Like an Ever-Flowing Stream

I am so excited to tell you about the work of art that is newly on display at St. Alban’s! Elizabeth Bradford (local artist, explorer of the natural world, and St. Alban’s parishioner) has graciously shared with us her magnificent painting of South Mountain’s waterfall. The large-scale painting is jaw dropping in its new home in our stairwell.

It all started at Karl Plank’s poetry reading in the nave last month. Elizabeth attended, and I plopped down in the chair next to her. One of the poems Karl read for us was his captivating double ekphrastic poem “SKY ABOVE CLOUDS.” (Karl helpfully explained to his audience what an ekphrastic poem is—a poem that refers to a work of art, or in Karl’s case, multiple works of art.) The poem “Sky Above Clouds” makes reference to a massive Georgia O’Keeffe painting hanging in an open stairwell at the Chicago Institute of Art as well as a PHOTOGRAPH of O’Keeffe’s painting, in which Joanne Wong’s camera captured a woman descending the Art Institute’s staircase, seemingly poised to step right into the vast firmament stretching out in front of her.

The poem delighted me, and it also got me thinking about our open stairwell at St. Alban’s. After the reading had concluded, as we were saying our goodbyes, I shamelessly confessed to my talented seatmate the idea that had just started doing cartwheels in my brain…what if there was an Elizabeth Bradford painting in which to be immersed as we climb up and down our parish staircase? At this brazen thought, Elizabeth simply smiled with a little twinkle in her eye as she bid me goodnight. Less than 24 hours later, we had a plan. A few weeks later, we had vestry approval, a box truck rented, and (thanks to our wonderful Junior Warden Connor Fulton!) a painting securely hanging in the perfect spot, right across from Herb Jackson’s familiar untitled triptych.

Many of you may have caught Elizabeth’s recent solo exhibition Warp Weft Water Weeds at the Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College. Others may recall seeing images of her art in the weekly emails sent out during Lent 2023, alongside parishioners’ written reflections on the theme of wilderness. Elizabeth mostly paints the parts of our environment that we humans haven’t managed to disturb yet. She is a local treasure, and one of my favorite artists ever. Take a few moments to get to know Elizabeth and her art by watching this VIDEO or reading this ARTICLE.

I’ve not yet been to South Mountain (near Lincolnton, NC) to see the waterfall from the painting, but I very much intend to visit it soon. Until then, every time I climb the stairs at church, I am temporarily transported to a hike in the North Carolina wilderness. For me, the painting has come to embody the words of the prophet Amos, who implored God’s people to make sure their actions toward others were in accordance with their religious rituals and traditions, saying in chapter 5, verse 24:

…but let justice roll down like water

and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

What an image! In these days when justice and righteousness are so needed in our nation and world, my hope is that each glimpse of Elizabeth’s painting I catch will call to mind the message of Amos, so that I can recommit to doing whatever I can to help righteousness and justice flow as freely as a mountain waterfall after a hard spring rain. I hope that the painting will serve as a reminder to be thankful for the gift of God’s boundless creativity in making this exquisite world, and for the gifts of artists like Elizabeth and poets like Karl who capture its beauty so well. I pray also that this awareness and gratitude will encourage us all to do everything in our power to preserve and care for our nearby wildernesses, for they are precious, and they are becoming more scarce every day.

Yours in Christ,

Carmen