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Online: More about Suzanne Ley's art at www.suzanneleyart.com.
This Lent Suzanne Ley of Springboro decided to share her talents with her church parish as part of a spiritual journey and meditation she embarked on Ash Wednesday.
She will complete that journey on Good Friday, as she puts the final touches on an oil painting of “The Lamentation of Christ in the Church,” also known as the Pieta.
Ley attends St. Henry Church in Miami Twp.
The painting depicts the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Jesus. Many are familiar with this depiction in sculpture at the Vatican by Michelangelo.
Ley, who recently lost her brother, had been thinking of the Pieta for some time. “When I was thinking of making art as a meditation during Lent, I decided to see if I could view the Passion through Mary’s eyes,” the artist said. She said images of Mary are often associated with Christmas and illustrate her holding an infant. “The Pieta, however, as an image is more emotional and dramatic. It is associated with grief and sorrow. Because I lost my brother in October, those emotions were more immediate for me this year.”
Ley majored in painting and drawing in college and is a successful commercial artist. She also well known for the five “towers” depicting the holy mysteries that are in front of Alter High School in Kettering.
“I often use family and friends as my models,” she said. She takes several photographs of poses she creates with her son and their friends and chooses the optimal pose. Ley says she had found solace in her Lenten meditation. She paints three full days a week and often parishioners stop to just quietly observe or even share comments.
Ley has set up her “studio” in the back of St. Henry’s sanctuary.
“Often art intimidates people. They look at it, but they are hesitant to comment,” she said. “This has been such a joy, because parishioners do share their feelings.” Ley says a lot of good has come from this painting, which she admits has become the “parish painting.”
“Usually my painting is a very private thing; this has become more of a communal effort,” she said. Ley said she couldn’t have done this special Lenten journey without the support and guidance of Tom Shearer, pastor of St. Henry’s, who is also an artist. “This is her prayer, a unique expression of her faith, and it’s become the parish’s prayer also.”
Ley starts her paintings with sketches and progresses from there. The parish was able to observe the creative process, the shifts and changes, the struggles and errors, that often accompany a piece of art.
Often Lent is associated with giving up something, but Ley sees the 40-day period before Easter as a time of great reflection. “Reflecting takes many forms. In this case it is considering Christ’s passion through the eyes of a mother. It is also a personal homage to the memory of my brother, who was a remarkable person,” she said. “So it serves as meditation and healing. Lent doesn’t have to be about giving up, it can be more beneficial to do something positive instead.”
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