Limitless "Againing"

“In the beginning…” Beginning is perhaps the kindest, most sincere and gracious gift God ever conceived.  He had no beginning, that concept was brand new to Him—however, He did not allow it to remain a concept, He began!  He began human history; He began form, light, earth, animals, humans—how is that for a beginning.  But the kindness didn’t stop there, He also allows us an almost limitless beginning, I am at this moment beginning a new day, making decisions about how it will begin and beginning those decisions.   Beginning is Godly; conceived and begun by Him, which means we can always begin; and by grace, begin again; and again; and again  

Ben's "Cubes"

I Can And Can't See

As far as I can tell God is about making all things new, re-new—from what is to what its perfection is.  Now I am sure eternity will usher in many things that are not “re-newed” but altogether brand new.  I believe our mandate in the arts is the renewing part, but at times, He allows us a glimpse into eternity and we create something that rubs up against the brand new.  This seems to be a process of aging eyes that can actually begin to see.  What I see as beauty, the sincere paring away of all but the most essence of, I know I could not have seen 10 years ago.  A great irony is that as my eyes become Spiritual enough to actually comprehend they are also becoming so old I struggle to actually see.  

A Line Made When Lonely 

A Benson Twiggy

The Benson Clan gathered yesterday to spread out our tent, to pull up the stakes and stretch the hides out, to open our door wider and put out another pallet, another stone in the soup, add another twig.  A great-grandson, a grandson, and a son is being added to the tree and we gathered to say, “BOY HOWDY, GOD IS GOOD!!!”  And in the Benson Clan, we mean it!!!  

Preparing To Teach

The goal of every art faculty must be to encourage their students that each attempt they make at art must seek to move craft, the elements, material, imagination, themselves, the viewer and the teacher forward—advancing the idea of aesthetics.  Concept and Art must wait until much later when the burden of these is not so overwhelming as to ensure failure and defeat.  One of the greatest lessons for the teacher is to understand what the student is actually capable of. 

A piece I made about Betty and me working at Red Bird Mission.

A Little Lower Than An Angel

War and politics create history books, art and religion create humanity.  Throughout all of history, art has been the preferred method by which all culture has defined its ideals.  What a miraculous idea art, humans making meaning.  That art exists is one of the most profound declarations that God exists for art, in its most sincere form, is surely an acknowledgment of the divine.  No human is so enlightened, so sincerely in tuned, so deeply conscious of the spiritual that they would have conceived of art for art is like light, art is the grace shared with humans to develop the concept of praise to lay at the altar of Him who conceived of light.

Baloon Arch, Union University.