The Burden

           Updates on the project a friend commissioned me to do.  The pictures aren't doing it justice.  I blacked out the lines of the poem to protect it from thieves whether intentional or unintentional- (I know that after reading something I'm often inspired to write something very similar.)

The burn in the cherry wood is my favorite. I think I like it better than basswood.  The initial designing of Christ and the burdened Pilgrim weren't too time consuming.  The problem I ran into was getting the correct size and being able to fit the poem on the piece at the same time and still have it readable.  The calligraphy I used for the poetry is fabulously eye-catching and easy to read.  Because the stanzas were short and the poem narrow I designed Christ's arms to fill in the rest of the wood.  This leaves a pleasing and equal amount of cherry wood and burned wood.

                      I'm so proud of myself when it comes to the pilgrim at the bottom.  I made his burden look as cumbersome as I could and furthermore threw him on his knees.  I wanted his staff to look like a crucifix as if he were using the cross for support but I thought it better to have the crosses on a hill far away because by the time he got to the cross his burden would have fallen.  Then I put sharp stones and rocks on his path to show the path as rough and hard...nothing easy to walk.  While most sinners think of themselves as living the good life, they are really miserable people once they realize the burden they are carrying. 

                       The crosses have already been burned but I have yet to update the pictures.  I'm currently spread out over three projects, a contest burning, this burning, and a bobcat rug.