I boldly set out, at the beginning of Summer ’08, to set aside six hours of creative time each week over the course of my two and a half month hiatus from teaching high school English. I was only somewhat successful. But on one of several exceptionally beautiful, crisp, Cincinnati mornings, sitting outside my favorite coffee shop in the company of a tasty mocha in a mug, I arrived upon a certain purpose behind the art I do:

Create beauty Dwell in depth Foster redemption

CREATE BEAUTY
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The first title attributed to God in the Bible is “Creator.” Several verses later, God declares that men and women will be created in His image. It is these two truths that lead me to believe each one of us, in the image of God, possesses a certain propensity to create, whether our creation be new human life through procreation, our own sustenance via growing and preparing food, or artistic expression derived from invisible places within us. And while I don’t posit that our respective creations are perfect as was God’s so many years ago, I’ve found that I must create, as it speaks to my human identity.

DWELL IN DEPTH
Richard Foster says “Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people” (Celebration of Discipline). I can’t make the claim that I’ve never dwelt in the pit of superficiality; in fact, I’ve probably spent more of my life proportionately there than in the authentic places I now strive for. But I’ve found that superficiality is the ultimate waste of our time. Our primary need as human beings is connection with entities outside ourselves, and the pull towards superficiality robs us of true connection, as we extend ourselves from places of arrogance, detachment, and perfectionism rather than from the depths of humility, dependence, and courage. Art is, to me, an expression of how in need of humility, dependence, and courage I really am.

FOSTER REDEMPTION
We are people in need of being restored, redeemed, brought back from the tired, dark, sad places we often dwell to places of hope, courage, and faith. I hope my art serves an agent of redemption, both for me as I create it and for those who find it. Traditional Christmas carols began to take shape as subjects of my art when I first realized they speak juicily of this redemption, especially in rarely-sung later verses…

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace,
Hail, the Sun of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Now He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new-born King!"

O Little Town of Bethlehem
O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel

Silent Night
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from
Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth