Capturing Creation from the Beginning
August 2, 2023 8:00 pm
Capturing creation from the beginning was unfathomable for me. How would I represent this in any tangible form? I chose to depict angels as God’s emissaries and hope that they would guide me in this impossible task. Perhaps not Biblical, but the idea of angels draws me towards God, so He might say they are “good” enough? Genesis 1-4 are all on rotating bases made from wood and stained to appear as though covered in water. The finish on the “Lazy Susans” also looks like clouds or sky: a nice surprise and fitting for my intent. I have spent most of my life painting, but my new explorations in sculpture allowed me to capture more of what I imagine when I read Genesis 1. My favorite 3D part of all these pieces is the “glow.” The use of literal “light” (for me) captures a greater sense of God’s presence and power “in the beginning.”
Capturing creation from the beginning required that I imagine the world as it began. Beauty springing forth from nothing. Time nonexistent and then existing. Liminality birthed. I then attempted creating what happened “in the beginning.” The viewer can spin the sculpture to view it from all angles as well as reposition the 3D elements to change the composition to their liking. The components can be rearranged to satisfy one’s view of all things “in the beginning.”
Capturing creation from the beginning is a liminal task. It requires that I consider the birth of time and the expanse of time. From “Right Now,” I feebly attempt to capture “What Was” and “What Will Be” in all its enormity. My Genesis Creations are about the very first moments in time, but they are also about the time we presently live in: we still have light, we still wonder of how we came to be here on Earth, and we still ponder the presence of God in all of it. My Genesis Creations are about all of time at once. I hope the viewer will look at each creation and have a sense of Yesterday, Right Now, and What Will Come to Be. While this is a faint attempt to capture something incredibly illusive and beyond me, I feel the three dimensionality of these works allow one to ponder the different thresholds of time more easily than a two-dimensional creation would allow. I hope this blog, and its accompanying art, inspire you to wonder and dream about how time began and where time will bring us next. Join me in accepting this invitation to capture creation from the beginning. May we find ourselves in the liminal space between the past and what will come to be. May this space fill our “Right Now” with awe and wonder.
Click Here to See Genesis 1-4 on Exhibition
Click Here to Read About Genesis 1-4 in the Episcopal Journal
