Of Paint
and Poetry
On exhibit through December 26, 2021
featuring the work of A.S. Podris
with poetry readings
recorded by the artist/author
About the Artist
Smith Podris works across disciplines, asking questions about the nature of time, memory, and imago Dei. Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the College of Charleston and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Vanderbilt University School of Law. A coastal South Carolina native, she practices law in the Charleston area and is a vocalist on the worship team at St. Andrew's. She lives in Mt. Pleasant with her husband, Freddy, and their four children.
Follow her work on Instagram: @aspodris
Smith is a member of St Andrews and has been writing prose and poetry for many years. More recently, she has ventured into painting and has often joined the two. This exhibit is primarily an offering of poems and paintings that go together.
If you visit: Plan on a little extra time to sit with these lovely pairings and pray. We recommend bringing a journal. This show runs until December 26.
A fire destroyed St. Andrew's Ministry Center in 2018. Smith wrote a poem that lent spiritual insight to our collective experience. That poem, For The Church On Fire, is printed below, with a spoken word recording of the same.
For the Church
on Fire
Somewhere under an inky black sky
the catalyst began its move
and a spark
caught
lit
came to life
and began to burn.
Not a living thing was hurt.
This Refiner’s fire
named the wood, nails, shingles, and plaster
“Chaff"
but called the people “Wheat”,
subject to a different fire.
It is always this:
We, there, inky black in our own mire
the Catalyst comes for us
caught
lit
brought to life
and made to burn.
He is the I Am with blazing eyes
Who burns but does not burn up
So here, now, is our rainbow
of ashes
From the marriage of our baptisms
Fire upon us
As the River of Life pours from us.
Amen.