I was looking through my blog posts and realized I had never posted about this as a final painting. This painting was equal parts done by me, Stuart Diller, and Amanda Shepard. Nathan Tavenor came on at the end and helped us push through and finish. His energy was really important, even coming later to the project. My friend Will Penman (who’s also a growing artist) wrote this up for the tree at the church:

The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life artwork brings Revelation 22 to our eyes. In the new heaven, there’s the tree of life planted next to the river of life. And in the new Earth, there’s the city of the New Jerusalem.

This art project helps us imagine and remember how Upper Room is a tree of life for each other: heaven’s tree of life is a vision of hope, like we are for each other. It’s restorative, like we are for each other. And it’s established and communal, like how this art shows the investment of our entire community (it took a lot of work).

The Tree of Life is also a window into heaven for while we worship. How do you replicate the experience of being in the throneroom of God, like stained glass windows do, without having any windows or natural light in the building? The mirrors reflect diffuse light to give more of an impression of being in that ethereal, beautiful place.

Nathan Van Patter, Amanda Sheppard, Stuart Diller,

and Nathan Tavenor 2014