Repentance Painting #1

Sooo...This actually was a fairly loose painting for a little while. And then I kept going. Oops. Better luck next time.  At BYU-Idaho, where James and I studied art, and are teaching art this semester, the terms "repentance drawing" or "repentance painting" are commonly used to refer to a drawing or painting you can turn in, in place of a previous unsuccessful attempt. In several classes, teachers will accept as many of these improvements as a student wants to do for a particular assignment, until the grade on that assignment reaches an "A." That's pretty fair, I think. The only downside is that it encourages a sleep deficiency for some students. I read the Wikipedia definition of repentance yesterday. Wikipedia states:

"In Biblical Hebrew, the idea of repentance is represented by two verbs: שוב shuv (to return) and נחם nicham (to feel sorrow). In the New Testament, the word translated as 'repentance' is the Greek word μετάνοια (metanoia), "after/behind one's mind"...the whole compound means: 'to think differently after'.

 Metanoia is therefore primarily an after-thought, different from the former thought; a change of mind accompanied by regret and change of conduct, "change of mind and heart", or, "change of consciousness"..... The doctrine of repentance as taught in the Bible is a call to persons to make a radical turn from one way of life to another.

The repentance (metanoia) called for throughout the Bible is a summons to a personal, absolute and ultimate unconditional surrender to God as Sovereign. Though it includes sorrow and regret, it is more than that. It is a call to conversion from self-love, self-trust, and self-assertion to obedient trust and self-commitment to God. It is a change of mind that involves a conscious turning away from wrong actions, attitudes and thoughts that conflict with a Godly lifestyle and biblical commands, and an intentional turning toward doing that which the Bible says pleases God. In repenting, one makes a complete change of direction (180° turn) toward God. The words "repent," "repentance," and "repented" are mentioned over 100 times in the Bible."

As I just demonstrated for you with this lovely visual aid, repentance can take alot of one-degree turns before you get to 180*. So this is #1 for me. Stay tuned for more!

P.S. Yes, she's clothed. This was from a live model on campus, and LDS colleges (unlike almost every other college in the country), don't have nude models. :) Wondering what's with the garland? I just thought, I want her to look like she's having a good time. And who wouldn't be having a good time if they had a bunch of sticks and leaves around their neck?