“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. God saw that the light was good and he separated the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:1-4
Light. It is essential for life, and literally informs our understanding of the world around us. More than that, light holds timeless spiritual significance. Light has the power to reveal truth both in the physical and spiritual realm. However, light can so easily be taken for granted and seemingly overlooked.
My goal in this series of artworks is to further explore the use of light itself as a medium, the variety of applications of light usage, and the inherent symbolism associated with light and the human experience. This series, specifically Light & Shadows, Dynamic Light, and Light & Space, manipulate the use of light itself as a medium. Light & Shadows invites the viewer to participate and change their experience based on where they choose to position the light and what filters they choose to use while engaging with the piece. Dynamic Light and Light & Space similarly explore light and can be programmed to provide different experiences by the use of various patterns and colors of light. Views of My Children: El, Gar-Bear, Rev-Train, and GoGo Jubilee, utilizes layers of plexi-glass with screen-printed portraits, painted portraits, and handwritten words that capture light and provide a variety of experiences for the viewer based on the angle that the piece is viewed. These pieces seek to manipulate the use of light itself as a medium by utilizing it to convey a specific human experience. Lastly, Light from Within also aims to capture light as a medium, and is meant to hang in a window space. This resin sculpture affords a unique experience for the viewer as the appearance of the sculpture will vary based on the available outdoor light.
My hope is that viewing these pieces will inspire a newfound appreciation and observation of the power and possibility of light. Light can not only illuminate truth; it can completely change one’s perspective. . .a phenomenon that holds true both in the physical and the spiritual.
Thank you!
Sarah Dove
