I view my work as a presentation for the truth of Christianity. I combine man-made objects—canvas, paper, paint—with natural objects and subjects—clouds, trees, moss, dirt, rocks—in order to paint a skyscape, draw a tree, or sculpt a landscape. Though my chosen subjects and mediums are ever changing, I am always thinking about how myself and my mediums are related to my subject: I am a creator, using something that was created, to portray what was created by God. This thought process is ever present as I create, even when I am unable to make it explicitly known. The paintings, drawings, and sculptures converse with their subjects and materials. So clearly, to my ears, do they all cry out “I was designed!”. It is my desire for the viewer—as they stand before a painting or wander around a sculpture—to contemplate what that word “design” means. Such a word begs a designer. My work cannot tell its viewers every reason to trust the God of the Bible as the living supernatural cause of everything that began. It simply exists as an example of how everything that begins must have a cause, whether its cause is a painter or a supernatural God. My work demands my mind and my hands. Our universe requires its intelligent Artist too.

CV – Rylie Radtke