When the sea is no more...

We live in what is called the Blue Planet because water makes up 71% of our world. I have long ago formed a profound connection with this staggering truth having grown up surrounded by the sea in the 7, 641 islands of the Philippines; I am in constant awe of the beauty, majesty, and power of the sea.

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Water is purity. Water is life.

 

Yet, its unfathomable depths can also hold uncertainty, danger, and death.

 

In the Book of Revelations, it is prophesied that the day will come where there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and that the sea will be no more. We can try to imagine that there will be a better expanse of waters where there will be neither danger nor death. There will be no more uncertainty or troubles, but only peace and rest. There will always be Selah.

 

Selah is a Hebrew Word used in a Psalm or prayer to signify an essential pause so as to carefully examine, measure, and value what has been said. Although there will be a perfect rhythm in what is to come, we can practice Selah now by finding a good rhythm of work and rest here on earth – move and pause – modeled well by the creation that surrounds us, like the sea.

 

I’ve expressed the composition and colors of the waters through ink on paper. The paper is cut all over as if it wanting to get free from its limitation of being simply a flat paper. The creation process includes detail, care, control and waiting. It is about finding a good rhythm between letting go and taking control of the movement and the mixing of ink and water. There’s so much delight in seeing the colors move and blend. It is about having a good collaboration with my materials, experiences, imagination and all the senses of being.

 

Longing for something more leads us to pause, close our eyes and pray - a desire for the beauty of the mountains, perfect love or paradise.

 

Whether the waters of life are calm or stormy, learn to rest and meditate. Listen carefully, even to what is unsaid.

 

See beyond what is visible.

Stare at the blues of the sea, a reflection of the clear heavens.

Watch the rising and setting of the sun where the invisible spectrum of light reveals itself.

Listen to the waves of the waters and discover an unseen reality.

 

Reflect. Breathe.

Selah.