Laughing Silently

Remnants of White

"Perhaps we sit in a starry chamber of silence,

while the laughter of the heavens is too loud for us to hear."

G.K. Chesterton

Orthodoxy

     Perhaps being an artist means having an ability to say,"This isn't working", laughing silently, and beginning again. The finishing touches have been made to The Stone, my first book. The brushes are at rest. The final illustration, however, was not working. Finally, I admitted it... aloud. As I prayed, re-read the story, prayed more, I saw an image... something whimsical. I laughed silently.

Here is what I sketched: 

Art comes from a moment in time when materials collide; ordered chaos that allows 'shared time' between the maker and the viewer.

 

The Logs of Lebanon

The Stone will be available soon.

click here for more

Making Visible Words

     William Hazlitt said, "There is a feeling of Eternity in youth..." Perhaps that is why youth returns when we make art; we participate in something that extends beyond us. I have observed a curious thing- give a group of serious-minded business people watercolors and in a matter of moments the surrounding atmosphere will shift... giggles may even be heard. The making of things brings a mysterious joy into the moment, a joy reserved for child-likeness.

     Art is a conversation that, as Suzanne Farrell puts it,

"reminds us how good life can be." 

     I was raised by God-fearing parents who lived out their faith. At an early age I began reading the Bible and discovered something that, for many years, has determined the direction of my art:

Words, rightly ordered, strike a ring of truth that awaken the Soul. 

     And so, I paint The Word. As I read Scripture I wonder, "how would I visualize what I am reading?" The literal words, Hebrew or Greek, are integral to what I sketch. Here are a couple of recent thoughts made visible:

Concept Sketch

 

 Isaiah 28:16

In Progress

Watercolor and Gold Leaf

Concept Sketch

 

 

 

Hiram's Capital

 Bordered with Hosea 14:5

 Clay, Paint, and Gold Leaf

 

     I would be honored to make an original work of art for you, whether it be a personal piece for your workspace or prayer closet, or a large center piece for your family room. I could 'make visible' your favorite Scripture, bordered with the original language, in watercolor, oil, ink, or a giclee tradigital image.

 

Let's begin the conversation. 

 

 

Lately, my wife and I have been receiving requests to place our art on Church bulletins. Here are a couple:

 

 

Let me know if your church is interested in our art as well. You can contact me at-

 

mrcarter56@gmail.com