And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.
And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.
The story behind The Mother Of All Living
In the painting, she is not merely looking upward from the darkling clouds of a fallen world, but she is contemplating the Fountainhead of light and being. Her countenance is portrayed so that in looking upon it we understand that she is seeing not merely with her eyes, but with her mind and heart. And because the light above her and around her is kindred to the light within her own soul, we sense that she is a daughter of God; that the light within her is kindred to The Light upon which she looks.
Eve was a mother in a fallen world. Being in a fallen world is bad enough as an individual, but to be a mother in such circumstances is to bring one's children into darkness. Thus, she had the choice that belongs to every mother; indeed, to motherhood: She could focus on the sad and sorry state of things, and set a sorrowing example of selfish recrimination, or she could look to The Light, to the future, and to all the goodness yet to come. She chose faith, hope and charity—the qualities of character by which the goodness and the brightness of that future will be made.
Who could have had more reason to be sad than the Mother of All Living; nevertheless, we see her, here, profoundly happy. The only way she could have such happiness is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The placement and orientation of the figure rise above the darkness of the world, and as we look at Eve our own souls are lifted heavenward. Thus, as Mother of All Living, she lifts not only her own gaze, but the gaze of her children. She lifts their minds and hearts as well as hers. She lifts the world.
Eve is contemplating, or remembering, the great things of God not as something that has been—although that is part of her story; she is remembering the great things of God as part of bringing to pass what God promises. Remembering is one of the most important things we do toward helping to build that promised future, when once again the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, and were shut out from the presence of the Lord, but neither they nor any of their children have ever been beyond His reach; therefore, the light in the painting can best be understood as the Father's hand resting gently, lovingly, on a daughter's sunlit head.
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© By Al Young, All Rights Reserved. You may not print, copy, or reproduce this artwork or make derivative works from it without the prior written consent of the copyright holder. For permissions, please review our FAQ page.From the Newsroom
By Al R. Young
only high-end custom frames
We have framed our own artworks for more than 30 years, and during that time we have provided a variety of framing services to patrons upon request. For many reasons—including constant changes in the availability of moulding styles—we cannot offer off-the-shelf framing options or response times typically associated with such a service. Of necessity, all of our framing projects are aproached, priced, and billed as constuling projects... Read more »
Tags: Into The West, Spring Rain, North Country, The Grey Havens, Journey's End, Looking Back, Enchanted Stillness, Bedtime Story, In The High Valley, The Daydream, Before The Ball, Old Shannon, Pavane, Sweet Brier, Legend, Mountain Home, And I...
By Al R. Young
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2021 October 13... Read more »
Tags: The Mother Of All Living, 2021, Oil paintings and prints
By Al R. Young
the story in this painting
the creation of this paintingThe figure in this painting posed for a Studios photo shoot during the summer of 2008. The figure, the plant material, and the lighting derive from that shoot.
The cloak in which the figure appears was designed and created by the artist several months prior to the shoot. That costume element was not made from a pattern, but was actually created for another painting project, which has yet to reach the brushwork stage.
Posing a figure for a work like this involves the kind of interaction typical of that between a motion picture director and an actor... Read more »
Tags: The Mother Of All Living, 2020, Exhibits
By Al R. Young This blank-book journal sells for $32 (plus shipping) direct from Al Young Studios. Printed in full color on heavy paper, the book is bound with black plastic spiral to rest flat when open.
At Home: A Personal Journal features 128 original artworks consisting of 51 original oil paintings from the Artists of Al Young Studios, 44 images from the Studios' Limited Editions Collection, nine pen and ink drawings and block prints by Ashton, seven of Al's exquisitely crafted pencil drawings, and one lithograph from his private portfolios... Read more »
Tags: North Shore, Nasturtium, Wald Kirche, Scabiosa, Foxglove, Narcissus on beige paper, July, Columbine, Maine, Final Draft, Unfurling, Back Shore, Summer's End, Gifts of Morn, Black-eyed Susan, Land's End, Solitude, The Limberlost, Perdita,
By Al R. Young This blank-book journal sells for $32 (plus shipping) direct from Al Young Studios. Printed in full color on heavy paper, the book is bound with black plastic spiral to rest flat when open.
Inspirations features 163 artworks along with 53 commentaries—written by the Artists of Al Young Studios especially for this journal—on such topics as their creative process, the creative environment of the Studios, technical approaches to their artwork, and inspiration from the works of other artists... Read more »
Tags: Untitled, In the Clearing, Anne Girl, Spring Rain, Journey's End, Enchanted Stillness, Bedtime Story, In The High Valley, Mountain Home, And I Will Not Deny The Christ, Sara Crewe, And My Soul Hungered, 3.00.0246.010, The Road To Melek, We...
By Al R. Young Women of the Old Testament by Camille Fronk Olson is the companion volume to Women of the New Testament, published by Deseret Book in 2014.
The Old Testament volume features fifty six illustrations from the Artists of Al Young Studios, listed here under the Studios' fine art collections and portfolios to which they belong.
From the Women of the Bible Fine Art CollectionFull-color details (cropped images) from the following 17 paintings appeared in the book (in the order in which they appear here)... Read more »
Tags: The Mother Of All Living, The Joy Of Our Redemption, The Protector, Blessed, By The River's Brink, What Is To Be Done For Thee, Charity Never Faileth, A Lamp Unto My Feet, Is Anything Too Hard For The Lord, God Liveth And Seeth Me, Treasure...
By Al R. Young
High-resolution digital copies are available from the Studios for use as illustrations. Use the serial number—appearing below the thumbnail—in requesting permission from the Studios (see links at the bottom of this page for detail).
The correct form of attribution when publishing an image is specified in the license agreement issued to the publisher by Al Young Studios.Guidelines for requests to copy or publish artworks created by the Artists of Al Young Studios
Guidelines for commissioning Al Young Studios to create illustrations
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The original image is available for sale, please contact us for details... Read more »
Tags: The Mother Of All Living, 2008, People and Stories of the Bible
By Al R. Young The Mother Of All Living is the newest oil painting to be added to the line of original artworks from Al Young Studios.
Click here to see a larger image of the new painting, read the artist's commentary, and look at the selection of prints--if any are available.... Read more »
Tags: The Mother Of All Living, 2008, Al R. Young, Legacy, News, Oil paintings and prints, Women of the Bible Art Collection