Beauty: the work of God's hands

POTS by Sister Dennis Frandrup, OSB

 "Yet, God, you are our [parent];
we are the clay and you our potter: we are the work of your hands."
(Isaiah 64:7)

If you keep up with our Facebook you will have learned that S. Dennis Frandrup, OSB, artist in residence at the College of Saint Benedict, has an exhibit on at the moment at the Gorecki Gallery entitled: A Ceramic Celebration: 100 Works Plus.  On Sunday, August 25, there was a reception in her honor during which S. Dennis explained the "how" of producing such beautiful objects . . . and they are truly beautiful, all 100 of them!
 In this short blog it is impossible to do justice to her work but I wanted to share with you an insight from something I learned from S. Dennis on Sunday. Clay pots when ready are fired at 2,400 degrees F. The potter is never certain how the pieces will turn out, including how intended designs will show up on the finished product. The image above illustrates this very well.  Another thing I learned is that the fumes from the glaze from one pot can be transfered to the surface of a nearby pot while they are in the kiln.  The pot on the right of the picture has a dark red mark on it and there is another pot in the exhibit that also has the same color on it . . . they were side by side in the kiln as they were being fired. 
Metaphors never work perfectly but if God is the potter and we the clay would it be too far-fetched to believe that during our lifetime God fires us at 2,400 degrees to transform us into how God intends us to be; and being side by side to one another we support each other in God's work of transformation.  In the words of S. Dennis, "Beauty is transformative and the more we expose ourselves to beauty the more it is possible to be transformed."
If you live near St. Joseph do not miss S. Dennis' exhibit; it goes until September 28, 2013. Come and expose yourself to true beauty!