Published on Sep 15, 2014

"Self Deception"

Leslie's journey has been far from societies structured path but has definitely made an impact in the lives she has come in contact with. Her rough start as a youth growing up in the Midwest and assorted horror stories of racism and the pursuit of happiness in hopes of 'finding' herself while dealing with being a minority, female and an artist. The odds of her surviving and thriving were close to zero as she tried despairingly to find meaning at the end of alcohol bottles, drugs and shallow relationships.

After a long summer of narcotics and after years of having her eyes set on the eclectic city, San Francisco, she applied for a loan and packed her bags. Upon arrival she finally felt like she had found her home and a place where she could invest into her art career. Unfortunately, her vices would steer her several years in the opposite direction. 

It all started with 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant: because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
"After prayer God gave me a vision of a girl sitting on a red couch with ivory carvings of lions waiting for the perfect moment to prey upon her."

The couch resembles an open mouth with white teeth ready to sink into its prey and a red tongue from which she makes her throne. The ivory carving resemble the things that the world has to offer to distract one from the deathly reality it hides. Her arms outstretched reflect the way CHrist's arms were extended across the cross as she offers herself up as an unworthy sacrifice. Notice her eyes are blind from her own surgical dissection of her pupils because she no longer wanted to see the truth. The red cloak she wears represents the blood of Christ. It was once full and glorious but now taters and torn from her internal spiritual battle and only memoirs remain in hopes to manipulate through her exposed flesh. She has taken off the crown Her Father once gave her and placed by her side because she wants to be the 'god' of her own life as depicted in her necklace. A smaller crown that hangs a noose yet surrounded by two rubies as a reminder of her great value. Her rosary reflects her deep desire to worship God but clouded by her religious approach and the black beads reveal her black heart. 
Romans 1:24-25
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

The baby skeleton on the right represents the death of her innocence and the one on the left represents abortion as he serves her the time she selfishly wanted to keep. The demons approaching from the darkness are the spirits she has invited to torment her by each choice she makes. 

Matthew 12:43 43"Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. 44 “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45“Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

She invites lust yet her ghastly flesh presents her exhausted soul. Her jaded expression exudes coldness with lips that want to cry out for help but pride keeps her restrained, imprisioned and muted. She is unaware of her purpose. Oblivion has produced death and that is seen by the skeletons under the couch. We all have skeletons in our closets.

Isaiah 1:18-20
18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land;
20 but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Artwork by Melissa Leslie. Directed by Chris Crutchfield