Madison College Art Student Finds Divine Inspiration

Off the Wall: 'RA' and 'ALLAH' by Betsy Delzer
By LINDSAY CHRISTIANS | The Capital Times | lchristians[at] madison [dot] com | Posted: Saturday, March 6, 2010 4:55 am

For Betsy Delzer, renewing her teaching license became an opportunity to explore her faith.

Delzer, mother of two and an elementary school art teacher in Middleton, developed the idea of painting images of God during a class last fall at Madison Area Technical College.

“I’ve just recently started to feel like painting is where my heart is,” Delzer said. “What I’m focusing on as an art educator is helping them to see, helping them to notice. When I go home and work, I feel like it’s an extension of that.”

For this show, “Names of God,” Delzer said her exploration of faith and personal expression of creativity came together. “I feel like the holistic person I am choosing to be is all puzzle pieces fitting together,” she said. “I just have a lot of passion.”

Delzer, a self-described “Christ follower,” explored faiths close to and far from her own, from Judaism to Hinduism and Islam. “For the (paintings) outside my faith tradition, I wanted to be true and honoring believers of that faith,” she said. “The ones that were within what you would call Christianity became this expression of myself as a believer.”

For a piece called “Allah,” Delzer started with the concept of compassion and mercy. She thought about spoons, and how the most basic gift we can give to one another is sustenance.

Delzer’s show, “Names of God,” will be up at Michelangelo’s Coffee House through the end of March.

IF YOU GO

What: "Names of God" by Betsy Delzer

Where: Michelangelo's Coffee House, 114 State St.

When: Through March 29

Info: 251-5299