Welcome to Gretty Beth Arts’ Advent 2025 paintings! As Artist in Residence at my church, I love to create artwork for this season leading up to Christmas.
I made four paintings spanning the four Sundays before Christmas with the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.
Each of these paintings began as a block of basswood which I first burnt black with a torch. Then I carved, did pyrography (woodburning with a hot tool), and painted.
This series of works starts from the canvas burnt black, and the images emerge because of our metaphorical survival of the darkness of this last year. But that’s not the full story – in the blackness, there are tiny pin pricks of distant stars and galaxies.
God is with us beyond anything imaginable despite the turmoil of our lives. God is with us eternally, like the vast Cosmos.
I’ll say a few words about my thought processes of these paintings as we go, but more important is how the pieces connect with you.
Here are some images of the artwork:
Presence
Presence (2025) Pyrography on carved and inked basswood.
Original with permanent African mahogany frame 21″x36″ Original available. Please contact me here with your interest. Unmatted, high quality giclees available here.
Our global and personal heartache are intertwined, and the wait for promised rescue is hard to bear. We long for God to break through the fear and bring us Hope.
Presence is a painting showing a person in despair, head in hands. The fear is palpable. Like being in the time of King Herod.
But not to fear, we are surrounded by God in the vast spacious cosmos above. God is as distant as the farthest star. But God is also as close as our own breath, and as a Jesus-like companion with a comforting hand on our shoulder.
God is with us. And brings Hope as we wait for the Messiah’s birth.
Ripples
Ripples (2025) Pyrography on carved and inked basswood.
Original with permanent African mahogany frame 36″x21.” Original available. Please contact me here with your interest. Unmatted, high quality giclees available here.
Is all this work worth it? Does anything I do matter? Am I on the right track?
Followers of Jesus, the coming birth of the Messiah will bring Peace to all: to us and to neighbors and to strangers. Have faith. The teachings of Rabbi Jesus send ripples of Peace. God is at work in our world.
Ripples is a painting about Jesus’ majesty changing our world. Anticipation of Baby Jesus, the Prince of Peace, sends ripples through the Cosmos. Through Eternity, so that everyone can learn how to drop into Peace personally, sometimes through prayer.
Let this deep Peace inspire you to drop into God’s waters and send your own ripples of Peace by following Christ.
Have faith in yourself.
Joy
Joy (2025) Pyrography and ink on basswood.
Original with permanent African mahogany frame 36″x26.5″ Original Sold.
Unmatted, high quality giclees available here.
Joy is a painting about the Joy of hearing the call. Even in our fear. Knowing that God will fill our hearts with Joy and has chosen us as God’s own people so that we can say “yes” to God.
Joy shows a family rejoicing together at the Oregon coast beach at sunset. The sun sets, and the Cosmos above is breaking in.
God calls God’s awesome call, and they rejoice despite the gloom and evils of the world.
Don’t be afraid. Live in the moment. Allow Jesus’ Message and natural wonders and Joy fill you so that you heed God’s call.
The Messiah, the Word in Flesh, is on the way.
When You’re Afraid, Give Me Your Hand
When You’re Afraid, Give Me Your Hand (2025) Pyrography on carved and inked basswood.
Original with permanent African mahogany frame 26.5″x36″ Original available. Please contact me here with your interest. Unmatted, high quality giclees available here.
When You’re Afraid, Give Me Your Hand is a painting about perhaps the deepest and most basic message the Messiah brings. God is with you and loves you eternally. In some way or another, God will offer God’s hand. And encourages you to offer your hand to others. The birth of the Messiah will show us God’s Love.
God is Love.
Whether you’re experiencing the awesome natural wonders of our world and the cosmos, or you’re lifted by Jesus-like people reaching out to you when you’re suffering, God’s Love is steadfast.
We don’t live out our callings in isolation—our communal flourishing depends on each person stepping into their calling despite their fear.
On this final Sunday of Advent, God’s Love shows the way in the anticipated birth of Jesus.
Appreciating Advent 2025
This Advent work was born from a place of deep gratitude and prayer and worship. It was born from compassion for a humankind that is struggling, yet for whom Jesus’ birth soothes fears and inspires a profound determination.
The darkness of life these days is hard to bear, especially because of the uncertainty if things will become even darker. The end to the darkness seems almost unbearably distant.
But even in these hard times, God’s faith in us us great! We will hold fast to the teachings of One who first came to us in the form of an infant, the One who brought the Word! From the darkness, the light of the Messiah shines so clearly!
My Advent paintings will be installed during the Advent and Christmas season at Boise First Congregational, United Church of Christ, located at 2201 W Woodlawn Ave., Boise, ID 83702.
May the dream of the birth of the Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love this season fill you to brimming, and inspire you to share this energy to touch others’ lives as well.
These are my latest Advent paintings – but if you want to bring the light and spirit of Advent and Christmas to your loved ones this year, consider sharing these holiday cards with them!
Wreath
Poinsettia
Woodblock Christmas Tree
Snowy Owl
Reaching out to others and appreciating your friends and loved ones in these times of struggle and in our increasingly disconnected world is so important. Sending a beautiful handmade card with your handwritten, caring message acknowledges your relationships in a special way.
These cards are prints on cardstock of Gretchen’s original artworks for a genuine and personal touch.
Happy holidays to you and your loved ones!
And thank you for supporting the arts!
– Gretchen Weitemier