On Earth as it is in Heaven

Artist's Statement

The visual portals, so central to these works, are rendered in various states of appearing and vanishing, offering glimpses of transcendent moments. Some of the portals seem completely natural while others are more enigmatic. Each is conceived as an access point to fresh ways to consider our relationship with Heaven and with Earth.

If we think of Heaven at all, it’s probably as a metaphor. For some, “Heaven” might be shorthand for a certain state of consciousness or a hoped-for resting place as a reward for a well-lived life. For others, Heaven represents “Eden restored”

But if “Heaven” is not just a figure of speech, where can it be found? Where should we look? Conventionally, we think of Heaven as UP THERE, or as an eternal destination. This implies that our Earthly experience must be DOWN HERE. That suggests that Heaven and Earth are separate and will never intersect. Or, as famously suggested by Yoko Ono, we might simply try to:

“Imagine there’s no heaven,
It’s easy if you try,
No hell below us, Above us only sky”

Personally, I’m not sure if that describes Nirvana or Nihilism, since either view sets up a false dichotomy. Heaven isn’t necessarily the opposite of Earth, or vice versa. We don’t have to deny one to connect with the other. Consider for a moment the notion that Heaven is actually in our midst, just not fully realized. We certainly acknowledge the imperfections of the present world and of ourselves; granted, “things aren’t the way they are supposed to be”. Despite these shortcomings, transcendent, heavenly moments may suddenly appear when we quiet ourselves, when we look closely and feel deeply, when the promise of the sublime, the heavenly, miraculously shows up.

The works that comprise “On Earth, as in Heaven” are my latest invitation to see beyond normal boundaries. Of course, the classic concerns of landscape art are still active in this new work: beauty, conflict, and the search to find our place in the universe. Our longing for intimacy with something greater, something “True”, keeps catching the peripheral vision of our hearts. In these new images, quite unexpectedly, “there it is”. We may even sense the reciprocal desire of the Heavenly to be intimate with us. Are we willing to risk and receive what is being offered and to be part of making things whole?