Things Seen & Unseen pt.1 Gravity, Love, and God

The Orion Nebula, 2023

Oil paint on canvas

9"x12"

People often ask me who my favorite artist is? Whose work was the most inspirational and influential in my development as an artist? That answer is easy - hands down, my favorite artist of all time has got to be God! Since God is the creator of the “every-everything,” I consider Him to be the original Master Artist.

Yirah, 2020

Oil on canvas

20” x 16”

I am always struck by God’s color choices - they are fearless, sometimes counter-intuitive, and always awe-inspiring. In short, Jehovah’s color palette is wild! Consider a sunset - red and purple; orange; yellow and blue, can all blend together creating the most perfect masterpiece. This should not be, according to the human rules of Color Theory, and yet… there they are. To me, these visual displays are a declaration of God’s power and glory as if to say: “I created all that you see, the Earth, the sky, even the colors themselves, and I will use them however pleases Me.”

Crooked Trees with Starry Sky, 2022

Oil paint on canvas

8” x 10”

Last Wednesday, February 1st, I installed a new show at Lyfe Coffee Roasters and Public House. This was very exciting for me for two major reasons: number one, I’m honored that Lyfe has invited me back as one of their featured artists; and number two, this show is another opportunity for me to share my art (and its message) with the public. At first glance, the pieces which I selected for this display might seem totally random. There is a large portrait, two crazy nebula paintings, and a single small landscape. While these works may initially appear to have nothing in common, there is, in fact, a strong unifying theme. These particular pieces were chosen with a specific plan in mind, that plan - to showcase God’s crazy color palette!  

Lately, I have been infatuated with God’s color choices; both His choices in the visible, as well as, the invisible realm. The recent pictures from the James Webb Space Telescope brought this to my mind. JWST revealed, to the world, images of the farthest reaches of space in unprecedented clarity and in spectacularly vivid color. This was thanks to the telescope’s infrared technology which permits us to see colors and details beyond our own visible spectrum. JWST gave us a tiny glimpse into the true nature of God’s creation. It revealed that God’s art is bursting with rainbow explosions of intense color, even more beautiful and spectacular than we could ever see or comprehend. All of the images from the James Webb Space Telescope are incredible, however, a handful in particular commanded my attention with their outstanding beauty. One of those special images was of the Orion Nebula.

In my online searching, I happened upon this photograph by Bill Schoening. 

(noao-02677 by Bill Schoening June 30, 2020  Credit: Bill Schoening/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA image retrieved from: https://noirlab.edu/public/images/noao-02677/)

This lovely purple image of the Orion Nebula is actually not from the JWST but I found it utterly enchanting. I am not all together sure what it was specifically that attracted me to this image. Perhaps it was because I am familiar with the constellation Orion. I have noted the stars of Orion on many occasions (particularly his belt) but I have never noticed the splendid nebula which occupies the same corner of space. After some reading, I discovered that the Orion Nebula is supposedly visible from Earth, with the naked eye. Did you know this?! I sure didn’t! Ok, it’s not blinging purple, more of a small bright blobby… but still, how did I never notice it? Perhaps my interest was aroused from this surprise, or perhaps my attraction was less complex. I love the color purple and this photograph revealed the Orion Nebula to be a dreamy cloud of swirling purple tones. Whatever the root of my attraction, one fact remained - the more I contemplated this image and the more I worked on the painting of it, the more I loved it.

In my contemplations, my mind kept returning to the idea of the “seen” and “unseen” realms. I have never seen the Orion Nebula and yet it exists. I will never be able to see the beautiful purple colors of this nebula unassisted and yet, they too are very real.  This idea got me thinking about other things that are very real but exist beyond our visual perception. I have often heard folks express the sentiment, “I’ve got to see it to believe it,” but there are many things in this world that we can not see but that are absolutely present and very real. Take gravity for example. Gravity is an invisible force but the power that it exerts is absolutely real. Applying the “I’ve got to see it to believe it” principle to gravity would be a serious mistake. If I jump off of a building, for example, I will hit the pavement. This fact is true, whether I can see gravity or not and whether I believe in gravity or not. There are plenty of other things in the physical world that we can’t see but that we, as intelligent people, accept - microorganisms, molecular bonds, sound waves, even our very own DNA are all invisible and all perfectly acceptable. 

But what about matters of the spirit? What about faith, or love, or God? Should we discount these things simply because we cannot see them? According to the Bible, faith is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  (Hebrews 11:1 NIV). This sounds a lot like what I know about gravity. I cannot see gravity but I have absolute assurance about the consequences of jumping off of a building. I am confident in what I “know” about gravity because I can feel gravity’s pull on my body and I have witnessed the impact that gravity has on other objects. In short, even though I cannot see the source or force of gravity I can detect its effect. 

“So what does gravity have to do with love or God?” you might ask. Great question but, consider for a moment, are gravity and love so very different? I know that love is real the same way that I know that gravity is real. I cannot see the force of love but I can feel its impact. I can detect its effect. I have witnessed love pass from one person to another through words and actions, and I have watched those words and actions impact their lives in a very real way. I would argue that this is evidence of God. The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:16 that “God is love.” You see, Jehovah God is not just a god of love but He Himself is love. Period.  Verse 16 continues with, “whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16 NIV). If this is true then we can not call ourselves Christ followers unless we live our lives from a place of love. Christians are called to be ambassadors of God’s love because every act of selflessness, and charity, and kindness is evidence of God. 1 John 4 even goes on to say, “no one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”  (1 John 4:12 NIV). 

The idea that love flows from God, through people, might sound a bit woo-woo or poetic but consider for a moment the very real things that come from love. Take charity for example. True selfless giving comes from love and its impact is very tangible (just ask anyone who has ever been in need). And in the same way that love is invisible the source of love is invisible. I have never seen God face to face, but I have felt His love, I have seen the impact of His presence, and I can feel the hope that He has placed in my heart. This power is as real as gravity and, though I have never seen love, I have witnessed it change my life.

P.S. Did you know that God loves you? God has loved you since before time began. He loves you so much, in fact, that He sent His only Son to die for you. If you would like to experience the fullness of God’s love, first hand, all you have to do is accept His Son Jesus into your heart.  You do not need a Preacher, Pastor, Elder, or Priest to do this. You can accept Jesus anywhere and at anytime. Simply say: “God, today I turn away from my sins. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die for me. Please come into my heart and live with me all of my days - Amen.” That’s it! Now YOU are a Christian and an ambassador of God’s love :).