CHARLES C.W. IDLER
1997-98 (28 X 60)
The colors were chosen because they are liturgical and span the church from Advent to Pentacost. They just happen to be the primary colors, red, yellow, and blue together with a heavy dose of yellow green. The icons themselves are consistently four shades of gold. Each of the other colors have three or four shades. I dyed all the colors with the exception of the dark blue background. The cut is #4 and the backing is burlap.
The design is mine. I began with a column of crosses down the center, representing five major traditions of the Christian Church. The four symbols or icons across the top are symbols of God. There follows a number of symbols representing various stories and events found in the Old Testament. A little further down are Christmas symbols, then come symbols connected with Jesus and the New Testamant. There are a group of four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, in that order. There are forty three symbols and five crosses in the tapestry.
The three words used in the border, "love, joy and peace", are the first of the three "gifts of the spirit" mentioned in the book of Galatians.
The tapestry is a gift to Christ Presbyterian Church, Camp Hill, Pa., where I served as a pastor for 24 years.