Artist develops biblical themes

Visit the Palmer Museum from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday and view artist Tessema C.’s dramatic oil paintings. The name Tessema, which has a biblical ring, will not be found as a book in the Bible, but her work often takes reference from the “Good Book,” and Peggy Tessema Compton enjoys using her middle name as a signature on her work.

This is her legal middle name and she says, “I took the name from my granddaughter, Tessie, (who) called me her mama’s mama. So I took the name Tessema.”

The brush strokes in Tessema’s work portray derivations of biblical chapters and verses, leaving a sense of reverence, even if the viewer is unaware of the Bible references. This artist’s style mimics storytelling and leaves a sense of wonder, like a biblical cadence from early childhood memories.

For example, the art piece titled “The Night Messengers,” a prize-winning painting of doves and a moon, is about the Trinity, says the artist. She expounds on this theme, saying, “There is so much more to them (the doves) than (the Trinity), as they were also used for sacrifice in the Old Testament, if people couldn’t afford a lamb or a goat.” This leads to the explanation that “Christ made his sacrifice, (for us) once and for all.”

The moon with doves is also relevant.

“The moon changes on a monthly cycle,” she says. “Each month we must examine ourselves to try to live our lives more righteously.”

Tessema gives a visual account of times to come as explained in the Book of Revelations from the New Testament in her large 40-by-30-inch painting of horses on the run, called “Set Free.”

“I call the piece ‘Set Free,’ my signature piece, because that is the name of my show at the Palmer Museum,” she said. “The Apocalypse horses of Revelation can be a very in-depth study and stir quite a few pots. Simplified, … these horses are running out of order.”

She explains the order they should be in as the first “one, (with the color) white (meaning) conquest; two, (with the color) red (meaning) wars increase; three, (with the color) black, (meaning) increase in prices; and with the fourth one, pale/skinny (meaning) destruction of one-quarter of the world by war, famine, plagues and wild animals.”

She explains, “That is the order they are supposed to be in, as can be found … in Revelation. chapter 6, (and) these horses are not yet in order; they have just broken free. I am doing a sequel to this painting in the future, of the horses being in color order. This is the only painting of end times I have painted from the New Testament.”

She reflects, “I have painted a couple of end-time prophecies from the Old Testament. Ironically, the Old Testament has more to say about the end times than the New Testament does.”

Portraying a message is important in Tessema’s biblical art.

“In the painting of ‘Set Free,’ the message I am trying to get across is that I feel that the book of Revelation is relevant to the world events of our time in these end days,” she says. “I am hoping it will encourage people to read the Bible, and especially the book of Revelation, to try to understand future events and the warnings it has for mankind.”

When asked about her inspiration, she reveals, “I have traveled to Israel twice, once with a group tour and once with a private tour, which have made an impact on my life.

“I want to show through my art that the God of Israel and the Bible is still relevant in our lives with its messages.”

The artist will have other subjects in her show, one being the rolling waves of a foaming green ocean in “Green Sea Breakers.” She says, “I love the ocean, it’s rhythm, strength and colors. Sky and water are probably my most easy subjects to paint.”

She says, “I have a variety of subjects I enjoy painting, such as scenery, animals and people, but my favorite subject is Biblical art.”

Suzanne Bach is the Fine Arts Coordinator at Mat-Su College and can be reached at creative@alaska.com.