American Quilt
(June, 2007)
watercolor on forty small boards
33 inches x 46 inches on the wall
This 40-piece painting was shown only once in public: on June 3, 2007 at our home on Aggie Lane. It was then taken down and each piece was given to a different person. The cursive text at the top of each board reads "forgive us all."
On October 2, 2006 several Amish girls were shot to death and several others wounded in their country schoolhouse by a gunman who then shot himself. The Amish community thereafter extended forgiveness to the shooter and made sure his family was cared for. Probably you remember this story.
How did they do it? Where did they get the energy to return love for hatred? I think this was only possible because there was already a culture of forgiveness in place - a pattern of each person forgiving the other person again and again. And I think also that they were in the habit of looking at their own personal faults, unworthiness and weaknesses and asking forgiveness for themselves.
The title almost reads "American Guilt" and the color scheme of the piece resembles an american flag, because in a sense, I think we as a nation need to ask forgiveness for the rotten fruit with which our modern society pollutes the simpler, purer people of the world. I'm not so sure there would be the need for the "war on terror" if we weren't so arrogant, greedy and wasteful in the first place.
Some of the women here carry flowers for the their slain daughters, and the men bear shovels with which to bury them. The shovels also slightly resemble spears - showing the capacity these men have to choose mercy or revenge.
And the repetition of the "forgive us all" bespeaks the aspect of forgiveness that is an active process - ongoing and willfully taken up again and again as long as it is needed to regenerate love in the heart.
So, this painting belongs to you all now. I chose to disseminate it in the way natural things have their moment of beauty and are scattered to the wind - to become part of a new story elsewhere.
with love,
forgive us all, forgive us all, forgive us all,
baker
p.s. thanks to my wife Rebekah and brother-in-law Nathan for helping with this project.