The Soul’s Journey – a Mystical Approach to the Stations of the Cross
By Kathrin Burleson

Station III - Jesus Denied by Peter

Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house. But Peter was following at a distance. When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. Then a servant-girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, 'This man also was with him.' But he denied it, saying, 'Woman, I do not know him.' A little later someone else, on seeing him, said, 'You also are one of them.' But Peter said, 'Man, I am not!' Then about an hour later yet another kept insisting, 'Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.' But Peter said, 'Man, I do not know what you are talking about!' At that moment, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, 'Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.' And he went out and wept bitterly. — Luke 22

Divine Friend, Fountain of Strength, give me courage to speak the truth and to stand for justice. When I fall short, help me to accept your unfailing forgiveness and give me strength to continue, with you as my unfailing support.

On View at Gallery 1055 through April 16 2009 - The Soul's Journey by Kathrin Burleson. Fourteen paintings, watercolor on paper. View Kathrin's works online at ECVA here>

About the Artist Kathrin Burleson has been making art all of her life and writing since she could hold a pencil. She holds a bachelor's degree in French, and advanced degrees in art and psychology. The common thread in her background and current work is communication – the connections between realms and the bridges between realities. Whether writing words, icons, or painting watercolors, her work explores the sacred and the interconnectedness of all of creation.

Kathrin is an Associate of the Community of the Transfiguration and a founding member of Sts. Martha and Mary Episcopal Mission in Trinidad, California. In addition to painting and writing, she teaches and leads workshops on spirituality and creativity. She and her husband Michael live in Trinidad, where they share their home with Wyckham, an African grey parrot; Raleigh, a tri-color Corgi; Zoe, a very lazy calico cat; and two pygmy goats.

as Jesus is pulled
from his earthly tomb
this is how we arise

this new green growth
crawling from the gnarled wood
of our own crosses

as blades of grass
pushing through
the stony path

on Easter


On View - Homepage Masthead and above: Root Crucifix, photograph by Diane Walker

On View - Homepage Daily Episcopalian and Speaking to the Soul: Christ Is Risen, photograph by Barbi Tinder.

Text: C. Robin Janning

As Seen In: Image & Spirit, an ECVA Sketchbook - a journal of images and words that explore life lived in community, where art and faith are a primary focus.

Readers, you asked and The Art Blog has listened!

Many of you wrote to inquire about the pastel swatches of color that appeared on the Cafe homepage above Daily Episcopalian and Speaking to the Soul. So this week, The Art Blog is posting Tinder's full image, "Christ Has Risen."

Tinder's specialty is landscape photography, and her work is exceptional. Tinder's focal point always breeches the known qualities of nature visible to the naked eye, and captures a hairs breath of something more, which she in turn shares with her audience. But how many of you know that Barbi Tinder is a purest? The image that you see is the image that she took - no image-altering, no software manipulation - just photography. Look here to see Tinder's 'When Morning Gilds the Skies'.

On View: Christ Has Risen, photography by Barbi Tinder. You can find Barbi in The Artists Registry, and in Visual Preludes 2006, an ECVA online exhibition that accompanied The General Convention in 2006.

As editor of the Art Blog at Episcopal Cafe, I learn about a lot of ways that art is being used for the sake of goodness. This week I am writing about an organization that is using art to change lives, one person at a time. They are called Life Pieces to Masterpieces (LPTM).

LPTM is a non-profit, arts-based, comprehensive youth development organization, serving boys and young men ages 3 to 21 living in low-income and public housing east of the Anacostia River in Washington, DC. Their program includes art, poetry, and photography that expresses the life experiences of the participants.

The mission of this award-winning organization is to provide opportunities to discover and activate the innate and creative abilities of the members to change life challenges into possibilities. And their outcomes are measurable and impressive. Their website cites these statistics:
* Over 90% of LPTM participants have not become involved in the juvenile justice system or fathered children
* Approximately 90% have shown improved behavior at home and in school
* 75% have significantly increased their overall GPA
* LPTM Apprentices have created over 1000 pieces of art over the past 11 years, exhibited locally, nationally and internationally, including The World Bank, Children's Hospital, the Smithsonian, and charitable foundations throughout Washington, DC. and FIDDEM in Paris, France

LPTM’s continuing goal is to nurture, embrace, encourage, and elevate African American boys and young men. Daily participation in LPTM’s artistic, academic, spiritual, and mentoring activities help turn the many challenges in the lives of these boys into opportunities for success, self-reliance, and resiliency.