Artist Statement
Art has the power to transcend the limits of our understanding; it is an avenue by which we can see and know God. As Don Hudson writes in his essay, Is Art Necessary for the Christian? “We understand ourselves, our world, and our God through analogies (symbols)” such as paintings. What I understand about the world as a Christian is that, “the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth”(Romans 8:22) in anticipation of restoration. I have hope because of Christ, but around me there is still destruction, despair and suffering. I am full of joy because of the security of a loving God, yet sorrowful for the pain that still ravages the earth. In myself I find that I am broken before a perfect and holy God. At the same time, I am made complete because Christ was broken for me. Mindful of these paradoxes, I paint the fleeting sun passing through wind blown leaves or the pain of loss captured in a face. These moments are beautiful and simultaneously marred by the brokenness and frailty of life. The colors are vibrant, exciting the senses, yet the marks made on the canvas are broken and incomplete. There is beauty in the brokenness. Art has the ability to speak to the viewer where words will not suffice. The language of art has the power to stir something inside that would otherwise go unnoticed. It is here that I seek to depict the hope of redemption, restoration and beauty that is evident all around us.
