Transcience, a Reflection on Time

This piece is inspired by the existential thought that nothing really lasts except for our God. Throughout this drawing process, I reflected on the brevity of human life contrasted with the deep love and intricate detail that God has poured into every bit of His creation. I referenced this piece from a photo collage I made, putting together images that spoke to me of the vastness of time and the transitory nature of human existence. 

The woman that is the focal point reminds me of a bridal vampire, a dark soul that will be redeemed when her groom comes, as all Christians will be when Christ comes back to make the earth new and make it all eternal. The moon over the ocean reminds me of the quote from Bram Stoker’s Dracula: “I have crossed oceans of time to find you.”

A door surrounded by a blanket of stars is somewhat similar to The Twilight Zone opening scene - a show that I love for its twists and turns on reality. 

The columns bring to mind the phrase “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” emphasizing the slow patience required for big things to happen. 

The lamp post is another romantic figure in the scene, loosely associated with Narnia in my mind, but also one of the mundane things that show beautiful handiwork when much of our contemporary surroundings seem flattened and dull. This lamp post speaks to me of a nostalgia of the beauty of the past and also acts as a symbol of the light that Jesus brings. 

These reflections on the vastness of time are nothing, however, compared to seeing time through God’s eyes. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8). It’s truly mind-bending yet amazing to think of the fact that God is outside time, that one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day (2 Peter 3:8). 

“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:13-14

Details:

Original, comes with a certificate of authenticity

Title: “Transience” 

Medium: graphite and marker on paper 

Size/framed: 8” x 10” unframed 

Shipping: USPS priority mail, flat envelope, 2-3 business days delivery (free shipping)