NOTE: All sizes of the artist's images are limited to a single small dpi. This is the result of an agreement between the artist and the Vanderbilt Divinity Library. To inquire about larger sizes of her work, or to purchase prints and other works by Lauren Wright Pittman, visit http://www.lewpstudio.com

"On the day before Christmas Eve almost ten years ago, my best friend died after a fiercely-fought battle with cancer. Later that day my friends came over for our annual gift exchange and we couldn’t leave one another; we couldn’t seem to go to sleep either. We stayed up all night telling stories about our friend and decided we would drive to an overlook to watch the sunrise. I remember sitting there in the cold, wrapped up in a blanket, huddled with my friends as the wind blew and spattered the tears that could not stop pouring out of my eyes. I desperately needed dawn to break because I was certainly sitting in what felt like the shadow of death.

In this text we find Zechariah having his own kind of mountaintop experience in response to the birth of his son, John the Baptist. Zechariah praises God for what he has done for Israel and prophesies about the person his son will be—“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High.” When we so directly see God’s movement in the world it empowers us to boldly claim what God will do in the future.

As the sun hit my face that morning, I felt embraced by the light. Though everything was in shambles in that moment, I felt a sense of peace—not a fleeting peace, but one that carried me in my grief and continues to carry me now. At the end of the night, the sun will come up. The darkness will be shattered by the dawn breaking."

Lauren is an artist, graphic designer, and theologian. She studied Media Design at Middle Tennessee State University, worked as a wetlands advocate in Southern Louisiana, and attended Columbia Theological Seminary to piece together her passions for artistic expression, design, and Creation Care.

While in seminary, Lauren found a passion for seeking after God and processing scripture through visual exploration. The visual arts offered her a holy space to ask questions, take risks, and make bold statements. Her paint brush, acrylic paints, sharpies, and colored pencils became mediums for liberation, helping set her voice free. Once she began this journey in visual self expression, she became determined to create spaces where others could find this freedom and find their own voice, whether it be in the act of creating, in liturgical arts, or in visual meditative practices like Visio Divina.

While at Columbia, she also realized her background in graphic design was a great asset in ministry. In the midst of the Church's struggle for relevancy in a rapidly changing world, she saw the need for faith communities, ministries and non-profits to share their story and mission more effectively and fully through visual means.

She is Founding Creative Partner & Branding Director for A Sanctified Art LLC, a collaborative arts ministry providing multimedia resources for worshiping communities. She also helps faith communities and non-profits share their vibrant stories through branding & design services.
[from: http://www.lewpstudio.com/about ]