Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One job of the artist is to open the beholder's eyes to the beauty all around. But first, the artist must have sight. Sight is only possible in the presence of light. Without light, all is darkness regardless of the beauty hidden there. It is God who grants us light by which to see and appreciate this world. But more than that, He gives man Light by which to perceive and delight in the beauty of the eternal. This "Other" light filters into the temporal modern world giving a hope and beauty even in the midst of darkness, evil and pain. It is by that light, by the Light of Christ Himself who came to show us the Father, that I am able to paint both sacred and secular works.

I wrote this poem several years ago in response to the idea of this world being broken and yet retaining the beauty that God vested in it. It also sums up much of my personal view on appreciating this world.

Broken World

Shimmering rainbows in broken glass
Lingering memories of a lovely past
The fading light of a sunset--then night!
These are remnants of beauty in a broken world

Remnants of beauty in a broken world
Fragments of glory around us hurled
Images of holiness and illusions of peace
Leftover loveliness in a world soon to cease

But when dreams become reality
And when time turns to eternity
Then the world that will come
Will be like this one once was

No more remnants of beauty but a garment that's new
And the fragments of glory will be whole too
Instead of images and illusions, we'll see the real thing
And God will say, "It's good!" once again