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Faces


Paintings for all church seasons I


t was an ideal fit. Megan Sawyer needed to complete her senior thesis art project. And her congregation had empty frames hanging in its sanctuary. Reflecting on these things during communion at Antioch Lutheran Church, Farmington Hills, Mich., an idea struck her. What if she made a series of paired paintings (also referred to as dip- tychs) that reflect the colors and themes of the church’s calendar?


“I was going through the entrance process for seminary (she begins at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago this fall),” Sawyer said. “I had been putting more religious motifs and themes into my work. And for my thesis at the University of Michigan (in Ann Arbor), I could pretty much do what I wanted.


“I asked Pastor (Donald) Kreiss, who now is (Southeast Michigan Synod) Bishop Kreiss. He liked it, and said it just needed to be removable. That’s when I got the idea to incorporate the church seasons.” But she was stuck on exactly how to do that. Months of sketching led to several dead ends. Then she came across Isaiah 9:2: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.”


100 plus


107: Florence Williams, St. John, Pough- keepsie, NY. 106: Verona Molander, St. Mark, Rockford, Ill. 105: Margot Glavis, Reformation, Washington, D.C. 100: Ella Bengtson, Ebenezer, Kandiyohi, Minn.; Mildred Peluit, Grace, Wyndmere, N.D.; Elsie Walls, Trinity, Lansdale, Pa.; Virginia Weidig, First English, Syracuse, N.Y.


Share your accomplishments, awards and 100+ members in “Faces.” Send to: lutheran@thelutheran.orgor “Faces,” The Lutheran, 8765 W. Hig gins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631.


Light and its symbolism became Sawyer’s guide. She purposefully avoided obvious Christian symbols, such as the cross or the fish, and opted for less conventional views. Lent, for example, is conveyed with sunlight breaking through a winding wooded path in late winter, as spring is gradually approaching. Probably the most difficult paintings for Sawyer were the ones repre- senting Pentecost. “There are about four or five different paintings below those,” she said. “I was trying to use fire, but in a way where you feel the presence of the Spirit.”


The artist recalled her feelings of awe and connection to God while standing on the shore of Lake Michigan. So she painted a bonfire whip- ping in the breeze near the water’s breaking waves. Once all the works were completed, Sawyer assumed she simply would deliver them. But the congregation opted to celebrate their arrival by having her preach at a special service to introduce the paintings. Sawyer understood the lasting effects of her gift a while later, during confirmation Sunday. Though not present, someone posted photos of the service online, and in the background were her paintings. “It felt so cool to know they are part of the church now,” she said. Still, after such hard work, Sawyer’s first thought after finishing was to toss her paintbrushes away and never paint again. “But I can’t seem to give it up,” she said. “I’ve been painting since I was old enough to hold a brush. And whether it’s through art therapy, or some other way, I think I will always incorporate my art into my work.” 


Jeff Favre Favre is a contributing editor of The Lutheran. To see more of Sawyer’s artwork, visit www.meganmariesawyer.weebly.com. August 2011 43


Megan Sawyer stands next to her work for her senior thesis at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She gave the paintings to her congregation, Antioch Lutheran, Farmington Hills, Mich.


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