"...where morning dawns and evening fades /you call forth songs of joy..."

The painter whose first allegiance is to God approaches the issue of ‘why we paint’ far differently than the secular artist. The question of relative worth is already answered for us, for we understand that there is an absolute standard to which Man must adhere. That makes many of the deep questions of 20th century art less significant to us.

However, there is also the realization that we are unable to approach the depth of meaning, the beauty and the singularity that our Creator has invested in the universe. So if we paint merely to record God’s majesty, we’re doomed. Try to mix the indigo or green in which the sky is cloaked at dawn and you’ll see what I mean. Within our current technology it’s hopeless.

I paint because it’s the only thing I really know how to do. Since I believe this lopsided brain was a gift from God, it’s my responsibility to use it. I also paint to celebrate the magnificent gifts God has given us in this natural world, in our brothers and sisters, and in the intricacies of human relations. If I keep my relationship with God foremost, I remain unimpressed by myself, and in that space wondrous things can happen.