"Passion"
Still Life/Masked Shrike
Original Mixed Media
21 1/2" x 12 1/2"
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(For limited edition details see print category.)

Passion, when spelled with a capital "P" is defined by Webster's Dictionary as "the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ". The rose in the painting represents Jesus and the bird is a Masked Shrike. It is a bird that is indigenous to Israel and is a frequent garden visitor..........so very possibly was one of the birds present 'In the Garden' of Gethsemane with Jesus. I chose it because like our similar North American species, Masked Shrikes are a predatory songbird. It symbolizes humanity. Jesus was crucified hanging on a cross with a crown of thorns on his head. Shrikes impale their victims on thorns or hang them from the forks of sapling limbs. The bird is posed with it's back to the rose and it's face turned away to parallel what we did to Jesus at 'Calvary'.....which is the name of the second hymn. Most importantly though, the composition in its entirety represents what Jesus Christ did for us! John 3:16

*All the words and notes are legible.