This first collage was done in 1985. It was inspired by a sermon given by Rev. Bob Bast. He pointed out that the cross is an odd symbol for Christians because while it does symbolize Christ’s sacrifice and death, our faith would be in vain without the open tomb. The victory over death through His resurrection is the real miracle and our faith hinges on that fact, not only on his suffering. This led to doodling with the ideas of stones and tombs, positives and negatives. At that time I was painting in watercolor and also making quilts and handmade paper. All of those threads and thoughts came together in this piece. I used stitching on the paper and when part of it shredded, I inserted a piece of gold paper behind the tear on the right- like a hint at the glory that is to come. In 2007 I revisited the imagery and did a series with that focus