Psalm 23
Inspiration
Psalm 23
The Lord is my Shepherd, to feed, guide, and shield me, I shall not lack.
He makes me lie down in fresh, tender green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.
He refreshes and restores my life and self; He leads me in the paths of righteousness, uprightness and right standing with Him - not for my earning it, but for His name's sake.
Yes, though I walk through the deep, sunless valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod to protect and Your staff to guide, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my brimming cup runs over.
It is sure and certain that only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord and His presence shall be my dwelling place.
Broad Concept
I want this piece to have a strong white theme, with white also running through most if not all of the constituent parts. I also want to use strong colours as this Psalm is most often associated with death and I want to break away from that idea. I feel that this Psalm is definitely not about death but rather recovery, restoration and reward.
I will use the 60" x 36" as a back drop, I'm going to paint it entirely in white. Then I'm going to use blocks which I will attach to it afterward.
I intend to use three 4" x 4" canvases and white them the same white as the back ground, the middle of which I will paint the number three, in the same white, and you will only be able to see it by texture.
Then I will have 3 or 5 4" x 4" which will have green theme for green pastures.
A 4" x 12" which will have a blue theme for still waters.
Next I will have the 6" x 6" that I have already done as the valley of the shadow of death but each side I will have 2 of the black 4" x 4".
Underneath I will have two 6" x 6" one for my cup runs over and the other for he anoints my head, I'm not sure whether I will include "he lays a table before my enemies" and if I do how I will do it.
Then I will have another 4" x 12" on which I will paint the same colour as the background but will paint the eternity symbol textured on it.
I can't decide if to do it width ways or length ways. Hmmmm!
Influence behind valley of shadows
An empty womb after a pregnancy that has ended in miscarriage is like a valley of fading shadows. You never actually see the child or hold the child, you tell that a child is there through blood tests, heart beats and ultrasound scans.
Ultrasound travels freely through fluid and soft tissues but is reflected back (it bounces back as 'echoes') when it hits a more solid (dense) surface. For example, the ultrasound will travel freely though blood in a heart chamber, but when it hits a solid valve, a lot of the ultrasound echoes back.
An echo like a shadow is not the thing itself merely a representation once removed.