Inspiration

“The wild and formidable beauty of the outdoors has always stirred my soul. To experience the immense expanses of western landscapes is awe-inspiring.

For instance, the high-altitude prairie, which backs up to the mountains, features huge sprawling basins that gently rise and fall in elevation. An array of grasses, with varying shades of green and yellow, sweep over its vastness. Often swathes of blue, white or yellow wildflowers intermingle the gentle slopes. Groups of pronghorn dot the landscape while red tailed hawks glide on the warming currents. Occasional coyotes and fox, searching for prey, can be seen on their meandering hunts.

As the day passes, mountain thunderstorms build to advance over the prairie which vie for dominance over the vast blue skies. These ensuing storms create endless transitions of tone and color through the changing shadow and light. Later, as the rains begin to fade and evening sunlight breaks, a double rainbow appears against the exiting storms.

Nearby, autumn snows now blanket the high granite peaks, while below, white columns of towering aspen support a canopy of shimmering gold. After the rains, the fresh aromas of the forest and its ground cover fill the air. It is there that the evenings calm is suddenly broken by the haunting bugle of an elk echoing down the canyon. Then, after a silent pause, comes the ethereal reply of another eagerly accepting the challenge. Every day, these pristine places, bring new stories with marvels and beauty much too numerous to take in…

For me, creation speaks a “divine” language. Far above any words that humanity could muster. It gives a constant flow of wisdom throughout each night and day. Listen to what the Old Testament scriptures say about it…

“Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” -Psalm 19:1 

This divine “voice” pours out of all creation, an eternal echo from the moment it was brought into being. Nature is a most powerful and beautiful language that speaks of something exceedingly greater than itself. 

Our ancestors understood this clearly. The ancient Hebrew word for “nature” (teva) means “the mark of an artist on its work”. In other words, “Nature” itself reveals the “nature” of the all powerful being that created it. As such, it is a way to gain the understanding that he does exist, who he is, and his deep desire to connect with us.

“For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made.” -Paul the Apostle

To see nature in its purest form, untouched or marred, brings a certain depth of understanding about the creator. For me, his creativity reveals a wild and honest freedom along with a heart that delights in beauty and order. It is through the purist and most perfect of love he wants to share both it and His power with us all. It is this very thought I am hoping, through art, to emphasize.”