Randy Horst

2025 was the 500th anniversary of the founding of the Anabaptist movement, part of the Radical Reformation in Europe in the early 16th century. As part of ANABAPTISM AT FIVE HUNDRED, MennoMedia published the ANABAPTIST COMMUNITY BIBLE. Randy Horst was one of five artists who were commissioned to contribute new artwork to the Bible.

Anabaptist Community Bible

For the ANABAPTIST COMMUNITY BIBLE each artist selected passages from a list of New and Old Testament options. In response to each of his 10 passages, Randy Horst chose to focus on hand gestures, poses, expressions, and actions that explore the Biblical narratives on a very personal level. In addition, each image includes three other visual componentsThe Omnipresence of God and Christ
…as represented by a circle – often a symbol of eternity – with a Greek cross within, and with the letters of the Hebrew spelling of Yahweh (YHWH) superimposed on the circle at each end of the cross.Creation
…as the ever present setting for the Biblical narratives and represented by animals and/or plants, which often have their own individual symbolic meanings as well.Human Cultures
…that through their rich variety inform our reading of scripture and are represented by patterns inspired by designs – often from textiles – from cultures across geography and time.Symbolic references within individual images for Creation and Human Cultures are listed below the images in the Gallery.

Gallery

OLD TESTAMENT

Job
The barbed wire suggests subjugation and pain, while the water lily is a symbol of rebirth, purity, and enlightenment. The pattern in the shirt is inspired by Persian textile designs.Psalm 139
The nuthatch is a symbol of protection, ingenuity, and memory. The background pattern is inspired by Chinese textile designs.

Psalms 150
The passage ends with "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord," thus the addition of the two song birds. The background pattern is inspired by Japanese textile designs.Isaiah 11
Here Christ holds an olive branch laden with 'fruit', while also holding in harmony a Monarch Butterfly (butterflies are often a metaphor for Christ because of their metamorphosis) and an Anole Lizard (a natural predator of the Monarch). The background pattern is inspired by architectural screens from India.

NEW TESTAMENT

Matthew 26:52
The white poppy flower in the right hand is a symbol of peace and life, offered as the alternative to the 'sword' in the left hand. The background pattern is inspired by Navajo textile designs.Luke 6:6-11
White roses symbolize sympathy and new beginnings, while the lurking praying mantis is a symbol for the Pharisees. The background pattern is inspired by Yoruba textile designs.

JOHN 4:7-15
The sparrow symbolizes Christ’s willingness to care for the vulnerable, as well as Matthew 6’s reference to God’s care for the ‘birds of the fields'. The background design is inspired by Java textiles.COLOSSIANS 3:1-17
Paul's call to live in community is embodied by the hands entering into cooperative structure of the Bumblebees and flowers. The background leaf designs are inspired by French textiles.

HEBREWS 9-10
The lamb symbolizes Christ's ultimate sacrifice. The Lebanon Cedar sprig is inspired by Isaiah 11:1, which speaks of a shoot becoming a full tree, symbolizing the full glory of the Messiah to come. The background pattern is inspired by Mennonite and Amish quilt designs.REVELATION 12
This passage is filled with vivid and poetic symbols. The image focuses on the very beginning of the passage filled with expectations and promises later fulfilled. The cloth pattern is inspired by Korean textile designs.

This artwork was first created on an iPad by drawing white marks on a black background, thus simulating the visual style of wood engravings. Those jpg images were then converted into vector files in Illustrator and further edited. Finally the God and Christ symbol and pattern designs were added as vector graphics.

About

Randy Horst is a retired art professor, having taught visual art and art history for over 30 years in Ohio, Montana, and Indiana. Teaching art history and leading student tours in Europe was part of the inspiration for this body of artwork.Randy's mixed media and collage drawings inspired by Biblical and Christian figures are part of a long standing series called INSIDE VOICES.

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