In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

Artist’s Interpretation:

“This was the painting that opened the unexpected door to this project. Beginning, faithlessly, with a blank canvas, the dark colors took on a muddiness that nearly caused me to give it up. There was nothing to go on. There was no life, no light. A jar of blue hit my eye, then the white. In the middle of the spiraling mess I had begun with, I began brushing mad, chaotic strokes. I noticed that the light was beginning to take on a life of its own. Forms were developing without my intent or effort. A fish, planets, birds, unrecognizable things, the subconscious desire to create broke through the doubt. I was amazed. This was becoming something! The creatures and the light formed their own Genesis as I painted it. When the dove of the Holy Spirit appeared in the upper corner, and the cross in the center, I was surely not in control. I had done my first painting completely on faith.”

September 27, 1999