My Pilgrimage: From Lost to Found

As an artist, I have always been deeply moved by the world around me. However, during my university studies, I felt completely lost on my earthly pilgrimage; much like the lost sheep Jesus describes in His parables.

During that heavy season, I spent my days asking, seeking, and knocking. Yet, even in those years of feeling lost, God was steadily revealing Himself to me. I titled my graduation thesis, “Searching for the Soul of My Art in the Soul of the World.” It was a deliberate challenge to myself, not just in my art, but in my life. We must dare to ask ourselves difficult, existential questions. As I wrestled with the meaning of creation and searched for ultimate truth, God drew me to Him. He found me.

In that moment, I irrevocably understood the Truth, the Way, and the Life.

Laying Down the Brushes

The realization that God is the ultimate Artist fell heavily upon my soul. I am merely His brush, and He is the painter; I am the clay, and He is the potter.

A year after graduation, God asked me to do something radical: to lay down my tools and seek Him with everything I am. He imprinted Matthew 6:33 on my heart: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” So, I obeyed. I put down my idols faithfully, not knowing if I would ever create art again. I did it because nothing in this world compares to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Now, after three and a half years of waiting, He has opened the door for me to paint again. This return is both physical and spiritual. For a long time, I wrestled with doubt, but I must learn to trust that God has edified me. He has pruned me into a tree meant to bear good fruit. Today, I no longer create for my own glory, but for the glory of the Most High.

Parables on Canvas

My current work is inspired by the parables of Jesus, Biblical scriptures, and the breathtaking creation around us. Whatever God prompts me to make, I will make.

People often ask why I choose abstraction. Especially, my christian brothers and sisters who seem to not understand the language of abstraction. To me, abstraction is a visual synonym for Jesus's parables. Parables require you to look and listen a bit deeper to truly understand. As Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." My artwork will never fully capture the majesty of our beautiful God, but those who have eyes to see will discover the sacred stories woven into the paint. I want these canvases to carry the essence and mystery of the Word of God.

For too long, darkness has corrupted the art world; and for a time, it corrupted me too. Through this new body of work, I hope to bring more of God’s light into this space. I want to stir the hearts of the lost to seek Jesus, and to refresh those who have already been found by Him.

May the Father cover me on this pilgrimage.

May the Holy Spirit inspire the work of my hands.

May Jesus Christ be with me, and with you all.

Amin.