Regeneration: The New Creation

Intro: Around the month of October 2008, my art teacher was assigning a new project involving surrealism. The term "surreal" was new to me, but I later realized some of my favorite artists painted/drew in the genre. This piece is that art project which I did not fully finish until March of 2009, and reflects my faith as a new Beleiver.

Symbols: The girl with the baby rattle represents me as a "young" Christian. The blindfold shows that I was spiritually blind and the barren branches on the wings symbolize how I was "dead" in my faith, producing no spiritual fruit, but putting my faith in Christ has given me a new hope (the two leaves). In her hand are cards with different religions and beliefs of the world, Daoism on top, which is symbolic of how people question what the true "way" is.

Above her is a figure that vaguely portrays the symbols of peace, love and king. The "G" outlined on the map reveals that it is God, whose attributes are all there, but on the outside many people misunderstand Him as an ugly, negative and sometimes evil being. The map represents how He is the One everyone is searching for deep in their hearts. In Christianity, there is an expression that says "washed by the blood of Jesus" which means that the death of Jesus upon the cross takes away a person's sins, and that's what the shower head shows above the girl's head.

The buildings in the background represent the world, which in a spiritual sense, simply means the system which is governed by Satan. Rainbows have been twisted to represent vulgar meanings now, but they originate from God's promise that He wouldn't flood the earth again. Therefore, His promises represented by the rainbow stand firm against the world, draining evil like a filter.

To the right is a girl who on the outside may seem "pretty", but is actually malicious as suggested by her creepy eyes, facial expression and 666 tattoo ("mark of the beast"). This character represents Satan, and how he tempts people, as shown by the cage with candy in it. On the outside it may look good, but once you indulge in the sin, it's easy to get trapped (birdcage). The rabbit is a motif in my drawings that symbolizes innocence.

Medium: Primsacolor colored pencils, ball-point pen

Size: 23 in x 18 in

Time: A loooong time (- . -<);;