A Labor of Love

A block of wood

testifies to a sister's talent

and love for a saintly foundress

	Most people looking at a block of wood or stone see... a block of wood or stone. But Sister Eileen Tomlinson apparently thinks like the great Renaissance artist Michelanglo. According to legend, Michelangelo said that when he looked at a block of marble, he saw the figure within, waiting to be released. Last winter, Sr. Eileen looked at a large log of walnut wood and saw more than what met the eye. She saw Mother Maria Anna Brunner, the Swiss-born foundress of the Sisters of the Precious Blood. And she soon went to work to free her! The Sisters of the Precious Blood have had no shortage of talented women, artists who work in almost every medium. But Sr. Eileen's tal­ents range across an incredibly wide artistic spectrum: oil, acrylic and watercolor painting, pen-and-ink illustration, calligraphy, sculpture and wood carving. Trained as an artist and an art teacher for many years in Ohio and California, Sr. Eileen "retired" to Salem Heights in 1997. Since then she has been the unofficial artist-in-residence at the mother-house, in constant demand for her artistic work. Among her most recent creations were the illustrations in the commemorative booklet prepared to honor the 2007 sister jubilarians, and illustrations in the assembly report produced by the general council and presented at the June assembly.
The newest statue of Mother Brunner is just one in a long line of smaller predecessors. For several years now, Sr. Eileen's statuettes of the foundress, in different sizes, have graced displays in congregational events and have been given as gifts to sisters for special occasions. Because of the demand for the statues it was impossible for Sr. Eileen to keep making them herself. From her original sculpture, resin copies were made, but even now that they're commercially produced, Sr. Eileen still adds her personal touch: she lovingly hand colors each one. When Sr. Eileen heard that the congregation's Maria Stein Center was looking for a statue of Mother Brunner but was short of the funds estimated for a large piece, she volunteered to help. She knew she could make a carving large enough for the shrine's outdoor statue garden, but felt that a smaller statue for indoors was manageable. The time commitment and sheer physical labor involved in transforming a large piece of wood into a finished statue is considerable. Wielding a heavy carver's mallet and carving tools is a challenge at any age, and Sr. Eileen recently celebrated her 90th birthday. But she was undeterred in beginning this labor of love. "I guess I am just so fond of Mother Brunner that I felt I wanted to help out," she explained. A donor provided the large walnut log—almost 3 feet tall and 17 inches in diameter, the log weighed more than 60 pounds. Unfortunately, the log was greenwood, or "wet." Normally it takes seven years to dry out wood sufficiently to work with it for a sculpture. But Sr. Ei­leen didn't have the luxury of that time: Maria Stein Center was hoping for its Mother Brunner statue soon. After the log's arrival in December 2006, it was set aside to dry for a month. Randy Siler, a Salem Heights grounds-keeper, used a chain saw to remove the bark and outer layer of wood to allow Sr. Eileen to work on it, and brought it up to her fourth-floor art studio. She devoted up to two hours a day on the carving, from mid-January through most of April. Although the wood had some cracks and was badly split in places, Sr. Eileen wouldn't give up on it. She consulted an experienced woodworker who told her how to fill the cracks. That done, she touched up the filled areas with paint and finally rubbed the finished piece with a good coating of paste wax.
Those who view the statue agree that the cracks and imperfections in the wood add a special beauty to the work. This rustic Mother Brunner, complete with her Swiss bonnet, laced apron and shoulder sack of bread, has a mature look about her, weathered by life's pain and grace. She also has a sweet smile— not unlike that of her carver. Currently on display at Salem Heights, the carving will soon find its place at Maria Stein Center, where a fall dedication ceremony is being planned. Sr. Eileen's labor of love will soon be enjoyed by many pilgrims to the shrine. The statue is a tribute to its carver's talent and love for the CPPS foundress. It is also an enduring tribute to the devout widow and mother whose love for the Eucharistic Christ and for the poor planted the seeds for what became the congregation of Sisters of the Precious Blood.
	This lovely statue is now 'at home' in a special niche at Maria Stein Center.  We hope you visit soon to enjoy Sr Eileen's creation and also to pay special recognition to Maria Anna Brunner --a woman with great love for the poor.

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