Art and the Christian Worldview

Some time ago, I published a post that was little more than a link to a Summit Ministries essay. The essay itself, The Creative Arts — by Leland Ryken, put forth some Biblical perspective on the arts. I titled the post ‘Art and the Christian Worldview.’  That very same day, my blog received more pageviews from search engines than it ever did before. As a student in painting, I am very aware of the confusion that exists in the art world. That significant spike in viewership makes me think there are many people out there searching for some clarity and purpose in what is presented as art today. The arts (that is, everything from paintings to movies, music, creative writings, etc.) seem to always rank very low in terms of importance. And yet, art is such an integral part of life and society and the human condition…we do not fully understand its influence. It is realized through the thinking, creative human mind. It is part of the image of God in us, and it is most powerful when it glorifies Him. It should not be dismissed or diminished, nor should it be elevated and worshiped.

There is far more to be said about art and the Christian worldview. I am no authority on the subject. But I can certainly reference and learn from other sources and people that are authorities (the Bible is an obvious one). I have been reading and asking questions, and thinking of how to write about it here. I strongly feel that, if I presume to call myself a Christian artist, I am responsible and will be held accountable to know exactly what that means.

Updated Drawings

~ Portfolio of drawings in charcoal and chalk ~

Christianity and Art?

I often struggle with the question of what it means to be a Christian and be involved in the arts. A Slice of Infinity always has something for me on that subject. Here is an excerpt from one of Margaret Manning’s articles.

“Christianity wrestles with this same tension today, vacillating between engaging the culture on the one hand, and eschewing the culture on the other.  We see this vacillation specifically with regards to the arts.  Should Christians engage in the arts?  If so, how should we engage in the arts?  Should we have Christian music, art, and literature?  Or should we be Christians who make music, produce art, and write literature?  In other words, do we build next to the pagan temple, or do we replace the pagan temple with a church?”…

…C.S. Lewis once wrote about the value of Christian involvement in popular scholarship.  When understood broadly, Lewis’s words are instructive for a truly Christian engagement in the arts.  ‘I believe that any Christian who is qualified to write a good popular book on any science may do much more by that than by any directly apologetic work….What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects—with their Christianity latent.’(3)  Perhaps building such subtle cathedrals on the landscape of culture is indeed more winsome than making ruins.”

Read more…

Revised Portfolio of 2009

This is the first post in a long while… for good reasons, I promise. The last couple months have had me consumed with school–Christmas, work, and family too…but mostly school. I, and my classmates for sure, could compare the end of the year to a train accelerating out of control, hitting a cliff face at the end of the tracks, crashing and folding in on itself, and then… Hm, seems over the top. Well, the crashing part fits for me, personally. As soon as classes ended, I was struck down with some horrible plague for almost two weeks. It came the very evening when I finally finished the final day of finals. Something inside was saying “Rest or Die!” and ultimately hit me over the head with swine flu…Anyway, you can tell I’m in a good mood now. I’m recovered, got straight A’s, and hopefully somehow a little wiser for it all.

2009 Portfolio Sample Part of watercolor series - print technique using objects and washes, left in the sun to dry

Here in the last few days of the year, I’ve gone through and photographed all my 2009 artwork. It is now my revised portfolio, and I want to catalog it here as a place to refer people. Take a look at the gallery page: What I have to show for 2009.

On a last note, I want to quickly mention my blogging plans for the new year: they include putting together an overdue list of favorite aritists, and compiling favorite art resources that speak from a Christian worldview. In fact, if I could get any kind of organized, I would love to launch a separate art blog… We’ll see how that goes

Encaustic Project: Update

The latest news on my encaustic project: a few more paintings, and a few more experiments. I tried using a wood-burning tool to blend and melt the wax straight on the panel…will report back on just how safe this is :p. Check out the photo gallery for pictures, and let me know what you think!

This seashell painting was made with a combination of wax melted together with heat gun, and hot wax dotted on with brush.

Here, I used a heat gun to create the background, a razor to etch out the fine lines, and a wood-burning tool to blend the water slightly.

Favorite Quotes: Fiddler on the Roof

One of my favorite musicals, Fiddler on the Roof is full of little bits of simple wisdom. We watched the movie last night, and I listed a few of my favorite lines…just for fun ~

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“Tevye: [to God] As the Good Book says, ev…[chuckles]
Tevye: Why should I tell You what the Good Book says?”

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“Villager: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
Tevye: Very good. That way the whole world will be blind and toothless.”

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“Tevye: As the good book says, if you spit in the air, it lands in your face.”

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“Perchik: Money is the world’s curse.
Tevye: May the Lord smite me with it. And may I never recover.”

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“Tevye: As Abraham said, “I am a stranger in a strange land… ”
Mendel: Moses said that.
Tevye: Ah. Well, as King David said, “I am slow of speech, and slow of tongue.”
Mendel: That was also Moses.
Tevye: For a man who was slow of tongue, he talked a lot.”

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“Avram: (gestures at Perchik and Mordcha) He’s right, and he’s right? They can’t both be right.                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Tevye: You know… you are also right.”

Art and the Christian Worldview

I truly believe I have never read anything with more insight about the arts than this essay from Summit Ministries.  The Creative Arts — by Leland Ryken.

Encaustic Project: More Photos!

Please check out the new work in my encaustic paintings gallery! And please comment; I would love to here what you think~~~~

Just cuz…

Anybody see the resemblance?

Encaustic Project: Updated Page

     I finally got around to an update on the encaustic project page. Take a look! 

More pictures and paintings soon to come~~~