The inspiration for this print happened a few years ago in an unsuspecting place: the Delaware County 4-H Fair. I was walking around with my sketchbook drawing pigs, chickens, cows, rabbits, goats… an amazing life-drawing experience my teacher invited me into each summer. Walking around the dingy, hay-filled stalls and collecting the scent of manure and fried dough on my clothes, I was looking out for any sheep or goats that might be sleeping so I could draw them for a few precious minutes before they inevitably stirred and woke up. I came across this goat that slightly resembled an old, weathered lamb and immediately felt an awakened sense of the Lord’s presence. This goat laid peacefully in this humble, dirty stall, almost in a pose of acceptance, knowing of its future sacrifice. I knew I needed to draw this creature and later create a print in reference to the Christ, the Lamb of God.
Isn’t this so often how the Lord finds us– In the most unexpected and sometimes very dingy spaces of daily life?
I’m still experimenting and praying with this print, and also thinking of tying into the tradition of Christ referred to as the ultimate and final scapegoat. Stay tuned for a possible added layer to this image!
