The title refers to a prior picture called “The Window Pain,” an emotional self-portrait in which I portrayed myself as trapped within the picture plane, unable to escape my situation or connect to God.

 

In this oil, “Beyond the Window Pane,” I’m still within the finite picture plane but as the situation has changed the space has opened up—there is a bit more depth now and I’m looking through an abstract window filled with light.

 

In the past I’ve had a hard time with negative thoughts spinning in my mind. At one point I just thought, what would it be like if I had the actual words of God going around in my head instead of this negative voice? So that’s what you see in the picture encircling my head—the words of Psalm 121, which I really did repeat to myself over and over while I was struggling. The circle represents the eternal. The words were my connection to the other side, the spiritual side, of the metaphorical window pane.

 

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121:1

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To see “The Window Pain” click here.

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