Genesis 3:19b
"...for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
“Raised Bed”, Oil on Linen, 72” x 63”, 2020, Patty Wickman
The raised bed depicted in the painting is a planting bed that lay fallow one summer in our yard. When I came across our dog lying in the bed, sunning herself, I was struck by how closely her fur blended into the dirt. I was reminded of the prayer that often accompanies the laying on of ashes at the beginning of Lent, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. The painting is further informed by the idea of the sabbath year of complete rest proclaimed for the land in Leviticus 25. Lent begins with an acknowledgement of our mortality and need to rest in the Lord.
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*Patty Wickman is an artist interested in narrative, representation and theology. She is also an educator and professor in UCLA’s Department of Art. She lives in Altadena with husband, Tim Hawkinson, and daughter, Clare.