These two live paintings were the first works that Alexis Newsom and I collaborated on in Seoul Korea during the L4 Global Congress. Both are 62x64” acrylic on stretch canvas. 2024.
River of Life 62x64” acrylic on canvas by Bryn Gillette and Alexis Newsom
Center- Christ Supreme 62x64” acrylic on canvas by Bryn Gillette and Alexis Newsom
After traveling around the world and emerging into the hubbub of 5000+ participants, 1000 volunteers and staff, from 200+ nations, we were absolutely spinning as we rolled out large canvases and tried to find the necessary tools to build quick stretchers to work large. The auditorium was absolutely massive, with the largest TV display (nearly 300ft in curved width behind the stage), and a sea of brothers and sisters standing around us. Strangely enough, when the work and worship began, it was as natural and normal as painting anywhere else… and Lexi and I quickly lost ourself in the work. River of Life was inspired by the very first images of the conference of water flowing across the entire massive screen… and the streams and rivers of all these tongues and tribes and nations flowing into one place to worship Christ… the golden stream uniting the figures of the imagery. Lexi’s large format style and expressive colors and marks shaped the mood while the figures of my historic touch began to march through the painting rising to the top right. Center- Christ Supreme unfolded to a backdrop of amazing teaching about Christ reconciling the division and tension and injustices of our human condition. I thought of T.S. Eliots quote that Christ is the “Stillpoint” of the spinning universe… or as in Colossians 1, that Christ is supreme over all creation. Christ existed before anything else, and God made everything through him and for him… and he holds all of creation together. May we hold Christ as supreme!
