Saints and Effigies
“Saints and Effigies,” is a collection of pictures composed of three effigies: a statue of Mary holding baby Jesus, a wooden owl, and a pink ‘magic eight ball’ Jesus. The ‘Mother Mary’ series were taken in December of 2012 at my grandparents house and is a photo representation of Faith as it endures sickness. Mother Mary I is the young faith, and self-assurance of new belief, then Mother Mary II and III introduce doubt, sickness, and strife in the form of the various pill bottles, leading to Mother Mary IV which is the faith darkened, though matured, from the previous turmoil.
This then leads to Owl I and II, which is a wooden effigy pictured with gold and pewter in the background. The owl itself “is the symbol ofthe feminine, the moon and the night.The owl is the bird of magic and darkness, of prophecy and wisdom.” (Lin’s Domain) while the gold and pewter represent the different pure and tainted qualities of the soul. The Owl, then acts as a physical search for renewed faith leading to the ‘resurrection’ of faith with Pink Jesus I.
The journey of faith concludes with Pink Jesus IV as the manifestation of a more real faith, which understands that grasping the True character of the infinite God is beyond the capacity of the finite Creation. The faith is, however, not as one might expect because not only is Jesus pink, but also plastic and static describing the individuality of faith and understanding, and also the dangers of ascribing finite features to an infinite spiritual entity.
(Author’s Note: Pink Jesus first appeared in an article written for my school blog and newspaper which can be found at Judah LoVato’s Blog on the Rocky Mountain College website)
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