Echoes from Eden
So, I'm sure you are wondering, "Why the title, 'Echoes from Eden'?" Quite a number of years ago, I was writing and contemplating on art and beauty and some of the esoteric things that artists can ponder on. "Why is it important to make art?" "What does beauty bring to the world?" "How can I justify the pursuit of art rather than something seemingly more 'useful' to society?"
On that day, I had a realization that eventually became central to the way that I work and why I create art. Adding more words can complicate the explanation sometimes, so I'll just post a snippet of what was written in my journal at that time, and let you, dear reader, mull it over.
"All of the beautiful things in this world are echoes from Eden. They sound out and then expand, echoing like ripples spread out across the pond of our world. It makes our heart ache when we see it, because our deepest parts know what we once had and let go."
I believe, quite simply, that God created the world. That everything he fashioned, he created and molded as a master artist (including us, which I know is sometimes the hardest thing to believe). I believe that when we see this beauty, it shows us a piece of His heart and His intentions for us (which are good, not tame, but good). It shows us what he meant Eden to be like. And the things in this world that just echo inside of us as wrong, are meant to feel wrong, because it was never God's intent for us to experience death, sickness, loss, and pain.
Just as it's hard to hide who you are when you make a piece of artwork, it's hard for me not to see who God is in an amazing redwood tree, or the waves crashing against a Scottish cliff, or the stars spread out like diamonds above the Saharan night. And when the sunset ends too soon and the beautiful flowers that were gathered withered and died in their vase, we experience a miniature loss because Eden wasn't supposed to end.
I create art because God put that same creative instinct in me. Try as I have in my life to set it aside, to tell myself it doesn't matter, to try and hide it and my deepest heart for fear of getting hurt or rejected, I just can't anymore. It burns inside of me too much, and I have to create because it's quite simply what I'm most passionate about.
So welcome to my page. This is where I will be transparent and honest with you. I can't help but to put my feelings and dreams and thoughts on the world into a painting or a print. I hope you see and understand, and that it allows you to start to see the world as it was intended to be.
