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The Creation of the Universe

The Story of Creation is depicted in 8 paintings, beginning with the universe in Chaos and ending with God resting on the seventh day. Genesis 1-2

This series is in the collection of the Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church, Fresno, CA.

Chaos – 30 x 30 in.
In the beginning the earth was formless and darkness covered the face of the deep. The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Creation, Day 1: Light and Darkness – 28 x 22 in.
God divided light from darkness.

Creation in the Round – 37 in. in diameter.

Creation, Day 2: Seas and Firmament – 36 x 24 in.
God divided the earth from seas and sky.

Creation, Day 2: Seas and Firmament Part 2 – 14 x 18 in.
God divided the earth from seas and sky.

Creation, Day 3: Flora – 24 x 36 in.
God commanded the earth to put forth vegetation, yielding seed and fruit.

Creation, Day 4: Sun, Moon, and Stars – 27 x 24 in.
God commanded light to emerge from the sky: sun, moon and stars.

Creation, Day 5: Fauna – 36 x 24 in.
God commanded animals on land, fishes in the seas and birds in the air.

Creation, Day 6: Man and Woman
God created man and woman – Adam and Eve.

Creation, Day 7: Rest – 36 x 12 in.
God rested from all the work He had done. He blessed and sanctified the seventh day.

The Story of Two Women

The paintings that make up “The Story of Two Women / From Guilt to Redemption” are accompanied by narration and original music by Reverend Nerses Balabanian.

Through the paintings in this DVD we try to remove the shame, blame and guilt placed on women since Eve that has made women victims and vulnerable to abuse of all kinds.

The Holy Spirit lives within us, empowers us so that through God’s unconditional love we are no longer victims of the Fall because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. We are victors because of Mary’s “Yes” to bring Jesus into the world.

These works are in the collection of San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Anselmo, CA.

Now, you can stream The Story of Two Women on YouTube.

Chaos – 30 x 30 in.

Creation, Day 4: Sun, Moon, and Stars – 27 x 24 in.

Creation, Day 2: Seas and Firmament – 36 x 24 in.

Creation in the Round – 37 in. in diameter.

Breath of God – 40 x 30 in.

Creation, Day 5: Fauna – 36 x 24 in.

Adam and Eve – Moment of Expulsion I – 60 x 38 in.

Adam, Eve and the Serpent – 24 x 36 in.

Eve – Innocence – 24 x 48 in.

Eve – Temptation – 24 x 48 in.

The Fall – 30 x 30 in.

Adam from Diptych – 40 x 44 in.

Biblical Parallels

The 32 paintings that make up “Biblical Parallels” are the evolutionary result of many years of Bible study.

In these paintings, Lucy illuminates Biblical Parallels between the Old and the New Testaments.

This series is in the collection of Stony Point Conference Center, of the National Presbyterian Church in Stony Point, New York. It is the home of the Community of Living Traditions, a multifaith, residential community of Muslims, Jews and Christians who are committed to radical hospitality and the practice of social and environmental justice in the world.

Now, you can stream Biblical Parallels on YouTube.

Eucharistic / Passover – 48 x 36 in.

Tearing of the Veil I – 36 x 48 in.
At the moment of Christ’s death the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. From Hebrews 10:20 –21 “This is a fresh new way Christ has opened up for us by tearing the curtain–His human body, to let us go right in to God himself. We do not need an intercessor. We have all been cleansed by Christ’s blood. Through Christ we have gained our freedom into New Life.

Tearing of the Veil II – 36 x 48 in.
One verse in each of the three gospels mentions this dramatic and important happening. Matt 27:51, Mk 15:38, Lk 23:45 “Then the curtain hanging in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”

Tearing of the Veil III – 18 x 24 in.
Hebrews 10:22, “Let us go right in, to God Himself, with true hearts fully trusting Him to receive us, because we have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and because our bodies have been washed with pure water.” The Living Bible.

Tearing of the Veil IV – 30 x 40 in.
Through Christ we have gained our freedom into New Life.

Salvation Through the Ark – 32 x 54 in.
Noah and all who were with him were saved in the ark through the waters of the flood. We, too, are saved through our ark, Christ, by the waters of baptism. The dove appears in both instances. It brings the olive leaf to Noah–symbolizing new life has begun. As Jesus was coming out of the waters of the River Jordan the Spirit descended on Him like a dove. In Him we have New life. In these 3 paintings–“Shadow and the Substance”, “Serpents in the Wilderness” and “Salvation through the Ark”, I have incorporated the Shadow from the Hebrew Testament and the fulfillment in the Greek Testament.

Sacrificial Lamb – 38 x 48 in.
Isaac is carrying the wood on his back obediently and unknowingly, for his sacrifice. Foreshadowing Jesus’ carrying His wooden cross in obedience, willingly and knowingly for His sacrifice. God substituted the ram for saving Isaac. Jesus is our sacrificial lamb.

Serpents in the Wilderness – 36 x 60 in.
In Numbers 21:8 We are told of Moses obeying God by putting a bronze serpent on a pole. Anyone who looked at it when they were bitten by the fiery serpents in the wilderness would not die. In John 3:14 Jesus referred to that incident and said: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up–that each one who believes in Him may have eternal Life.”

Breath of God – 40 x 30 in.

Creation in the Round – 37 in. in diameter.

Creation, Day 1: Light and Darkness – 28 x 22 in.
God divided light from darkness.

Creation, Day 2: Seas and Firmament – 36 x 24 in.
God divided the earth from seas and sky.

Uprooted

The first 19 paintings depict the plight of the Armenian people who were victims of genocide by Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1918. Most of those that survived were uprooted and forced to flee their homeland of Armenia.

The rest of the 13 paintings depict Universal Genocide because of man’s inhumanity to man.

This series is in the collection of Armenian Museum of America, Watertown, MA.

Lucy’s introduction to these paintings:

Now, you can stream Uprooted on YouTube.

“The 90th anniversary of the 1915 Armenian genocide by the Turks was commemorated by Armenians worldwide in memory of one and a half million massacred, and for the survivors who were sent on death marches from their homes in Turkey. It was the first genocide of the 20th century that became the blue print for Hitler’s holocaust.

This Turkish atrocity took place during WWI, when Turkey, an ally of Germany, undertook this ignominous act. Britain and France were too involved in the war to pay attention to reports by their envoys and missionaries. America ignored Ambassador Henry Morgenthau’s accounts of the carnage. The Young Turk government took advantage of the situation, and executed this genocide against the Armenians.

To this day, Turkey denies that the genocide occurred, despite overwhelming evidence. The massacres began on April 24, 1915, in Constantinople, when 250 Armenian leaders professors and clergy were rounded up and killed. Thousands of poor Armenians were murdered or deported into the desert.

Lucy’s sensitivity regarding the plight of the Uprooted, is a manifestation of her ethnic background, and the experiences of those close to her. Over the years she has heard personal accounts of these massacres, and has attempted to capture these stories and to express them in her art. Ghost like figures portrayed in dramatic colors, on large canvases, enable the viewer to ponder human suffering.

The artist intends these works to touch us intimately, in a visual statement on humanity’s will to endure. Because of Man’s inhumanity to man, many nations have suffered. These works communicate a universal plight, that of the Uprooted.
—Lucy Janjigian on the “Uprooted” Series, April 24, 2005.

Flames of Faith—56 x 38 in.

Fading Footsteps—38 x 48 in.

Desert March—22 x 28 in.

Journey—40 x 36 in.

A Drop of Water—50 x 38 in.

River of No Return—38 x 40 in.

A Little Child Shall Lead Them—48 x 44 in.

Dispersion—28 x 38 in.

Mirage—46 x 40 in.

Transitions—49 x 49 in.

Escape I—36 x 48 in.

Escape II—30 x 30 in.

Journey to Resurrection

The 33 paintings in this series are the evolution of many years of Bible study and Lucy’s personal experiences growing up in Jerusalem.

They depict Jesus’ final week on earth; Holy Week, starting with Washing of the Feet on Maunday Thursday, through Crucifixion, and Resurrection.

This series is in the collection of Dar al-Kalima University for Arts and Culture, Bethlehem, Palestine.

Now, you can stream Journey to Resurrection on YouTube.

Comparative Washings—36 x 48 in.
The first painting in this series “Journey to Resurrection” is comparing two washings. 

In the lower part of the canvas, it is depicting what happened on Maunday Thursday after the last Passover supper.

Jesus is shown washing the feet of his disciple with love and humility.

The upper part of the canvas takes place on the morning of Good Friday in the governor’s official residence. Pilate wants to dismiss the case and is washing his hands in fear, pride and apathy.

Sleeping Disciples—48 x 40 in.
A depiction of when Jesus and His disciples got to the Garden of Gethsemane.

He took with him Peter, John and James and asked them to pray. ”My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”

Going a little further, He knelt down and prayed: “Father if you are willing, take this cup from me: yet not my will but yours.”

Three times He went back to the three disciples and found them asleep. “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”, He said.

I used artistic license to place the serpent behind the disciples, bringing the tempter from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Agony in Gethsemane—48 x 72 in.
As Jesus knelt down to pray, He was in such agony of spirit that His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. 

The branches of the olive tree seem to be pleading to God with Him. 

Across the Kidron Valley Judas is leading a Roman battalion, a multitude of chief priests and Pharisees carrying lanterns and armed with swords and clubs marching towards Jesus.

Judas Questioning Viewer—40 x 48 in.
Judas is looking at each one of us, the viewers, and asking: “Are you too going to betray Him?”
Judas the betrayer is carrying the light while Jesus the Light of the World is in prayer, in the dark shadows of the night.

Judas – The Identification—48 x 40 in.
Judas had arranged a signal with his followers,”The one I kiss is the man— arrest Him.”
I preferred having Judas initially identify Jesus by pointing his finger at Him.

Judas – Moment of Betrayal—30 x 36 in.
In this painting, I have tried to capture the facial expressions of Jesus and Judas at the actual moment of betrayal.
Judas may have realized the deplorable enormity of his deed, yet he was bound and bought by 30 pieces of silver.
Jesus knew that Judas was the betrayer, yet when it actually happened, He must have been deeply hurt that it was one of His chosen disciples that betrayed Him. In the Gospel of Luke when Judas approached to kiss Jesus, Jesus asked, “Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Two Faces of Judas—30 x 30 in.
Judas must have had a good side to him. He was one of Jesus’ chosen twelve disciples for the past three years. Judas’ greed and love of money flowed over and over powered his good side.

Peter – The Denial—36 x 48 in.
Maundy Thursday is when Jesus was arrested and taken to the High priest’s house for questioning. Peter followed at a distance. That dark night, in the High priest’s garden, he denied knowing Jesus three times.

Jesus’ look is penetrating as another of His closest disciples has disowned Him in His hour of humiliation, pain and loneliness.

Peter in Agony—30 x 30 in.
As the rooster crows, Peter remembers Jesus’ prophetic words. They haunt him and he is in absolute agony.

He too has betrayed His Master—The Messiah.

The Rooster—20 x 32 in.
As the rooster crows, Peter remembers Jesus’ prophetic words. They haunt him and he is in absolute agony.

He too has betrayed His Master—The Messiah.

Arches Reverberating—52 x 36 in.
I also remember that every Friday through out the year, the Franciscan priests and brothers in Jerusalem, retrace the route Jesus carried His cross along the Via de la Rosa-–The Route of Suffering. At each of the 14 Stations of the Cross they kneel in prayer and read the scriptures. It is a moving sight, as this takes place in the middle of the Old City while pedestrian traffic and business as usual are going on. Any person may join in this solemn procession. The service ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Jesus is believed to be buried. Other Christian denominations commemorate this procession only on Good Friday of Holy week.”

”Using my imagination I tried to capture the aggressive emotions of that Friday in an expressionistic mode. The painting is called “Arches Reverberating.”

With the loud shouts of chief priests, Pharisees and the crowd insistently demanded that Jesus be crucified. Their shouts prevailed. 

I imagine how the core of arches in the city of Jerusalem vibrated.

Mythical Tree—48 x 24 in.
Legend believes that the wood for the cross on which Jesus was crucified came from a tree-–symbolizing life–from the Garden of Eden, where life began.

On The Edge

Lilies of the Field series was inspired by a poem Lucy’s friend, Verna Smith, wrote while visiting the Golan Heights,
Israel. She saw man-made barbed wire, symbols of war, laced with God’s beautiful lilies of the field.

Lucy added doves or butterflies to symbolize an escape into freedom.

With Verna Smith’s permission, we share with you her poem:

“Lilies of the Field” by Verna G. Smith

I saw the lilies of the field growing in the Golan Heights
Anemones among the tall coils of barbed wire
Incongruous, I thought at the time,
A younger woman caring for those about her.

But now, here I am. Almost 81;
A lily of the field whose Father cares for me,
For I am not the caretaker that I used to be.
Just growing beautiful in the field
This ancient flower
Of wind and breath
Barbed wire of hellish war
All about me.

Lilies of the Field I—36 x 24 in.
Inspired by Verna Smith’s poem, “Lilies of the Field.”

Lilies of the Field II—36 x 24 in.
Inspired by Verna Smith’s poem, “Lilies of the Field.”

Lilies of the Field III—24 x 18 in.
Inspired by Verna Smith’s poem, “Lilies of the Field.”

Lilies of the Field IV—36 x 38 in.
Inspired by Verna Smith’s poem, “Lilies of the Field.”

Lilies of the Field V—22 x 18 in.
Inspired by Verna Smith’s poem, “Lilies of the Field.”
Located at the Armenian Museum of Fresno, Fresco, CA.

Barbed Children—24 x 24 in.

Family—24 x 30 in.

Leap of Faith—24 x 18 in.

Breaking Point—20 x 16 in.

Freedom—16 x 20 in.

World on Edge—36 x 18 in.

Avian Migration—26 x 38 in.

Homeless

These 18 paintings represent the trials and sorrows of outcast people—the homeless, the hopeless and the forlorn. They deal eloquently with real life tragedies.

Lucy tries to bring a glimmer of hope, to shed a little light, in these works.

This series is in the collection of Palms Presbyterian Church, Jacksonville Beach, FL.

Lucy’s introduction to these paintings:

“Everyone is touched by the plight of those who are without shelter and the dignity of a place to be, a place that can be called home. These works represent the way an artist responds. I try to create images that reveal human beings keeping their hopes alive by their togetherness, however fragile.

The small, cramped efforts of individuals huddled together calls for our help and yet their power, despite having little choice, can reinforce our own inner strength.

The paintings speak for themselves but you will notice the shopping cart as a ‘mobile home.’ The attempt to keep personal belongings close enhances self identity. The birthday ‘celebration,’ the phone call, the park as a touch of nature, the benefits of ‘soup,’ fire, boxes, even an old car as shelter all keep hope alive. The suffering, especially of children, has to be shown and contrasted with those that have. The card game indicates the spirit of play still breathes within. The players of any game act upon a chance to win.”—Lucy Janjigian on the “Homeless” Series, April 16, 1997.

Curbside—36 x 60 in.

Birthday Cake—36 x 60 in.

On the Pier—40 x 60 in.

Abandoned Car—40 x 60 in.

Park Benches—30 x 56 in.

Soup Kitchen—34 x 56 in.

Alms—26 x 32 in.

Huddled—32 x 26 in.

By the Fire—48 x 24 in.

Belongings—66 x 54 in.

Poverty—48 x 24 in.

Telephone Booth—60 x 40 in.

Flora in Abstraction