"Oh she's a pregnant Mary!" Blair exclaimed when I got my work out of the kiln.
“Ha Ha Ha” was my answer.
While working out of Austin based studio, Fireseed, I had the pleasure of many theological discussions with Rick Van Dyke, the owner, and Blair Randle, a long time resident of the studio.
Blair asked, "Oh. Did you not intend her to be pregnant?"
"No. It seems the magic of the kiln provided an immaculate conception."
"Ah, so an advantageous *slumping. A rare feat."
Blair and I continued our discussion about pregnant Mary and her symbolism in art. Blair shared that the pregnant Mary represents the state of being willing to accept a miracle. That in order to receive a miracle we must be willing first, and communicate that willingness to God.
I recently read a book that speaks to this idea of willingness. The book Unfuck Yourself by Gary John Bishop is a fabulous listen on Audible. Bishop’s Irish lilt challenges the reader to make magic happen in their own lives by deciding what they are willing and they are not willing to do.
If you are having a hard time understanding the significance of the pregnant Mary, I challenge you to consider if you would be willing to receive a miracle.
While chatting about this potential blog on the subject Blair added this sentiment, “The kicker for the biblical Mary, or for anyone answering your question, was that acceptance of the miracle would radically change her life and perhaps make her a social outcast or misfit, not knowing where if any support system she would have to sustain her. For Mary it was all for Truth, a God-given experience, not just some random or personal happening.”
So maybe you would be willing for a miracle, would you be willing for the radical change it would bring for your life?
*In ceramics, a slump is when the clay moves in an unintended way and the original form changes shape according to the laws of gravity. I was surprised and still wonder at how this piece could have slumped. The cone shape in clay, like triangles in other structures, is a very strong shape. Also, I had used this clay many times making just these types of figures without fail. And yet this piece, in her perfect Mary blue, moved in such a way as to look great with a child.
Pregnant Mother Mary, 2019
Bonnie Brushwood