The Sea Was No More
In the Bible, Revelation 21 describes a transformed new world where “the sea was no more” (Revelation 21:1-4). Growing up by water, I cannot imagine a world without seas. This saddens me because I love being by the ocean and experiencing its beauty and fullness. However, I find hope as the scripture goes on to describe this remarkable new world with no more death, pain, or crying and there will be no sun or moon since God’s presence will provide a new light (verse 23).
In this series, I wrestled with letting go of the familiar while imagining this new reality. Each of the many layers of the paintings expresses this struggle and search for hope. Energetic brushstrokes or spontaneous flow of pigments allude to a vanishing sea and the wiping away of tears. The world as we know it is passing away and being made new. Intricately woven areas of sparkling ground glass, shimmering minerals, and finely sifted gold leaf are faint impressions of the grandeur of God’s light in this new world.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
