About the Art…
The following pieces of art portray twelve images of female disciples all created for a forthcoming book called Veiled Disciples: Recovering the Voices of the Women who Followed Jesus, by Dr. Scot McKnight and Dr. Lucy Peppiatt. Their work highlights the active participation of women in the mission of Jesus.
They all have faces of modern women from my life who are living μαθήτριαι, or mathētriai - female disciples. Each living woman was chosen for a special reason to highlight the beauty of the woman in Scripture. If she has earrings, glasses, even blonde hair and fair skin I kept those to bridge the living female disciple represented and the sisters found in Scripture.
They are all created with the Zorn palette. Rooted in ancient Greece, this restricted color palette uses only Ivory Black, Titanium White, Yellow Ochre, and Vermilion Red. I chose to limit myself with this palette to highlight the beauty of these female disciples, despite living in the constraints of a patriarchal world.
It is my hope that you will engage your theological imagination to wonder deeply what the lives of these women looked like as they walked with King Jesus. I also hope my work will act as a theological bridge to the women who are living mathētriai today.
For an added layer of color, if you follow the corresponding QR code you will find poems that reflect on the text, as well as the images I have created. The forthcoming book is an excellent academic text, and I hope the images and poetry will fill your right brain with wonder and imagination concerning these women in Scripture; Hello Academy of ethos and logos, meet pathos! You might think of it as the reflections of a former captive of patriarchy, learning to see more clearly without a veil impeding her sight.
Whether it’s painting with words or a brush: I hope you like my art!
About the Artist…
Karen Fletcher Smith is an artist and writer whose work explores the intersection of beauty, theology, women, and the arts. She holds a master’s degree in Women and Theology from Northern Seminary, and uses image and word to uncover beauty, tell sacred stories, and inspire wonder. She finds joy in preaching with a paintbrush. You can find her preaching with a paintbrush at karenfletchersmith.com.