Category Archive: Hillary Asbury

Imposter Syndrome

By Hillary Asbury –

“What is it worth?” Her eyes were big as she gestured to the piece hanging on the gallery wall. “I mean, all it is… it’s just wood and canvas and paint. So how much is it really worth? How much can I actually charge for this?” I couldn’t believe we were having this conversation. The woman standing in front of me was wildly successful. She owned her own gallery, enjoyed the business of high-profile clients, sold pieces for thousands and thousands of dollars. Yet here she was, questioning the worth of her work.

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Illustration of the Month: Thanksgiving Cross

By Hillary Asbury –

People are sometimes very surprised to find out that my church has a service on Thanksgiving. I love it though; I grew up with it being a normal thing and for whatever reason I find it to be a very comforting service. There’s something grounding about celebrating a Christ-centered Thanksgiving. Its about something more than gorging ourselves with food, about more than time with family, and even about more than expressing gratitude for the many blessings we have enjoyed that year.

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The Harrowing of Hell

By Hillary Asbury –

The Harrowing of Hell is just one panel of a larger altarpiece which depicts several vignettes from the Passion of our Lord. In the painting, we see a cut out scene of a dark cave, and several of the faithful departed huddled within. Two men, perhaps Noah and Abraham, kneel before Jesus.  Behind them stand John the Baptist who is, as always, pointing to Christ and turning to his companion (likely King David) to tell of the coming of the Savior. In the back corner we see Adam and Eve, patiently awaiting the fulfillment of that long-ago promise.

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Illustration of the Month: Tree of Life

By Hillary Asbury –

The Illustration of the Month is a little different this time around. You see, I have a visual of the cross that I can’t get out of my head. I have always imagined that, for our Lord’s followers, the time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday had to have been a terrible stretch of time. In hiding, afraid for their lives, bleak and hopeless, those must have been the longest three days in history. I imagine as the women walked to the tomb on Sunday morning with the spices they had prepared, they too felt scared and alone, with no hope.

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Minimalism and the Church

By Hillary Asbury –

“To appropriate: to take for oneself; take possession of; to steal.”

While at the theological symposium in Saint Louis last week, I had the rare pleasure of meeting a fellow liturgical artist. Kelly Schumacher is the founder of Agnus Dei Liturgical Arts in Saint Louis, Missouri. She is a talented creative with a theological foundation for her work that is as elegant as it is intelligent. Her passion for what she does is unwavering, and her enthusiasm is infectious.

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Through the Cracks of Context

By Hillary Asbury –

“A beautiful thing never gives so much pain as failing to hear and see it.”

-Michelangelo Buonarroti

As Christian viewers, we see art history differently than the rest of the world.

When we gaze upon a masterpiece of the Renaissance, we may be awed and amazed by the time, talent, and skill the artist wielded. We may be struck by the years the art has seen and survived, possibly drawn in by some mysterious link to the past. As believers, though, there is another level of context; we are viewing a visual representation of the Word of God.

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An Anxious Artist

By Hillary Asbury –

I think I may have mentioned this before, but traveling with my artwork is nerve-racking.

I’m a bit of a type “A” personality, which I’m often told is odd for an artist. I have high anxiety. I like things to be just so. I don’t want to be on time; I want to be five minutes early and perfectly presented. People sometimes comment that I am a skilled artist. I often answer that I am a perfectionist who happens to make art.

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