This painting portrays two churches and church sites, in Scotland and here at home. The upper church is called Bourtie Kirk, and it is an 800 year old Scottish church. The lower building is the Pisgah Church located in Tazewell County, VA, and it's 200 years old. Now to us, 200 years is a long time, but in Scotland, an 800 year old church is pretty old but not at all uncommon. So this different perception of history was something that struck me quite strongly while living in a culture so much older than ours.
The painting is not just about the churches; it's also about where they are located. In reading about the history of Bourtie Kirk, and learning about the history of Pisgah, I realized that both have been places of gatherings of people for countless years. Generations have gathered in these spots for different reasons, many of them spiritually-related, but unconnected, with one generation's use of the land unknown to a much later community who were also drawn to the same spot, for whatever the reason.
There are also archaeological connections common to both of these sites. Bourtie Kirk has to the side of it an area of standing stones, left by the Pictish peoples. The land in front of the Pisgah Church has been the site of excavations for many years, yielding a wealth of Native American artifacts related to the hunting lifestyle of the early nomadic tribes that passed through the area. Apparently these sites held drawing power for these ancient people as well.
While I was painting this work, a tragic incident took place in the small community of Dunblane, Scotland. A deranged man took the life of 15 first graders and their teacher one morning in the gymnasium of the local school. The town's citizens, shocked that such violence had occurred in their previously peaceful community, flocked to the beautiful Dunblane Cathedral, which my husband and I had visited just weeks before the incident. We found in that cathedral unique symbols of spiritual comfort in the form of hand-carved wooden animals and flowers at the end of every pew and above every choir stall. I used the figures of the lion and the ram for the middle of my painting, with hope that the people of Dunblane might find solace in the silent but peace-seeking environment of their cathedral. This painting is owned by Rae and Allison Angus.
Ellen Elmes
PO Box SVCC
Richlands, VA 24641-1101
email: ellen.elmes@sw.edu
phone: 276.964.7205
fax: 276.964.7720