Here I may be able to effect change.” –Fr. Amando López S.J. Born in Spain on May 15, 1933, Fr. Segundo Montes worked at the UCA as the head of the Sociology department and as the director of the Human Rights Institute. His fiery personality in addition to his intense appearance earned him the nickname “Zeus.” A former professor of Physics, he decided he could best serve Salvadorans as a social analyst and thus focused his work on studying and writing about issues such as land reform, social class, refugees, and immigration. Understanding the dangers associated with his work and after having his room bombed, Fr. Segundo still decided to remain in El Salvador stating simply, “what am I going to do?—if they kill me, they kill me.” To capture the passion and fierceness of his personality, the dominant color of this painting is red. “How can we be really free if our brothers and sisters are not free? This is my country and these people are my people. We here are not just teachers and social scientists. We are also parish priests, and the people need to have the church stay with them in these terrible times—the rich as well as the poor. The rich need to hear from us, just as do the poor. God’s grace does not leave, so neither can we.” --Fr. Segundo Montes, S.J. Born in Spain on November 7, 1942, Fr. Martin Baró was the youngest of the UCA Jesuit martyrs. Making large contributions to the field of social psychology, Fr. Martin Baró used his intellectual and academic abilities to study the psychological effects of war on the Salvadoran people and often used these studies practically to help people he came into contact with. While he worked extremely diligently, he was also very considerate and came to life in his weekend work in the parish of Jayaque. Due to his love of guitar playing and the extremes of his personality, Fr. Martin Baró is painted in purple. “There is an aspect of war that is of great importance and should be analyzed by social psychology: its way of defining all that is social…. But this same absorbing quality of the war can lead to ignoring the different ways in which it affects groups and individuals: what represents ruin for some becomes big business for others, and what places some close to death opens for others the possibility of new life.”—Fr. Martin-Baró, S.J. Born in Spain on November 9, 1930, this priest was a person who challenged ideas, pushed limits, and enjoyed making people think by voicing his sometimes controversial opinions. Fr. Ellacuría, president and rector of the UCA, courageously brought light to various injustices in El Salvador by writing articles and giving talks which made him a target of negative right-wing attention. Like the Jesuits of the community, Fr. Ellacuría understood the dangers of dedicating his life to trying to realize the goals of liberation theology in El Salvador and of voicing the truth about Salvadoran political, social, and economic structures. Ellacuría and his Jesuit brothers stayed and remained a light to the country inspiring the yellow color of this painting.
“So telling the truth becomes an unmasking of lies, and that is not forgiven.” “Telling the truth, communicating it in a way appropriate to a university…has always been dangerous because the idols seek to hide their true face.”—Fr. Jon Sobrino, S.J. “The Spirit breathes in many ways, and supreme among them is the disposition to give one’s life for others, whether by tireless daily commitment or by the sacrifice of a violent death.” –Fr. Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J. This weekend marked the 23rd anniversary of the deaths of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter. Every anniversary brings nostalgia and gratitude for me. Nostalgia for events that connected me to the martyrs' legacy and gratitude for their example. On November 16, 1989, six Jesuit priests and two women were killed by Salvadoran soldiers, many of whom were trained at the Fort Benning, Georgia based School of the Americas. They were killed primarily for their work on behalf of poor during the Salvadoran civil war. They serve as an example to thousands around the world, especially those connected with Jesuit institutions. I first learned about the Jesuit martyrs at the School of the Americas protest, held each year in Georgia on the anniversary of the Jesuits' deaths. The protest itself models a solemn funeral procession in commemoration of the thousands killed by graduates of the School of the Americas (now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation). Until a few years ago, the Ignatian Solidarity Network also organized the Ignatian Family Teach-In, a weekend long event hosting various social justice speakers and concluding with a powerful mass that hundreds attended each year. It was at the Ignatian Family Teach-In that I first learned about many social justice issues and where my passion for social justice first became connected to my faith. I also learned about the Jesuit Volunteer Corps here and decided to join after I graduated college. It was also at the Ignatian Family Teach-In that I began preparation for my college honors thesis in which I painted eight biographical portraits of the Jesuit martyrs and the two women killed with the Jesuits. My thesis project culminated with an art show on my college campus and has given me the opportunity to teach various groups about the Jesuit martyrs. Today I'm sharing two of the eight paintings along with background information on the individuals and information about the paintings themselves. Pictured above is Fr. Joaquín López y López, born August 16, 1918, the only native Salvadoran among the six Jesuits killed at the University of Central America. Fr. López y López, or “Lolo,” although quiet and timid, worked passionately for the people of El Salvador. Recognizing problems with the Salvadoran education system, Fr. Lolo founded the Fe y Alegria (“Faith and Joy”) organization to strengthen community based education. Though battling cancer, Fr. Lolo remained loyal to his work at the Fe y Alegria till the end of his life. Pictures of current Fe y Alegria participants appear in Lolo’s hairline symbolizing the impact of his work for his organization and the people of El Salvador. To symbolize Fr. Lolo’s calm, unassuming presence, the portrait is painted in blue. “If your projects are for 5 years, sow wheat; if they are for 10, plant a tree; but if they are for 100 years, educate a town.” –Fr. Joaquim López y López, S.J. Elba and Celina are usually described as the two female companions of the Jesuits or the Jesuits' housekeepers. In fact, Elba Ramos, born in El Salvador March 5, 1947, worked as the Jesuits' cook and housekeeper and her daughter Celina Ramos, born February 27, 1973, was a high school student. Elba's husband and Celina's father Obdulio worked at the University of Central America as a guard. Due to heavy bombing close to their home on the university’s campus, the family asked the Jesuits if Elba and Celina could spend the night with the Jesuit community. It was due to this request that the women were present at the residence on November 16th and were killed as witnesses to the Jesuits’ murders. This painting focuses on the innocence of the two women and their shared martyrdom with the Jesuits. Elba and Celina were among more than 70,000 people killed during the Salvadoran Civil War.
The Jesuits helped to awaken my passion for painting and taught me what it means to have complete dedication to the cause of the poor. Just like the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, I feel that the legacy of the Jesuit martyrs ruined me for life. |