Sean Cribbin lives in Connecticut with his wife and three children. A couple of years ago he contacted me, and bought four original works: Art for a prayer room. There was a large oil painting of Moses on Mount Sinai, two smaller paintings, and a wooden wall-sculpture. Because of the different sizes and materials of the artwork, we had to order a specially-made box to protect them during shipping. Sean recently, most graciously, agreed to share some thoughts about the artworks.
Sean says: “I love to write poetry, teach catechism, and coach baseball. I enjoy collecting art and I have a deep appreciation for artists – like Darius – who use their creative talents to highlight and reflect the source of said talent. I was searching for a piece of art that depicted The Binding of Isaac. By the grace of God, I came across Darius’ website and fell in love with his work. His art struck me as simultaneously playful and reverent.
Blue Whale, Pharaoh’s Dream, Moses and the Fire of Sinai, and The Binding of Isaac all hang in my personal prayer room.
Each of the 4 pieces speak to me with distinct messages. I’ll highlight two of them. ”
Sean comments about the symbolism: “Moses speaks of vocation, and mission. He reminds me to be patient, and attentive. The bush burns for those who notice. He reminds me that God works with broken – and doubt filled – vessels. He pushes me to be a master of the staff, but to remain acutely aware that it is not we who split the seas. He motivates me to move towards the promised land… he reassures me that its mere sight is sufficient… and he challenges me to entrust the mission to Yehoshua.”
This painting was a most powerful piece to work on. It came into my head in an almost visionary way: One day, I caught a split-second glimpse of an unrelated, completely abstract painting while passing someone’s house, and instantly, in my mind, it became a painting of Moses upon Mount Sinai, connecting Heaven and Earth. The composition and colour palette were clear and complete in my mind’s eye, and I could almost see the finished painting.
I made a small pencil sketch of it, and bought a canvas in the correct proportions. Then, as I worked on the painting, it was unusual in that everything went so smoothly. At every stage, it felt clear to me what I had to do. It was a strange and ethereal experience, and one which has not been repeated since.
The first, trial Torah painting I made for the Berlin publisher Ariella Verlag was this one. (A “First Offering”!) It was the beginning of a search for an appealing, colourful style to depict Biblical events. In this case – the Binding of Isaac – I had to address a potentially dreadful event which became a transcendent one. The geometric shapes of the rocks, with their red warning-colour, helped set the tone, while the figure of Abraham, with his flowing white hair, was dramatic but also “naive” in his proportions and expression. The angel was shown as a cloud-like apparition in order to make it feel less literal and more symbolic.
“The Binding of Isaac holds a very special place in my heart,” relates Sean. “A few years ago, my relationship with my young son was changing in ways that unnerved me. During that time, I read – and reread – and constantly prayed with Genesis 22. One night, he and I were alone at the fire. He looked to the sky, and said ‘dad, make a wish’. I responded, ‘may God give me the strength to trust in Him…now you make a wish’. He replied, ‘I hope God will sacrifice a lamb for us’.
I quickly came to understand that he was simply requesting lamb chops for dinner, but that experience was monumentally impactful. Shortly thereafter, I found Darius’ painting. God speaks frequently… and, in my experience, he often works through the voice of children, strangers, and art.”
With these works, it really was vital to use the services of a professional fine art handler to pack them. This was mainly to protect the canvas works from damage from the heavier, wooden wall-sculpture, in case things moved around during transit. (I’m comfortable making packaging for single items, or for uniformly-sized pieces, as you can see in the video here). The shipment was made through my shipping agents, who help select the most suitable from amongst the various air-freight services such as DHL, FedEx and UPS, and also handle the paperwork, pick-up and tracking through to delivery.
Sean was quite pleased: “The packaging was fantastically thorough, and the shipping process was seamless – with great communication throughout the entire process. I highly recommend working with Darius!”
If this work resonates with you, you may enjoy my occasional studio letters, where I share reflections on Biblical art, on new paintings in progress and other thoughts from the studio. (Sent a few times a year. No promotions. No noise).
You may like to browse my various Biblical artworks which are available as fine art prints, and which can be most appropriate as art for a prayer room.
