CHRYSALIS

Having been invited to participate in a show at the Heartland Gallery entitled DEATH & DYING, I pondered what this inevitable event meant to me. What occurred to me was the nature of the metamorphosis that takes place over the course of a lifetime for the Christian.

At the point of conversion to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit begins a work of transformation. As we submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit, we are conformed to the likeness of Christ.

The skull, which is often a symbol of destruction, in this case has a dual represenation: death and the 'earthen vessel' in which we live our mortal lives. Only when life on earth ends will the transformation be complete. It is only by the work done on the cross that we are enabled to undergo this metamorphic process.

This is why I chose to show the agony of crucifixion for the body of the monarch, which was chosen over other butterflies for the sake of its name, representation of the 'king of kings'.

Only through partaking in Christ's death, can we share in the resurrection process. Although our earthly bodies return to the earth, when joined to Christ, our spirit takes flight.

Text & Illustrations: Ken Westphal

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