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Minor Prophets Art Artist Interview: Laurie Freeman Young (2023)

September 21, 2023

Category: Sermon Series Artist Interviews

Please read the full transcript below (edited for clarity):

Pastor Daniel Yoon: If I could I'd love to invite you back to your seats this morning. You may have noticed as you walk into the room the artwork on the walls. They correspond to different sermon series that we have preached here at Grace Sacramento and this is something that we do: we commission different artists that we have here at Grace Sac and it's such a wonderful privilege to have that expression of worship, to be able to use creativity, and the art, and music, and all sorts of wonderful gifts that God has given to us.

This kind of introduction to our sermon series kind of gives us a visual of the sermon series and what those books are about; and, again, this morning as we are in the third installment of a sermon series on the Minor Prophets that we're calling "Divine Intervention." We commissioned one of our artists and I want to invite Laurie Freeman Young (on crutches) this morning to interview and talk about [...]. Okay, maybe you're gonna stand on this side and we'll go through the art piece which is right behind us here on the platform on the pulpits. And, so, I thought maybe Laurie if you can talk about that a little bit again. What were some of your thoughts about design and theme and concepts. As you heard us say we want to preach and title the sermon series "Divine Intervention". And, so, I thought maybe talk about that a little bit.

Laurie: I didn't know the name of the sermon series to begin with. I knew it was a series on the Minor Prophets and Brad emailed me a little synopsis and what I got out of that was God's sovereignty, his holiness, his justice, and his love. I really didn't envision anything. I didn't even know what medium I was going to do. I didn't have any themes in mind and then I started looking through the Minor Prophets and reading about each of them and I know I just found little phrases that seem to apply and so I made a list of them. Then one Sunday I just left the list on Brad's chair. He was busy and I went and sat down.

Mia led us in a song and I wrote it down. It's by Big Daddy Weave it's called "Redeem". "I am redeemed you set me free so I'll shake off these heavy chains". When I heard that all of a sudden I just totally (it was like an aha moment), I just totally pictured [it], and I sketched it. I sat down in the middle of the song and I sketched it on a little tiny piece of paper. After church Brad came back with my list and there were checks on some [words], and then at the bottom "divine intervention" was circled and he said that's the name of the sermon series. He was explaining how it was kind of a two-way thing that God intervenes for us with his son, but also through all that happens in in the Minor Prophets. It's like God putting on an intervention and telling us what we need to be working on. So, that's how I came up with the idea

Pastor Daniel Yoon: Thank you. So, if you look at the art piece, you realize it's not just a painting. It's not just 2D it's actually 3D. Can you walk us through what medium you used, and maybe even if you can walk us through the the art piece here.

Laurie: I say I'm an artist and I can't really draw. So, I do 3D a lot because it doesn't require drawing. Let's see. I like to collage and so I have a plethora of magazines and stuff that I tear pieces out of and the first thing I saw was the background. It was the whole cover of a magazine and it was the ocean; and, to me, when I see and hear the ocean, it it shows me the awesome power of God and the ocean demands respect. But, when I'm at the ocean I feel peace. So, for me the ocean represents God. And, then, I wanted to put rocks down below. I was trying to think of ways to do it and I thought of this spray you get at the hardware store. It's called Stuff, and it's used to fill holes and [...] pipes and stuff. Anyways, I made aflat thing of it, and it grew and grew, and I had to slice off part of it and then I cut lines in it so it looked like rocks. I collaged and painted tissue paper over it and stuck that on there. Then, I went on Google Images and and I found people, and I kind of changed them on the computer a little bit to be in different positions. I put those on there and I was thinking that God is the light. So, I have taken drawing classes. [With] perspective drawing you always have to think about your light source and so the shadow is on the people but there's not a shadow on God's hand because he's the source of light. Then, I bought chains because that was what I I try and be subtle; but, I'm really literal so I bought chains and I painted it so it looked old. Reallyon the back of it I wrote the title "Divine Intervention"; and, I wrote that it was by me through divine intervention because I felt like this was something that God did. I didn't come up with the idea but I didn't stress about it I gave it to God and and I didn't take it back this time. So, that's [it].

Pastor: Thank you for the art piece. I know, Laurie, you are to all of us an artist. You know we are not. I am not, but this is beautiful. Thank you for the artwork. You included uh the Big Daddy Weave song and the chains on the bottom of [it]. How true that is as we hear through the Minor Prophets how dark it is and how God rescues us and brings light.

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