ART BY STELLA

SPRING

This painting is one of four symbolic paintings that I painted with My Heavenly Fathers guidance for Trinity Church Bexleyheath. It is filled with the elements of Spring, each one specifically chosen for its metaphorical meaning reflecting the beliefs of the Christian faith.

The main focal point is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is inviting you to walk the path he is on, demonstrating that you must first pass through the lamb to travel along the path to God The Father - Our Rock, depicted by the mountain shown in the distance.

The stream, with the stepping stone is symbolic of Jesus being our living water that sustains us throughout our walk of life, and the stepping stone to eternal life.

The caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly illustrate the wonderful transformation into a new creation we can experience through faith in Jesus Christ.
With the beautiful spring flower, The Lily of The Valley, it is said that Jesus is symbolised by the pure white flower, and the leaves represent the world he came to save.

The Tulips, demonstrate how we die to our former lives and are born again. Each season the Tulip dies completely (buried in the ground), until the change of the season brings new life, restoring them to their full beauty.

As the tree has the opportunity to grow, blossom, and produce fruit year after year, we also as children of God are given the chance to do the same.
The bird in the Dogwood branch, bringing food to it's hungry young, reflects Gods promise to nurture and sustain us throughout our lives.

The Dogwood blossoms are said to symbolise the price our Lord Jesus Christ paid for us to have new life. The four petals of the Dogwood flower tipped with red, show the cross stained with the blood of our Saviour.
As children of God, with faith in Jesus Christ, together with our Fathers love, mercy and forgiveness, we are able to experience the miracle of spring in our lives again and again.God so loved the world that he gave his only son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIRV

Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old has gone! The new has come!2Corinthians 5: 17 NIRV

God’s grace has saved you, because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do, it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 NIRV

SUMMER

This is the second painting in a series of four, that I have been commissioned to paint for my church. It is a symbolic painting, reflecting the promises of God as written in the Bible. In this painting of Summer-time, I firstly wanted to convey the magnificence of Gods creations experienced at this time of year. Not only is this season full of glorious colours and fragrances, it is the time of year when fruits, nuts and grains are ripening, providing us with all we need to sustain us throughout our lives.

God has made a promise to always provide for us in this way.

"... So don't worry. Don't say, 'What will we eat?' Or, 'What will we drink?', Or 'What will we wear?' People who are ungodly run after all of those things. Your Father who is in heaven knows that you need them. But put God's kingdom first. Do what He wants you to do. Then all of those things will also be given to you ..." Matthew 6:31-33 NIRV.

All of the elements that make up this painting can be found in the Bible, many are symbolic. For example, The pomegranate (as mentioned in Exodus 39:24 and Songs of Solomon 6:11) with it's hundreds of seeds, is said to be symbolic of Gods countless blessings.The Willow tree with it's roots in the water, is symbolic of those who choose to trust in the Lord:

"... I will bless any man who trusts in me. I will show my favour to the one who depends on me. He will be like a tree that is planted near water. It sends out its roots beside a stream. It is not afraid when heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It does not worry when there is no rain. It always bears fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIRV

The winding path, which represents our walk through life, is lined with trees full of fruit to sustain us on our way. It passes by the still waters, and a comfortable place to stop and rest. As it is written in Psalm 23:

"... The Lord is my Shepherd. He gives me everything I need. He lets me lie down in fields of green grass. He leads me beside quiet waters. He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths for the honor of His name ..." Psalm 23 1-4 NIRV

"...Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live in the land and enjoy it's food. Find your delight in the Lord. Then He will give you everything your heart really wants. Commit your life to the Lord. Here is what He will do if you trust in Him. He will make your godly ways shine like the dawn. He will make your honest life shine like the sun at noon..." Psalm: 37 3-6 NIRV.

AUTUMN

Autumn shows Harvest time, symbolising how we as Christan's we need to be active in our walk with Him.

“So, my dear brothers and sisters this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. When we are controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the spirit.”Romans 7:4-6
Many times throughout the Bible we are taught through symbolism of the harvest.

“Plant the good seed of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plough up the hard ground of your hearts for now is the time to seek the Lord that He may come and shower righteousness upon you.”Hosea 10:12“The harvest is great but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into the field.”Matthew 9: 37-38

“[We harvest what we plant] Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path, and be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.” Galatians 6:1

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9

“No discipline is enjoyable when it is happening, it’s painful! But afterwards there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”Hebrews 12:11“And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it and patiently produce a good harvest.”Luke 8:15

WINTER

Within this picture you will see the GLASTONBURY THORN which as it blooms around Christmas time is symbolic of the Nativity, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. You'll also see EVER-GREEN IVY which symbolizes faithfulness and eternal life.

There's LAUREL in the foreground, which because of the ancient practice of crowning a victor with a wreath of laurel, is symbolic of victory or triumph - particularly over temptation and trial. The leaves of the Laurel never wilt, this is said to symbolize eternity.The OAK TREE is symbolic of endurance in the face of adversity.The ELM TREES symbolizing faithfulness and dignity.
And finally the COCKLE WEED known for its invading and spoiling habit is a symbolic warning to guard against the invasion of evil within the church.