A Wonderful Art Lesson
Right now, Joni and Friends is offering my Christmas cards, and one shows my painting of the star over Bethlehem. When I rendered it, I wanted the star’s light to emanate right off the canvas. It meant using color in a special way – after all, we know that light is comprised of color (rainbows prove that :-). And so, in the middle of the star, I painted a small touch of white; then, with a tiny paintbrush, I began encircling the white-center with the colors of the spectrum in their proper order. I worked so carefully, that you cannot tell where one color blends into the next.
As a result, when you step back from the painting, it appears as though the star is glowing. And you know what’s amazing? If you paint the order of the color-spectrum incorrectly, the glow disappears. It doesn’t look like light. This trick of painting light is not original with me; the French impressionists were the first to use color to convey light in a painting. I just borrowed their idea. But I tell you something that is original. As I painted that glowing star, I thought about Jesus’ words to his disciples, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Jesus could’ve said, “You are the color of the world. Bring joy, bring gladness, and bring love in my Name to people in this dark world.”
I’ve shown this painting of the glowing star to many visitors who come to the Joni and Friends International Disability Center and take a tour of my art studio. It’s an art lesson everyone enjoys learning. So today, don’t forget, bring color – glorious color – by lighting up your dark world with the Savior’s joy.
