Rise Up —
by Dan Daugherty

Description:

Rise up, A Sculpture in Honor of Jessica Maddox Sept 24 1985 ? Dec 11 2012 Isaiah 40:31 tells us: They that wait upon the Lord will mount up on Wings as Eagles. And in our lives, we are all faced with difficult times. When this happens, we must rise up from the ashes and move on. This is the inspiration and story behind this Sculpture, My Latest, entitled, ?Rise up?. Just about the time I was getting ready to begin this piece, My Niece Jessica died suddenly in her sleep at the age of 27. All I could think of is how Jessica brightened the lives of everyone around her, and the word ?Overcome? came to mind. This is when I decided to Honor Jessica with my best efforts as I worked on this Sculpture. Jessica and I had many conversations about getting past obstacles, overcoming what life seemed to always throw in the way, and we prayed about these things. Once Jessica set her mind to it, she would rise up to the occasion and Meet it head on, and with Prayer, she overcame everything in her way. As I worked on this Sculpture, I met the difficult parts head on with prayer and a spirit of overcoming as Jessica would have, and everything seemed to fall into place easily. Most of this piece was created from the steel pieces removed from a broken double recliner sofa. The Head was created from a Broken Engine stand tube, and the base was created from a Brake Backing plate from a Pick up truck. The Base represents the Smoke, Fire and ashes that we need to overcome and rise up from. The Volcano is an incense burner providing the visual smoke. Lava flows down into two candles to provide flame and illuminate the Sculpture. There is another incense burner under the ash field near the front. As the Eagle has risen up out of the ashes and floats on the wind high above troubles of the past, the wings balance from side to side and the head moves around as if looking out for more danger. I hope you enjoy this Sculpture, And are able to ?Rise up?, overcoming the troubles that lie in your way.