This summer, I'll be releasing five new linocut prints at the Onyx & Alabaster on July 3rd. While I'm excited to share new work, this collection is about much more than the prints themselves. It is part of an ongoing reflection on beauty, truth, and the role art has played, and can still play, in the life of the Church.
All five pieces are centered around church windows. Historically, church windows were never merely decorative. They were storytellers. They filtered light into sacred spaces, pointed hearts toward heaven, and reminded worshippers that beauty itself can reveal something true about the character of God.
As I've worked on this collection, I've found myself thinking often about the relationship between Christianity and art throughout history. During the Renaissance, churches and cathedrals commissioned some of the most beautiful works the world has ever seen. Art was not viewed as separate from faith. It was one of the ways people encountered God.
Over time, that relationship changed. Following the Protestant Reformation, religious iconography was rejected. Yet in many ways, art itself became increasingly disconnected from the life of the Church. The message of the Gospel remained, but artistic beauty was no longer seen as essential in many Christian spaces. Today, "Christian art" often carries assumptions that separate it from what many people consider fine art.
I believe we have lost something valuable in that divide.
This collection is my attempt to participate in a renewed vision of beauty within the Church... not by recreating the past, but by creating work that points toward eternal truths through craftsmanship, symbolism, and thoughtful design.
Beauty Rising from the Ashes
The first piece in the collection depicts a ruined church window. The glass is gone. The structure bears the marks of age and abandonment. Yet from the ruins, flowers emerge and a songbird sings.
At first glance, it might appear to be a picture of loss. But to me, it is a picture of hope.
The flowers symbolize new life emerging from decay, while the songbird serves as a reminder that praise can still rise from difficult places. This piece reflects the belief that beauty is not destroyed by hardship. In many ways, it can come from the hardship itself.
Peace and Promise
The second piece depicts two doves carrying olive branches within the frame of a church window.
Few symbols carry as much meaning as the dove and olive branch. They immediately call to mind God's promises, His faithfulness, and His peace.
While the first two pieces address restoration and truth, this print focuses on what comes after. Renewal is not simply about rebuilding structures or correcting errors. It is also about reconciliation. It is about finding rest in the promises of God.
The doves serve as messengers of peace. Their olive branches remind us that God remains faithful through every season of history. No matter how fractured or uncertain the world may seem, His promises endure.
There is a gentleness in this piece that balances the others. It invites viewers to pause, breathe, and remember that God's work of restoration is ultimately rooted in His love.
Truth Breaking Through
This piece features a tree growing directly through a church window. Its roots and branches break into the structure itself. An owl, representing wisdom, accompanies the scene.
This inspiration came from my reflections on the modern Church and the challenges it faces.
In this piece, the tree represents truth. Not truth as a cultural trend or personal preference, but truth rooted deeply enough to withstand changing seasons.
Many churches today face pressure to conform to ideas that are disconnected from biblical teaching. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, it can become easy for truth to be obscured beneath tradition, popularity, or cultural expectations.
The tree in this piece is not destroying the church. It is reclaiming it.
Its roots break through barriers, reminding us that truth cannot remain buried forever. The owl represents wisdom. The discernment required to recognize truth and follow it faithfully.
This work is ultimately about renewal through correction. Healthy growth requires strong roots, and the Church is strongest when it remains grounded in what is true.
Even More to Come!
Two additional prints are still taking shape in my sketchbook. While their final forms have not yet emerged, they will continue exploring the themes of revitalization, beauty, truth, and renewal within the Church.
As artists, we participate in that process every time we create something meaningful. As believers, we participate in it every time we pursue truth, cultivate wisdom, and point others toward what is good.
My hope for this collection is not simply that people enjoy the artwork. I hope it encourages conversations about beauty and faith. I hope it inspires people to reconsider the role art can play in the life of the Church. And most of all, I hope it reminds viewers that even in seasons of decline, God is still creating, restoring, and making all things new.
If you're attending the Franklin Art Crawl on July 3rd, I'd love for you to stop by Onyx + Alabaster and see these new prints in person! I'm excited to share this collection and the story behind it, and I look forward to continuing the conversation about faith, beauty, and the enduring power of art.
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With ink-stained gratitude,
Emily Ciecka
1 comment
Emily, I love hearing the story of your artworks. The first window really resonates with me. I have had some experiences in life when I thought I was being destroyed. Like the glass of the window, parts of me were broken, but Divine Love held me, and then I could see more clearly the beauty and miracles of every moment, like the flowers, and feel the joy, like a songbird in the bright, cool morning.
I also do love the tree as an integrated part of the Divine. It doesn’t seem intrusive to me. It seems a natural part. I always feel so close to God in nature. It’s like a spiritual reset when I take a deep breath outside, hug a tree, sit quietly by the ocean waves, or by a creek in the woods. It is so peaceful – no matter what is going on otherwise in my life and in the world. It’s part of the miraculous gift of the Peace that is greater than our understanding.
For me, the dove and olive branch speak to a deep life lesson that I keep learning over and over. The Gift of Peace is offered, but I must accept it. I must choose to receive it, open it, and live with it. Of course, I always want Peace and Love, but my human nature sometimes feels fearful and unworthy, as if I must strive for it instead of just being grateful and accepting The Gift. I guess a big part of my own reconciliation is allowing myself to trust that I am loved, knowing how I feel is important, and that the way I forgive, love, and celebrate life is a form of Praise & Gratitude.
Thanks so much for your art! And for sharing from the heart and inviting us to do so as well!