creations

Scott Erickson is a friend of ours and has been for almost a year now. I met Scott at the 2007 World Vision Acting on AIDS conference in Illinois, where he painted during the worship services. At that time, however, I didn't know he was from Seattle. Then, a year later, I decided to check out Sanctuary Church in Greenwood [where Cory, Ben and I go to worship on most Sunday mornings], and I found Scott painting during the service.



I invited Scott to paint at an Acting on AIDS benefit show that I was putting on, along with the rest of SPU's Acting on AIDS leadership team. Scott completed two paintings during the show, and I was able to purchase one and bring it home. This painting is of a girl who has AIDS and is living here in Seattle. As a leadership team, this year AoA has been focusing on getting to know people who have HIV and are living with AIDS right here in our city. We have come to realize that AIDS is prevalent locally, not just in Africa or India. So at the show one evening autumn quarter, Scott painted two paintings: one of a young boy in Africa who has been orphaned because his parents had AIDS and died, and the other painting of a girl that we could know in our own city that has AIDS.



This was painted by Scott during Church today at Sanctuary. He started painting some orange wispy lines, and Cory and I looked at each other and agreed that we already loved the painting. I don't know what Scott saw when he painted this, but I'll tell you what I saw. A boy looks at the city, some buildings and sees the system that is so prevalent in society today. But he is instead consumed with the Almighty, the Holy Spirit. The boy keeps his eye on the system, making himself aware of its false powers, but he knows the truth. He knows that it is G-d in the Holy Spirit who has all of the true power.

Check out Scott's upcoming work and blog at http://transpireproject.wordpress.com/ He has three shows this week in Seattle and then will be partnering with AoA World Vision at the 2008 Acting on AIDS Summit that is in D.C. this year.

Scott and his wife, Holly are also a part of our mentor's church that is being planted right now, called Awake. check out awakeseattle.blogspot.com

cheers,
abby