7x7: I See Him In Me

Saturday April 22, 7-9pm

cewpaintings.com

The foundation of this work explores how one can exercise forgiveness, with the willingness to submit oneself to see innocence. 49 oil painted portraits were created to exercise the radical act of forgiving my father’s physical and verbal abuse of 12 years, which began when I was a child, leading into my years as a young teenager. When I was 15 years old, my father answered the call from God, submitting himself to accept Christ as his personal savior and to preach the biblical word of God. The number 49 refers to the mathematical sum for the calculation 7 times 7 (7 x 7 = 49), which is referenced in a biblical scripture in regard to forgiveness.  As an adult, taking the inward, conscious steps to forgive my father, I questioned the practical application and usage of the scripture.  From there I translated and created my own version of forgiveness.  This act was not intended to result in a final conclusion of forgiveness, but rather was an exercise to explore the fragile human emotions and complexities of family, of cultural dynamics of abuse, of control, and of the lack of love.  I See Him In Me was an outward act or expression of compassion and innocence, both his and mine.