OUR BEAUTIFUL CHURCH

(below) Martin Luther King weekend, January 2016                                                                     Our Beautifully painted front doors. Thanks for this photo, Mary Grogan!      

Alison Deal shares the mystical experience she had when creating our wonderful ‘stained glass’ windows. She writes:

I have written this story as it happened to me.

Approximately ten years ago Sausalito Presbyterian Church started having art shows in Thompson Hall. I was intrigued by the idea of having a show of my own. My fellow choir members encouraged me to sign up for a month so I hesitantly did. I had only recently begun practicing my art again. I had re-found the media of soft pastel and remembered learning pastels as a child. The moment I picked up a piece of pastel the creativity I had lost for many years while working as an Interior Designer exploded out of me onto the paper. I was thrilled to do my art again and had many photographs waiting to be drawn.

So I signed up for a show that would start on Easter Sunday.  I had several months to prepare. I began to collect pieces for a cohesive show.  One Sunday I was sitting in the back of the sanctuary during church, which was unusual for me since I usually sat with the choir in front, on the side. This week we weren’t singing so I sat in the back in full view of our beautiful sanctuary. I noticed the curtains in the back of the altar and wondered what was behind them. I also noticed that there was a piece from the current artist showing downstairs on an easel in the altar area. I thought that was really nice and wondered if I could also put a piece of my art up in front during my show.  After the service I went up and looked behind the curtains. What I saw through the diamond shaped mullions was San Francisco Bay and Angel Island. I thought it was a shame that the people sitting in the sanctuary couldn’t see the view of “angel island.” It seemed so appropriate.

I went home to my yacht in the harbor and threw my self into my work. In fact I threw myself into a fall and broke my left foot. For the next six weeks I was forced to strap on a walking cast and hobble around, which wasn’t easy. I decided to keep the show focused mostly on my sunsets. I am not a morning person. Most of my skyscapes are evening pictures since I’m rarely awake to see the sunrise. I worked and worked to get the eight or more pieces done . . . read more

(right) Alison Deal’s lovely creation from Sunday, August 23, 2015. She writes, “It was particularly pretty to me today! My great aunt’s handmade tablecloth, candlesticks donated by the Thatchers, Sherwood’s (Sherwood Cummins) inspiring sermon reminding us that actions say you are a Christian. We ran out of (welcome) loaves by two!”

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