Debbie Wagner is an artist who lives in Bennington, Kansas. She paints every day, often working on a series of themed subjects. One of her most important series is her sunrise paintings. Debbie has been painting the sunrise nearly every day since December of 2005.
The disruption of her eyesight and the subsequent discovery of two brain tumors in 2002 resulted in parallel surgeries to remove the pear sized meningiomas. As Debbie recuperated, she realized there were internal changes and limitations she would have to accept. The abilities to multi-task, read novels, write fluently, use mathematics, and sleep through the night were restricted. However, her visual acuity increased several fold, similar to the sensitive touch a person develops when they go blind. Debbie began a journey into her art, a place she was able to find sanction and release from the mental struggles that challenged her.
One morning in December of 2005, the sunrise was so intense and colorful that an overwhelming feeling of good fortune--the chance to rise up and enjoy one more day--made Debbie wish she could somehow record the blessing she felt. That’s when she decided to try painting the sunrise. Upon completion, she realized the painting said everything she was feeling, and thus began her daily journal of recording the sunrise and the colors of the morning.
After many months, word spread, and Bergen’s Gallery in Salina asked her to hang a sunrise show. Debbie had not thought about selling her sunrises, but the exhibition and the resulting commissions demonstrated how much meaning many of us attach to a sunrise or sunset.
It is amazing how much a person learns when she is persistent in an activity. Debbie continues to document the sunrise, and in retrospect, there has been so much for her to learn about the physical aspects of the sky: colors, seasonal changes, timing. But perhaps the evolution of the intangible aspects has been the most rewarding. Every morning is different. The reactions of others to a special date such as a funeral, anniversary, or birth shows how eternity is revealed in a sunrise. Our most important events are tied with our reaction to the weather, and we pray for that incredibly beautiful morning for our weddings and special days. The morning sky represents the beauty of life and hope.
It is always interesting to see the appeal of different sunrises. Each one of us has an ideal in our mind of the glory of the sky. For some, it’s a stormy sky--for others, it is the strong colors. Still others are drawn to the tranquility of a serene sky. For Debbie, the chance to wake up one more morning and celebrate a brand new sky, one she couldn’t have imagined, is an incredible way to commence her day as a recipient of God’s grace.
The disruption of her eyesight and the subsequent discovery of two brain tumors in 2002 resulted in parallel surgeries to remove the pear sized meningiomas. As Debbie recuperated, she realized there were internal changes and limitations she would have to accept. The abilities to multi-task, read novels, write fluently, use mathematics, and sleep through the night were restricted. However, her visual acuity increased several fold, similar to the sensitive touch a person develops when they go blind. Debbie began a journey into her art, a place she was able to find sanction and release from the mental struggles that challenged her.
One morning in December of 2005, the sunrise was so intense and colorful that an overwhelming feeling of good fortune--the chance to rise up and enjoy one more day--made Debbie wish she could somehow record the blessing she felt. That’s when she decided to try painting the sunrise. Upon completion, she realized the painting said everything she was feeling, and thus began her daily journal of recording the sunrise and the colors of the morning.
After many months, word spread, and Bergen’s Gallery in Salina asked her to hang a sunrise show. Debbie had not thought about selling her sunrises, but the exhibition and the resulting commissions demonstrated how much meaning many of us attach to a sunrise or sunset.
It is amazing how much a person learns when she is persistent in an activity. Debbie continues to document the sunrise, and in retrospect, there has been so much for her to learn about the physical aspects of the sky: colors, seasonal changes, timing. But perhaps the evolution of the intangible aspects has been the most rewarding. Every morning is different. The reactions of others to a special date such as a funeral, anniversary, or birth shows how eternity is revealed in a sunrise. Our most important events are tied with our reaction to the weather, and we pray for that incredibly beautiful morning for our weddings and special days. The morning sky represents the beauty of life and hope.
It is always interesting to see the appeal of different sunrises. Each one of us has an ideal in our mind of the glory of the sky. For some, it’s a stormy sky--for others, it is the strong colors. Still others are drawn to the tranquility of a serene sky. For Debbie, the chance to wake up one more morning and celebrate a brand new sky, one she couldn’t have imagined, is an incredible way to commence her day as a recipient of God’s grace.
