The Word Mural

This mural is titled “The Word” by Kent Twitchell and is found on the side of the science building at Biola University in La Mirada, CA [map]. The mural was originally painted in 1989-90 with the assistance of the Biola art department. “The Word” depicts Christ extending the Bible to the viewer. We learn in John 1 that Christ is the Word made flesh and the Bible is referred to as the Word of God, so I believe the title of the mural is referring to both.

The Word Close-up

The shadow work is fantastic and creates the illusion of a third dimension by showing, in shadow, the Bible in His outstretched hands. The building is two-stories high so I would estimate the height of the mural to be around 30 feet. The width, including the shadow is around 50 feet. [click the images to enlarge]

Christ Teaching

This mural is called “Christ Teaching” and is found on the grounds of the San Gabriel Mission towards the back of the Campo Santo Cemetery on a wall near the museum [map]. The original was painted by Buckley McGurrin. Hendrik Keyzer, Professor emeritus of chemistry, renovated the mural in 2004.

The Tidings Newspaper said, “The triptych features symbolic images including the Tree of Life, Noah’s Ark and crosses, as well as animals from Eskimo, Australian, South American and African cultures. Many other details make the mural specifically Californian: an image of the first locomotive in California, a verbal musical scale and flowers in the hands of Dominican teaching nuns. Butterflies and moths loosely connect the three panels.”

In the upper left-hand corner is a medallion with the image of Junipero Serra, the Franciscan monk best known for planting the missions in Southern California. The right-hand pane of the mural seems to have an image of St. Gabriel the Archangel. Picture taken with env2 cell phone - no flash - on July 5, 2008. Estimated size is 10 feet tall and 16 feet wide. [click the image to enlarge]

Statue Close-up

This picture is a close-up of a statue located in the center of the San Gabriel Mission Cemetery located in San Gabriel, CA [map]. A depiction of Christ holding a cross, the statue sits atop a monument with the inscription, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” in both English and Spanish as well as the fact that it was placed their in 1918. It features a “Sacred Heart” emblem on the chest and a large cross in the left hand.

Statue Full

The cross has been repaired and the patch can be seen just above the depiction of Christ’s left hand. The second image is a full-height shot of the statue. I would estimate the total height around 12 feet and the width around 3 feet, depth at around 2.5 feet. I took this picture using an LG ev2 cell phone, a 2 megapixel camera with no flash, on Saturday June 28, 2008.

[click the images to enlarge]