The Painting Specrum - Why Beauty Matters

When I logged into my blog account this morning, I was stunned that it has been almost six months since my last post. I could use summer as an excuse, but since the summer weather didn't really start until mid to late May, that leaves about a two month gap in my excuse. I could use the reasons of teaching a painting class, or having displays - but my friends who know me, know that wouldn't fly either. There would still be gaps unaccounted for. However, if I dig deep within myself, I have been on a soul-searching mission in regards to my art. Not just what I paint - but my creative process and where that actually comes from and where my art is going from here.

Did I ever tell you that I love the town I live in? Like many other towns and small cities, it's not perfect. However, not only does it border the ocean, have incredible late spring, summer, and early fall weather, but a good number of people take pride in our towns appearance. For example, numerous people take pride in their homes. It's not solely because we live in a financially affluent area, (even though many of us are not wealthy), but many homes are old sea-captains estates, accented with lush bushes and prolific flower gardens. Many of these homes are located on the side-streets where I take my daily walk.

When I say something is "beautiful", what I'm describing is a quality of the world that God has infused into all creation and what humans do with that creation. The three characteristics usually given in descriptions of beauty are:
 - Unity or Harmony
 - Particularity
 - Awakening of Desire

For example, take a beautiful latte espresso - work with me on this one and read on. First, all parts are well unified: the bean variety, the ground, water temperature, milk, the timing to make the beverage, the foam, and the loving care with which the espresso was made and served. The harmony of the latte-ness if you will. Secondly, the espresso is exactly what it needs to be. We love it for what it is - it's not a cappuccino, or a macchiato. Lastly, the beverage provokes the latte lover pure joyous outbursts. The latte awoke in us a desire for another one, perhaps tomorrow.

Beauty stirs an ache of longing in our hearts. A longing for a sense of order in our lives; a sense of my unique place in the cosmos, and a sense of being caught up in something larger and greater than myself. The power of beauty lies in the extent that we find something beautiful - whether it be a chocolate bar or a huge European cathedral. Beauty invites us to desire an experience of order over the forces of alienation and loneliness.

Likewise, to the extent we experience particularity, it invites us to long for the God of our understanding through our works of culture-making. Daily reminders are needed because the dissolving, homogenizing forces in our lives are powerful. Overly hectic schedules, broken and/or strained relationships, acts of self-sabotage, and other such realities rob us of the sense that each good thing in this world is a gift from God.

I am rededicating myself to beauty. We have the abilities within us to see beauty - and to make beauty shine - from all sorts of things, even broken ones. We just have to refocus our energies. Dreams, goals, and aspirations are important and worthwhile. However, they cannot be the number one or sole focus of our life. We need to look inside as well as outside of ourselves. I can only hope that my paintings and other art works God inspires me to create show love through them.

Until next time,
Jill