Issue #10 Feature Artist: Shane Grosso
TURNED PEACE
by Shane Grosso
Bowl cut from the crotch of two oak branches struck by lightning in 2018 on our Air Force Base. These trees can be up to 200 years old. Photo courtesy of Shane Grosso.
“My peace comes through that unusual blending of human creativity, man-made machinery, and Mother Nature’s product.”
I feel an unusual belonging to things that don’t normally fit together. This thought comes to me as I write. A bit of self-reflection never hurts.
I am a biker, gardener, veteran, and woodturner, having spent half of my life in the U.S. Air Force, I’ve learned these things (in no particular order) have impassioned me, provided me peace. Through the stages of life, different paths brought peace. Overall, family, hard work, self-reflection, and the Lord God almighty constantly pave the way to the tranquility that shielded me from everything else. Using those paths as foundational pillars enables me to keep my resolve, providing stability through chaotic world events.
Peace
We all need it in our lives. Some pursue, some collect it, and some may not know they’re looking for it. However, those that find peace may realize it may be found on many different paths. It is in finding peace that life becomes truly beautiful. Peace brings an inner serenity that shields us from life events. What brings you peace?
There is little that compares to the exhilaration, awareness, and danger when riding my Harley Davidson- arguably one of man’s greatest inventions. I ride, interacting with natural and man-made environmental beauty utilizing all the five senses—the peace of the road.
While in the garden, I feel peace through solitude, nurture of the soul through nurturing the land. This is selective care of living things, meaning trees or plants I like opposed to weeds and bugs. The fight between good and bad. The peace and balance of Mother Earth.
Creating wood-turned art blends the peacefulness of my two other hobbies. When the Earth’s trees run their natural course and fall, two things can happen: They biodegrade or be made into something else. Enter my shop.
There is a danger to loading an irregularly shaped 20-pound log, spinning on a machine, into something close to what I envision. I have to be aware of the wood telling me where it’s natural beauty or flaws are. Man’s machines are influencing natural products. This is where my inner peace comes- In the woodshop exercising creativity, knowledge, and mental and physical skill. My world problems go away.
My inner peace comes in the woodshop exercising creativity and knowledge, mental and physical skills. These skills were passed onto me, and I am passing them onto my kids. Hopefully, my art, while given or sold to others, can be passed down throughout other families’ generations as well.
My peace comes through that unusual blending of human creativity, man-made machinery, and Mother Nature’s product. I hope everyone finds the inner refuge and peace that God has blessed me to find.
Cherish your peace.
Collection includes: a bowl and three mushrooms from a Kansas fallen plum tree, a live oak vase, bowls and wine bottle. The small cup was made from a Texas cedar tree that fell on a friend's farm near Abilene. Photo courtesy of Shane Grosso.
A collection of live edge art. Live edge work includes some of the bark or outer portions of a tree that were not touched during the cut. The Christmas trees and snowmen have a live edge while the bowls do not. Each provides their own beauty and attraction. Photo courtesy of Shane Grosso.
Resources
We’ve created a free downloadable PDF to explore the article deeper. It contains discussion questions about the topic in general terms that will give you a jumping-off point for beginning a conversation.
The second page contains a way to see the topic from a biblical perspective.
And finally, to go deeper into the subject, we have chosen a few curated resources to explore from other authors’ and thinkers’ research or perspectives.
Read. Engage. Enjoy!
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Depending on how a gem is held, light refracts differently. At B+PC we engage in Pop Culture topics to see ideas from a new angle, to bring us to a deeper understanding. And like Pastor Shane Willard notes, we want “…Jesus to get bigger, the cross to get clearer, the Resurrection to be central…” Instead of approaching a topic from “I don’t want to be wrong,“ we strive for the alternative “I want to expand my perspective.”
So, we invite you to engage with us here. What piqued your curiosity to dig deeper? What line inspired you to action? What idea made you ask, “Hmmm?” Let’s join with our community to wrestle with our thoughts in love in the Comment Section! See you there!