"I love lighthouses. The severe, uncompromising life of service lived by lonely
lighthouse keepers possesses a special dignity. Poised between the last
outcroppings of land and the vast expanse of the ocean, the lighthouse has
become a profound symbol of human life, poised as it is between the transitory
and the eternal."
"The moral order of God’s universe is like an exquisite tapestry; the
foundational values of the good life interweave in a seamless whole. In my
Life Values Collection, I explore the connections between these divinely
inspired values. Perseverance,the first issue,considers life as a voyage
through stormy seas – a test of faith and a demonstration of God’s
sustaining love.
COURAGE, my new Life Values painting, expands on the
metaphor of a sea voyage, bringing us to the moment of divine inspiration,
when God graces us with courage beyond the merely human – the resolve we
need to overcome any obstacle.. I make full use of a vocabulary of personal
artistic symbols to convey this message: God rewards our perseverance with
His gift of courage. Our lone sailor has come within sight of a lighthouse;
the beacon of divine love will guide him to shore .Smoke curls from the
chimney of the keeper’s solid brick cottage, hinting at domestic comforts
within. A sublime radiance breaks through the clouds, embracing the boat in
its holy light.
I painted COURAGE at a time when I was especially grateful for God’s
hand of deliverance in my life. May it remind you that courage is, truly, a
gift from the Almighty."
