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Thoughts to Figure Series
©1998-2001 Ruth Borges
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Since childhood, creating representational art was a favorite pastime. Like I mentioned in a previous post, from my preteen through teenage years, I used to draw people, faces, trees, flowers, burgers, ice cream, cake, birds, butterflies, and whatever else caught my eye. In art school I studied graphic design. I found the symbolic qualities of typography and logos truly fascinating. I was drawn to their simplicity, elegance, and expressive energy. It was a way clever of communicating a concept with just a few visual elements. No surprise, it definitely influenced the type of artwork seen in this post. After college I started drawing stylized figures in pencil with flowing lines defining contours and form. I would envision the movement, sense the space and placement on a large sheet of paper, then make quick and deliberate marks in graphite. I accumulated hundreds of these drawings over time. I would set them aside for a while, to review them later with fresh eyes. I found they spoke to me of things I was experiencing back then. Just a few years later I had started studying God's word, and the stories and visual imagery opened the door to see the spiritual connection between art making and faith. I found these drawings resonated with spiritual and emotional issues found in scripture not just in my own life. Fast forward to 1998, and I digitally produced a series of twelve drawings selected from the hundreds of pencil drawings I had stashed in several portfolios and sketchbooks. In 2001 I produced a second series. Each image on both series were paired with bible verses. The art and scripture resonated with many who either saw reflections of themselves in the artwork or of someone they knew. The conversations generated from these connected us with each other, helping us see that we shared much more in common than we thought.
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Mother and Child
© 1998 Ruth Borges
Psalm 127:3
Children are a heritage from the Lord;
offspring a reward from Him. |
Mother and Child is one of my favorites, and one of the most popular pieces in the entire series. The three circles on the headdress symbolize the triune God, guiding, teaching, providing, and protecting her. The shapes on top of the headdress represent God-given gifts and talents she will use to raise her child. The hills in the back are life experiences she's traveled through. In the Thoughts to Figure series, I've left the background white to invite the viewer to see the image from the context of their own story or the story of someone they know. It provides a moment to reflect, share memories, insights, and prayer.
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