BATTING CLEAN-UP

     I finished a project tonight for the Crossroads Art Center "Across the Creative Divide" Show.  We were given a random object in January.  Mine was a bright red plastic baseball bat.  You could do ANYTHING with it or to it.  I decided I wanted to do something that would incorporate my Scripture Scribbles.  Naturally, the creative process is a great deal of thinking ....for three months....and then DOING in five days.  Deadline is tomorrow.  Eleven pm Monday night.  I'm done!    Here is the "write-up" that I will include:  

BATTING CLEAN-UP

Artist:  Ginger Rembold

Original Object:  Red plastic baseball bat

Multimedia: Fabric, Craft foam, Tire tube, Plastic grocery bags, Bamboo skewers

This entire project was made from on-hand materials.  Nothing was purchased.

          For the past two years I have been artistically involved in producing “Scripture Scribbles” – Books illustrating sermons and scripture in a fun, somewhat primitive manner in the fashion of New York subway artist Keith Haring.  When I received my baseball bat, my first thought was to imagine what kind of “Scribble” I could make incorporating the bat into the drawing.  It soon became apparent the project was going to be larger than I wanted to make if the bat was actually a part of the design.  So….the bat became the hanger!   

          My second challenge was to see if I could create the entire project using materials already on hand in my basement workroom AND to use a variety of media.  Fabric seemed to be a logical choice as I had buckets from which to choose, plus an odd assortment of other materials collected over the years. 

          I transferred a new technique for folding paper to the fabric for the grass and applied a process I learned from a relative for bonding grocery bags together for the bat and home plate.  And then I debated over and over WHAT to put in the speech balloon to convey the theological message I wanted to share.  My final creative boundary to cross was the use of social media to solicit ideas for the speech balloon. After the response of over 15 friends and family, my final decision came through consultation with my husband!  Take the speech balloon out of Jesus’ mouth and give it to God!  Hence, God is given voice over the stadium speakers announcing his clean-up hitter….Jesus pinch-hitting for us….to clean up the sins of the world.  Now there’s a little baseball theology!

         

          Anyone interested in Sermon Scribbles, The Books of Acts, or Make a Joyful Scribble Unto the Lord, please contact me!