Sarah Dawn Bokma

2012-01-31T15:42:00.000-08:00

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NEW WORKS

2008-05-26T13:39:00.001-07:00

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16

For the Light has Come
Acrylic on canvas
December, 2008
$250

Light is Coming for Sarah
Acrylic on plaster and wood
December, 2008
$250

Redemption for the Scarlet Woman
Etching Print
November, 2008
Prints available for $20 each

In Flight
Oil, acrylic, real butterflies, wax on wood panels
September, 2008

Reflection: In Flight

Twice a year, monarch butterflies make the journey from Ontario to Mexico. These tiny creatures are found all over the world and are one of the few transatlantic species. They can travel up to 120 km a day. I wonder: Are they ever fearful to make such an enormous trip? How do their tiny wings survive such a long flight? There is something deeply profound and rich when considering the monarch. They are obviously not bound by fear, otherwise they wouldn’t make such a journey. We are such fearful people and I believe there is something to learn from the monarch, a species that flies without fear… travels freely and obediently.

Freedom in Coming Home
Wood Cut on paper
October, 2008

This work is based off of Rembrandt’s painting of the prodigal son. This painting is deeply symbolic of our quest in searching for home.

As I’ve thought about freedom, I’ve realized that sometimes freedom is about finding home.

What is home? Home is a place of forgiveness, reconciliation, encouragement, healing… a place where we ultimately discover ourselves.

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” – George Moore

Waiting for the Morning
Monoprint, India Ink
October, 2008
$80

FURNITURE RESTORATION

2008-05-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

In Jesus name, Amen.

These are the words spoken to end the mealtime prayer, when we gather to “say grace”. But what happens after we say Amen, and what happens before we gather at the table? In other words, what do we bring to the table and what do we receive at the table?

Grace is a word that is thrown around so flippantly. In my journey as a seeker of the Way, I have wrestled with the notion of Grace. I have tried to grab onto the wings of grace and capture, trying desperately to understand it. I now realize that grace cannot be captured, for then it looses its potency and mystery. I need to grab onto the wings not to capture and understand Grace but to be carried - to love more deeply, to revel in being loved.

My show is the outcome of my wrestling with grace. “Restoration Project” was what I first termed this project. I began to restore furniture because I was deeply drawn to the symbolism found in restoration that is applicable to all of human life. There needs to be sustainability.

Through the restoration project I had planned, I came to realize and experience the restoration project that God has in store for me. Not only was I exposed to the dirt in the furniture, but also exposed to the dirt deep within me. I am in need of restoration.

It seems like God likes group projects. I realize that I’m not God’s independent study but part of the massive restoration project that God has in store for all of humanity. There is not a chair too broken that God cannot restore. He sees the dirt in us, but does not condemn us. God never gives up on us and refuses to call us refuse.

And He asks us to do the same to others. As He refuses to give up on us, we must work to be agents of His grace and restoration.

I have struggled to bring all of myself to this gathering place, to share my own exposed dirt. Yet, it is through being exposed that God teaches us about restoration and gives us the most powerful gift of all - Grace.

In Jesus name, Amen.

And we feast on Grace, for Grace is what we receive at the table and Grace is what satisfies our deepest longings. And it is the nourishment of Grace that will continually bring us back to the table of communion.

One day, as I was driving to church with my husband, I was scanning people’s front yards and I noticed a huge pile of junk at one particular house. The pile was obviously waiting for its fate on garbage day. I noticed a chair poking out from the pile and even though I had caught just a mere glimpse of the chair, I knew I wanted it and that I wanted to restore it.
After church my husband and I followed my whim and went to sort through garbage. I was a bit embarrassed walking out of the car towards the garbage… I desperately hoped no one would see me. I grabbed the leg of the chair and as quickly as I could, yanked it free from the pile of junk and stuffed it into the back of the car. I slammed the door shut and began to drive away from the gross garbage pile. However, we were unable to escape garbage stench, as the chair reaked of its former environment. We got home and I was able to carry it up to our third story apartment, fortunately without running into any neighbours. And not only did it stink, but the cushion was littered with filthy stains. I remember thinking, Ugh, this chair is so disgusting

I began to work on the chair the next day, determined to strip it of its filth. So much dirt had filled the cracks and crevices of the chair. I threw off the cushion that entangled the chair and freed the chair from its filthy stains. Yet underneath, I found a cracked wooden frame. More brokenness in need of restoration. It would have been easy to throw the chair back into the garbage but I liked this chair. Regardless, it was still a very beautiful chair.

I so badly desired to see this chair become what it was originally made and designed to be. It made me wonder, who made this chair? It was old enough that I was fairly certain that it hadn’t come shooting off a conveyor belt in a factory, but that it was indeed handmade. I don’t think it was created to look like every other chair in the world- this specific chair was uniquely designed. Even though the master and maker of this chair created it clean and perfect in the beginning, He must have known that the chair would eventually meet dirt, abuse, neglect and pain. However, He still lovingly crafted the chair. And the more I thought about it, I knew that the maker had never lost sight of this chair, no matter how far it had wandered away from the maker's shop. His eyes had never strayed. I know this because the maker's hands are still all over the chair. I can see the way His hand worked on the chair. The fine detail and shaping throughout the whole body is both intricate and beautiful. It was obvious that He took great pleasure out of creating this chair.

As I worked on restoring this chair, I felt an odd sense of connection with the maker of this chair. Not only that, but I was struck with how much the chair represented me and my journey thus far. I realize that only once I begin to acknowledge and accept my state of brokenness that true restoration takes place. And grace cannot be separate from restoration- it is what connects the old and the new. If I was like a perfect looking chair, why would I need grace and restoration?

I'm still working on that chair and in the end God is still working on me. I know that the chair is still far from what it used to look like- it still remains scarred and broken. It is far from being perfect. But God has given me new eyes to see this chair, to see myself. Brokenness does not mean garbage. It is often tied with beauty because there is always hope of restoration and grace. As I acknowledge and wrestle to be OK with my brokenness and the brokenness of the world, I realize that God never gives up on us and that we were never intended to be taken out along with the garbage.

And in the end, the chair belongs with all the other broken chairs at the table of their maker, empty handed but alive in His Grace.

Chair #1: Share vs. Hoard
Found Chair, Oil on Canvas, Chair studs
February, 2008

Chair #2: Humility vs. Pride
Found Chair, Oil on Canvas, Chair studs
February, 2008

Chair #3: Compassion vs. Abuse
Found Chair, Oil on Plaster
March, 2008

Chair #4: Freedom vs. Abuse
Found Chair, Oil on Plaster
March, 2008

Print Making

2008-05-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

Uganda Still Dances
Stencil Printmaking
September, 2008

Dragon Fly
Stencil Printmaking
September, 2008
$25

PAINTINGS

2008-05-06T12:47:00.000-07:00

Learning to See
Oil on Canvas
April, 2007

Perseverance- The Plum Blossom that Flowers in Winter
Acrylic on Paper and Canvas
July, 2008

Sisters
Oil on Canvas
May, 2008

Preparation
Acrylic, Pencil Crayon and Graphite on Canvas
May, 2008

Talitha Koum (Greek for "Little Girl Arise")

Oil on paper
February, 2007
$800

Living with Hands Open (Self Portrait)
Oil on Paper
December, 2006

Sunset for Emily

acrylic on paper
October, 2006

Doors

Watercolour
March, 2006

DRAWINGS

2008-05-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

Pastel Series based off of Bruce Cockburn's song: "Fascist Architecture"

Fascist architecture of my own design
Too long been keeping my love confined
You tore me out of myself alive

Those fingers drawing out blood like sweat
While the magnificent facades crumble and burn
The billion facets of brilliant love
The billion facets of freedom turning in the light

Bloody nose and burning eyes
Raised in laughter to the skies
I've been in trouble but I'm ok
Been through the wringer but I'm ok
Walls are falling and I'm ok
Under the mercy and I'm ok

Gonna tell my old lady
Gonna tell my little girl
There isn't anything in the world
That can lock up my love again

Fascist Architecture of my own Design
Carbothello Pastel on stonehenge paper
February, 2006

Too long been keeping my love confined
Carbothello Pastel on stonehenge paper
February, 2006

You tore me out of myself alive
Carbothello Pastel on stonehenge paper
April, 2006

The billion facets of freedom turning in the light
Carbothello Pastel on stonehenge paper
March, 2006

Under the mercy and I'm ok
Carbothello Pastel on stonehenge paper
April, 2006

A Summary of my Worldview
Carbothello Pastel on stonehenge paper
April, 2005

Swan
Dry Brusg on stonehenge paper
October, 2005