Ring the bells that still can ring…

Acrylic and 24ct gold leaf on canvas
96cm x 152cm

In Leonard Cohen’s Anthem, he sings:
Ring the bells that still can ring,
Forget your perfect offering –
There is a crack, a crack in everything,
That’s how the Light gets in.

The gumnuts are hewn from a ground of seaside blues and greens, with a ‘heart’ of warmer ochre/sienna across the landscape canvas. Sculpting landscape elements from ocean essence entwines a glimpse of seascape within the gumnuts – and creates a form of Kintsugi gumnuts-as-bells.

The Japanese art of Kintsugi involves repairing broken or cracked ceramic vessels with gold, which results in a resurrected life of sorts, and increased character and beauty. The gold repairs can also invoke an impression of light glowing within the vessel, revealed in the cracked lines.

And this is true for all of us: we may be cracked and broken bells, but we can still ring out our song for the glory of God! Each of us has something to offer – our offering of everything God has wired within us, everything that God has created us to be, our purpose and destiny according to His plan for us. And though we are sculpted from dust / earth, we contain depths beyond measure and can offer others glimpses of heavenly realities, where all things are possible.