Images of Conversion
by Sue Robertson
Editor's note — Great stories of spiritual conversion are a staple
of Christian history and culture, from Paul on the road to Damascus and Lydia of Philippi (in the New Testament) to John Newton and Anne Lamott in modern times. Sue Robertson, an InterVarsity Graduate & Faculty Ministries staff member working at the University of Minnesota, recently completed a degree at Regent College in Vancouver, for which she produced a series of paintings exploring the dynamics of conversion. We are pleased to present them here with the artist's own commentary.
Jesse Tree, oil bar on canvas (18" x 36"),
2000 |
The Jesse Tree is based on Isaiah 11:1: "Then a shoot
will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will
bear fruit." This encapsulates the concept of new from old that
is so central to the idea of conversion. This piece is also about beginnings.
It is about the first emotions of consolation; the realization that God
is there and that it could possibly be his presence within those feelings. |
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Transfer of Allegiance, oil bar on canvas (20" x 30"),
2000 |
The second image, Transfer of Allegiance, builds upon a concept
from Gordon Smith’s class, "Conversion and Transformation." It
describes the time when a believer realizes that she must follow God
alone and that
no other
earthly authority can come before him. This realization was important
within my own conversion experience, which is why I chose to draw it. |
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Fruitfulness
in the Face of Reality, oil bar on paper (20" x 24"),
2000 |
The third piece, Fruitfulness in the Face of Reality, is based
on two passages of scripture. The first is Psalm 1:3: "They are like
trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper." The
second is Jeremiah 17:8: "They shall be like a tree planted by
water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat
comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is
not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit." This piece is about
growth and transformation as much as about the end of a conversion process.
Thatt's when the reality of the difficulty of living the Christian life
has set in, yet you still choose to live that life. |
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My
Journey, oil bar on canvas (18" x 24"), 2000 |
The fourth piece, My Journey, is self-explanatory, revealing
my conversion experience. I tried to convey in visual language
the feelings and
process of my own conversion, which took several years. It was a struggle,
which is why the trees have so much movement. Emotionally this piece
speaks of how God was present to me in providing safety, direction,
and love for me that came without any strings attached. |
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These four pieces themselves have been a journey for me, a journey
to see if I could produce work that is intentional, making a statement that
comes from a lot
of hard
work and research. Also they have been a journey because as I have worked
on them, the ideas of conversion have continually been present in my life,
making
me wonder and push farther how I can represent conversion in a visual format.
I
want to thank some people that made this possible for me. First and foremost,
I thank my two advisors, Gordon Smith and Dal Schindell. They took the
time to listen and answer emails and pushed me farther than I thought I could
go. I thank
my brother, Douglas Robertson, whose encouragement as an artist has been
never-ending; it got me here. Thank you to the students, staff, and
faculty of
Regent: you have been with me on this journey, and I will never forget
you. I also want to thank another person who made it possible for me to be
at
Regent at all, my grandfather, George M. Robertson.
Robertson's paintings were originally published online at FollowingChrist.org, where additional supplementary sketches for each work are available.
Artwork © 2000 by Susan Robertson. All rights reserved.
Posted on: Jul 22, 2003
Last modified on: Nov 16, 2003
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