He sustains my soul, by him only; I am fulfilled.

Ephesians 3:19

May you experience the Love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

 Colored pencil on paper by Aleada Siragusa

Have a joyous Easter. These two crosses were inspired by lessons from the  Companions In Christ Bible study book.

Colored pencil on paper by Aleada Siragusa

Being familiar with painting grapes I drew the two crucifixes above completely from memory.

 

 Ink & watercolor, 36"x 24" 

Oriental style brush painting by Aleada Siragusa

As a teacher in Oriental painting at the St Petersburg College in Florida, I wanted to teach the brush strokes used for painting grapes. I grew the purple grapes on my fence which are common in Florida, so I had a great subject to study. I spent time dry brush painting the grapes while studying and practicing the brush strokes. This lead me to create the above painting which was displayed in the annual national competition of the Sumi e Society of America, Salmagundi Club, NYC.

The Bible study group of which I have the good fortune to work with, is now studying the Psalms, using the book; Entering the Psalms; Meeting God in Scripture, published by The Upper Room. In Session one we read Psalm 104, which celebrates God as the creator. One of the suggestions for study was to write a prayer praising God for creation. Since I love to write poetry and have written other prayers, I was eager to write my own personal psalm, which I will share with you now.

Aleada's Psalm of Creation

Vast is the universe my God has made. Both infinitely large and infinitesimally small; God brought creation into being. Beyond my wisdom and judgment, God breathed life into all creation. He set the cycle of birth and death in motion and thus created time. Circle within circle spiraling upward, all I see vibrates with the joy of God's hand. Though small and vulnerable, God endowed me with love and reason and set me on this path. As his child I learn and grow. With the freedom to make my own choices; I am able to reach for the stars. Always I desire the loving embrace of my God, my Creator Father. He sustains the world; he sustains my soul. By him only; I am fulfilled.