Psalm 46

ARTIST STATEMENT: KATIE CRAFT
There is nowhere I feel the presence of God more than admiring a large body of water, whether that is with my feet in the ocean, staring at the lakes nestled within the Blue Ridge Mountains, or floating down a river in a kayak. Something about the beauty and depth of water truly makes me feel the power and peace of God.

With this piece, I strove to visually represent the contrasts that are illustrated in Psalm 46.
In this Psalm, there is a clear distinction between the chaos of the roaring seas and the stillness of the river “whose streams make glad the city of God.” The painting on the right shows the destructive chaos of the surging waters and the painting on the left represents the stillness that comes with knowing God. The paintings are mounted on a board that was burned with a blow torch, beaten, and scraped on the right side and then very gently sanded on the left side. The paintings are torn in such a way as to reveal the cross in the negative space, recognizing God as the true division between chaos and stillness.

In my own life, Psalm 46 truly gives me peace in times of high anxiety (something I’ve always struggled with). Because, honestly, sometimes it does feel like the “mountains are falling into the depths of the sea” when life gets overwhelming. This psalm reminds me to Be Still and Know that the creator of the universe loves me and has me in the palm of his hand.