Art In-Depth

Transitions: On Sunday you are hailed as a king, by Thursday you are condemned as a heretic and criminal. That’s quite a transition that Jesus experienced according to the gospel accounts. This work depicts Jesus condemned by Pilate and is the first of fourteen works in Miriam’s Stations of the Cross series that took over

Facing a transition moment so profoundly difficult that Luke’s gospel account says Jesus’ “sweat became, as it were, great drops of blood falling on the ground.” An angel appears to strengthen him as he asks for the cup to be removed from him. This painting depicts the scene of his struggle in the Garden of

The ramp going up from the backyard and art studio patio to the main house was a necessity as Miriam’s husband was disabled. It also served as a place to dry towels, feed wildlife, play ball and move from indoor to outdoor spaces. Most importantly, the ramp served as a living canvas for many of

Transitions: In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Miriam, her husband, and her son lived in an apartment complex off Montclair Road in Birmingham, Alabama. This land the complex was built on was part of a cow pasture from the adjacent Baker’s Dairy farm which Miriam often painted. In this work, Miriam is standing in

We’re continuing to explore Miriam’s work through the lens of transition: This abstract piece was done from a scene at the Bryce Hospital (Alabama Insane Hospital) in Northport, Alabama where Miriam attended a Sunday School class her senior year in college at the University of Alabama. The woman depicted would sit and read her bible

Looking at Miriam’s self-portraits through the decades. The first self-portrait was done in 1949 when Miriam was 14. The world was still in transition from war, the economy was uncertain, and Miriam was in transition from elementary school (there was no middle school then) to becoming a freshman in high school. Questions and changes abound

Anyone who has ever experienced a injury, especially those requiring physical therapy, understands how difficult transitions can be from one position to another or from an injured state back to a healthy one. The study and final painting done in 1968 while Miriam’s husband was working through one of the periods of transition captures the

Spring is time of year when the weather and nature transition from dormant to alive. Life also transitions this time of year: students are about to from one phase of life to the next. Building projects begin in earnest. Relationships are publicly committed to and declared. And the list goes on. We’re looking at some

This work depicts the biblical story of Christ’s birth with Crestline Village in Birmingham, Alabama as the backdrop for the scene. Miriam says, “I again was influenced by a show at the Birmingham Museum. The work of William Dunlap with all the letters and words mixed into a Civil War work made a real impression.