At first glance, the viewer notices that these figures have nothing to do with the well-known Catholic Stations of the Cross. Those images are about Christ's passion, death and entombment. These stations are different. They are not a mockery, nor an ironic "play" on the Stations. They stand alone. They are, in fact, not paintings of the "stations" at all, but reliquarios, or even closer to the point, memento morii.

Artists for centuries have used the Stations of the Cross format as a structure for their work. One of the more extreme examples of an artist’s individuality expressed in producing the "Stations" is the set produced by Barnett Newman from 1958-66. Those stations are made up of simple raw canvases with one or two vertical lines in black and white – a masterpiece of minimalism. They display restricted formal means, cross-referencing between the paintings and spiritual ambitions. The paintings have an ability to express a great deal with limited means. This group of paintings was one of the many influences on David’s "stations."

When one does the Stations of the Cross, it is a powerful way to contemplate, and enter into, the mystery of a gift given to us. It takes the reflection on the passion out of one's head, and makes it an imaginative exercise. It involves one's senses, one's experiences and one's emotions. To the extent that one comes to feel simply the love given to oneself, by one person (Jesus), by others (in this case, dogs) - to that extent, the gratitude I feel will be deep. Deep gratitude leads to real generosity and a desire to love, and the recognition that I have been loved. With this point in mind, why not use dogs?

One can contemplate one reliquario a day for two weeks. Or, one can do several at a time, and just do them when one gets the chance. One can do all 14 at a time, and return to them in their imagination as one does them. Just go from one reliquario to another. When "arriving" at a reliquario, begin by looking carefully at the image itself. Click on the image there to enlarge the photo. See what one has to do with the other. Look at how they are arranged and consider what the artist who created this "station" is trying to tell us about the data there.

The most important thing to remember is that this can be as personal as one would like it to be. One of our common struggles is to realize that we are not alone. That can be deeply consoling.

Remember, this is an imaginative exercise.

Gregory Skraznas
http://home.mindspring.com/~gregskra/