Re-Creating God’s Creation
I love interesting stories; especially those we uncover as God’s creation is explored. Recently, I read about the growth of woodland foliage and learned something unique about tree canopies that I am excited to share with you. Did you know that way up in the tree canopy many varieties of trees keep to themselves? As the wind blows, they move together, yet remain within their own space. They exist without touching their neighbors. This is known as “crown shyness.” There are a few theories about why this phenomenon occurs. But no matter the reason, a beautiful thing takes place. The trees allow each other room to grow and receive needed light. When you stand under them and look up, the results are truly awe-inspiring!
While at first glance, this may not be the best metaphor for how to live together as followers of Christ, this “crown shyness” does reveal the beautiful complexity of how the world was ordered through God’s powerful spoken word.
Lately, I have been looking for this beauty; trying to capture His creation in my sketchbooks. As I take visual notes on the landscape around me - from car windows, my front door, or on walks along the beautiful Susquehanna River - my eyes seek out the infrastructure of the trees, the variations of the color green, and how the changing light repositions my focus. I have learned that once you put your observations on paper, it is hard not to notice similarities across differing seasons and spaces. What a blessing to find the beauty of God’s design in a scraggly grove of winter trees, the contrast of dark tones kissing peachy pinks in the remaining leaves, or in the abundant leafy goodness towering above a creek bed; variations of warm and cool greens momentarily winking in the sunlight! These have been a blessing to me in my sketchbooking odyssey!
Creating Beside My Father
Until his recent homegoing, my brothers and I provided daily care for our father and his beloved cat - Darcy - following the passing of our mother. After faithfully serving as the primary caregiver for his beloved bride, it was apparent that Dad now required the care of his four children. During his final days, Dad moved into an assisted living/ memory care facility at Country Meadows-Leader Heights in York, Pennsylvania.
Leading up to his final days, I intentionally gathered a sketching kit to accompany me on my recurring visits. Sometimes, I found myself sketching from the front seat of our car looking down on the geese in the pond below the parking lot. Other times, I sat on Dad’s bed looking at the trees outside his window. But increasingly, I just found myself sitting beside him, sketching the cat or maybe a reference photo, and enjoying quiet moments together. “It is not a lonely life,” Dad told me clearly and I believe him. I know his Heavenly Father kept him company and guided him through his final days here on earth.
As I look back through each dated sketch, I see a literal reminder of God’s faithfulness in providing me a means of expressing joy amid the sadness of observing my father’s decline. As I turn the pages, I smile to recall Dad’s sage comments on my real-time sketches. He lovingly spoke pertinent truths to me about my “dribbles and colors.”
Different Approaches
Have you experienced the joy of capturing the smallest of moments on paper in the midst of a busy day? My happy place has expanded through the use of bits and pieces thrown into my sketching kit. No matter the purpose of your sketchbook, many of you understand that the materials available to you control how you express your appreciation of what you see. How does what goes into your sketchbook inform your finished work? Is a thumb-nail illustration enough to guide you in creating a painting? Do multiple quick studies inform a single creation? Do you sketch in handmade journals, branded notebooks, or on an available napkin? The artist’s process is an exciting world of possibilities!
I’d like to share with you a look into my sketching kit. This is what I have found works for me: I have two bags of art supplies. One small and one large. In a touching way, each reminds me of my Dad and his hiking days across the great Smoky Mountains. Into his small side bag, I slip a small Winsor and Smith 10-pan watercolor kit, a water brush, three Derwent watercolor pencils, a black Stabilo pencil and a handful of Caran d'Ache Neocolor II crayons. In this particular satchel, a 5x8” landscape sketchbook fits best, although I also include a booklet of watercolor paper as a place to begin my play.
Dad’s larger hiking backpack holds two sketchbooks, a Daniel Smith watercolor kit with 12 pans, a Caran d’Ache 12 pan set of gouache, Neocolors I and II, Derwent Inktense pencils, and soft pastels. A visored cap, soft towel and collapsible water cup, large clips and a roll-up brush holder complete the ménage. Sentimentally, Dad’s bear whistle and stale granola bars still float in the front pocket next to tissues, fresh snacks, and a water bottle.
There is a certain satisfaction about taking your studio with you. There is joy in exploring God’s good creation, lingering in observation, and participating in the practice of re-creating it through new and familiar mediums. And that joy is multiplied through the discovery of unexpected beauty in landscapes mistakenly believed to be ordinary. How lifegiving it is to have the immediate means to express gratitude for God’s good gifts through individually unique sketches! For me, a few of these sketches will eventually be adapted into larger works, while others will remain in my sketchbook and smile (or wink) back at me.
The Purpose in Process
Why write about sketching? Isn’t the real goal to complete a complex work of art? Maybe because, like our sketches, we are all working through a process, too. We live in an already, but-not-yet world. Sin keeps us far away from perfection but our Lord is in the process of making us each into something beautifully new and gloriously unexpected. Positionally, we are His workmanship - His masterpieces - and we bring our Creator great joy! But we realize that God is also graciously restoring us; sanctifying us to better reflect Him.
As visual artists, we have the opportunity to encourage each other in our walk with Christ. We can inspire one another to express God’s glory by re-creating glimpses of His amazing grace in our lives and through our work.
Have you experienced the joy in sketching, painting, and collaging? In our artwork, familiar routines and considered ideas take on new life. As our hands move, we marvel at the natural world and wonder at the thought of unfamiliar sideroads. How much greater do we “taste and see” the goodness of God’s work by expressing it visually? In doing so, we imitate our Heavenly Father’s creative process and proclaim His glory.
A Space to Safely Grow
Do you remember those shy treetops I mentioned earlier? If we consider their example, I believe there is a metaphor for how we live our own creative lives in community. When the wind blows, crown shyness has a way of protecting various species from damage. It also encourages growth by guarding smaller trees from overshading. As part of the Poiema Visual Arts family, we can offer encouragement and care for each other with the comfort that we have experienced in Christ. We can help each other grow in His light and invite one another to look up and see the beauty of our Creator. Though we create differently, together, we can proclaim the truth of Ephesians 2:8-10:
