This series of digital photographs is inspired by the art of Japanese Ikebana, focusing on the quiet poetry of simplicity, motion, balance, light, and form. This project combines some of my favorite elements of drawing, sculpture, photography, and design.
I developed this series in the jungle of Northern Peru, surrounded by the beauty of nature. Many of the people I had the opportunity to meet had strong spiritual connections with nature, and I was inspired to share how I experience nature as a Christian. If the flowers worship God in all their beauty, then how much more beautiful must He be in His perfect holiness. This series also explores the way a flower’s beauty only lasts a short time, but God displays a beauty that is eternal.
“Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord…”
Psalm 96:12
The Hebrew word that is used in this verse to describe the fields (עָלַז “Alaz”) is translated to words related to joy and rejoicing; however, this Hebrew word often describes a more complex, powerful expression of worship through movement and dance. This series of photographs creates a visualization of this rejoicing (Alaz) as a response to God’s sovereignty.