The following descriptions reveal the stories behind each Arise Art Auction piece by describing a few of the commissioned masterpieces and their message through the lens of Biblical truth.

Portchie: Offer from the Heart

The message from the heart of Porchie  is to describe the gift of the artist as given from the heart – the critique that is offered through the painting to Western society is that often gifts focuses on the giver and what or how much we give from our abundance and yet from Africa true giving that is pleasing to God is not from abundance but from our need and is brought to the Church as a gift from the heart. The boy bringing his chicken to the Lord is a message that has immense personal meaning for Portchie.

A painting with almost identical message and composition hangs in Portchie’s bedroom above his bed and will not be sold - yet he was stirred to repeat this message in an almost identical piece he painted for the Arise Auction. The only remarkable difference is that the boy bringing His chicken is enveloped by a row of crosses making up the fence - as the boy is likely bringing one of only 3 chickens, his gift is a sacrifice as he likely knows them each by name. The sacrifice that is pleasing to God is the one from the heart that costs you. For this reason Portchie painted this message again in a similar way repeating the message to the global Church from the Majority world as a reminder that we must give out of our need, a sacrifice, and yet can never out give God, who sacrificed His son on the cross, and thus the giver is challenged likewise to offer a gift from the heart.

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Ardmore: The Baptist

The message from Petros Gumbi, one of Ardmore’s most talented ceramic collectable sculptors is portraying a theological connection that was depicted in 2nd Century Christian art that used the story of Jonah juxtaposed with the story of John the Baptist. Seeing the connection through this storytelling urn communicates dimensions of meaning through Biblical symbolic frameworks that has been largely lost.

Speaking from an oral culture in story much like the first Christians understood and depicted their new faith in the earliest Christian art this piece is a theological and artistic masterpiece. The creative gifting, faith and passion that Petros exhibits in his craft parallels Bonnie Ntshalintshali, the first Ardmore ceramicist. Bonnie began Ardmore an international collectable ceramic by sculpting Biblical stories and interestingly depicted Jonah and the fish as one of the first Biblical sculptures she made for the first Ardmore exhibition. Petros’ piece is rich with meaning and revelation and brings God’s Word visually to communicate that all people from all nations – represented by the headdresses of the figures - chooses to follow Christ and comes into His Body united through baptism receiving the transforming power of the Holy Spirit symbolized by the dove. Very significantly in Hebrew, Jonah means DOVE and the book of Jonah communicates in story telling the choice to follow God’s call to arise and follow or choose to flee. The sign of Jonah as Jesus refers to in Matthew describes Christ’s death and resurrection – for 3 days and 3 nights Son of man died, like Jonah was in the fish – through which the Kingdom of the Spirit is ushered in through Christ, for all cultures and nations, to come to know the Truth and to live in freedom and peace.

Hyatt Moore: Her Eyes on the Cross

When Hyatt Moore was approached about the Arise Auction it was also the time he was finishing “Her Eyes on the Cross” the first of what subsequently became a new series of 8 by 6 foot portraits depicting girls from various ethnicities whose gaze are fixed on the cross.

While we were considering the piece for the auction to inspire a Biblical renaissance from Africa, we were informed of the use of white turbines as canvases for printing Bible pictures to reach oral cultures. This makes the use of these masterpieces to support arts in evangelism even more pertinent. The 5 paintings with “Her Eyes on the Cross” was exhibited together in California at Crystal Cathedral in April. They were featured on the Easter services on National television in the US earlier this year. Hyatt began painting in 1998 when, waiting at a stop light, he saw a painting and thought to himself “I can do that.” He was still with Wycliffe Bible Translators USA, a 32 year-career with five years as president. Becoming a painter late in his life of ministry he now continues ministering through a new form of witness. He is an internationally recognized painter who brings the beauty of Christ’s creation through the faces he paints. Most viewers see these painting as people of interest and possibly beauty and dignity.  Christians will see that and more—as individuals representing peoples of high value and for whom God also cares.  At least I’m grateful when the paintings convey that message.

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