Artist’s Statement

Triptych is a design variation on my original theme for my 'Sanctify' and 'Transformation' series sculptures. I wanted to break the transformation of the exotic wood into three distinct sculptures that, when mounted together on a wall, make one unique piece. I wanted the sculpture to be warm, so I chose Brazilian Ebony, Bolivian Rosewood, and Paduk as the woods. All these woods appear in their natural state, with no stains added for coloration. I also used a new slotting technique for the wood ingots. The result is a very clean and tight piece of sculpture. This is perhaps the most 'finished' looking wood sculptures I've made to date.
Overall, the message of transformation comes across clearly in this piece ' a message that I find applies to nearly anyone in any stage of their life. We are all always in transition, moving from one thing to the next, whether in the outer or inner worlds of our lives. This piece fits nicely in any environment for that reason, and is easily relatable.

What follows is the background of the whole 'Sanctification' and 'Transformation' series of sculptures. Triptych is a variation on this theme.

I had a general vision for a sculpture like this years before I actually created what you see here. I was looking for a way to visually depict the Christian sanctification process as it is described in the Bible. The main ideas I sought to depict were the progressive nature of our sanctification (growing in the practice of holiness over time) which is accomplished by Christ's ongoing initiating activity in the life of the Christian believer. An excellent Biblical overview of the thoughts I wanted to convey about sanctification can be found in the Westminster Confession of Faith's Larger Catechism's answer to the question, 'What is sanctification'' [Question #75]

Sanctification is a work of God's grace, whereby they whom God hath, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of His Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God; having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts, and those graces so stirred up, increased, and strengthened, as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life.

The general thrust of the Confession's definition finds a lodging place in the themes presented in 'Sanctify.' It's a theme of Christ-initiated transformation in the life of the believer.

The structure of the sculpture is a rather rigid, ordered one, signifying the holiness and absolute purity of Christ. In Him there is no moral defect whatsoever (John 1, 8:12)! It is within this structure that we are sanctified or molded ' as it says in Romans 8:29a, 'He decided beforehand who were the ones destined to be molded to the pattern of his Son.' I chose Maple for the lattice framework also because it is a whiter/lighter wood with a sparse grain, also signifying the spotlessness and holiness of the Christ. Just as the wood ingots are set 'in' the whitish Maple wood lattice, so too are believers sanctified 'in' Jesus Christ (i.e. in relationship with Christ).

The wood ingots of various colors and textures represent the journey of sanctification for the Christian. As the viewer's eye moves from the bottom left to the upper right of the sculpture, a transition in the color, weight, and texture of these ingots is quite clear. They move from darker and heavier-grained woods to lighter and lighter-grained woods. This transition signifies the progressive nature of sanctification whereby a believer is, by the work of Christ's grace, made more holy in experience. In the sculpture, dark and heavily grained wood symbolizes a greater weight of sin, while the lighter colors and textures symbolize increasing freedom from sin and the magnification of righteousness. This is exactly what happens in a Christian's life over time through the power of Christ.

Notice that the ingots are not so orderly arranged, and that they do not follow a predictable linear path. That's because a believer's journey of sanctification is not a highly predictable one. We often, because of the remnants of indwelling sin, take 2 steps backward to every 1 step forward. But the promise of Christ is firm, and in the end, believers will (albeit through a convoluted journey) be conformed to His perfect image, ultimately through their death and entrance into glory. Cite as proof the related Scriptural promise in Ephesians 1:6, 'For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.