You may have seen video clips of an elephant using its trunk to paint. Is it really making art? Would it paint without human helpers?  

God’s WORLD News Design Director Rob Patete suspects the elephant just paints to earn snacks! “I don’t think it’s art for art’s sake—for beauty’s sake,” he says.

People are made in the image of God. He is the master Artist. He equips us to make what is good and beautiful. 

Mr. Patete’s wife, Christine, is an art teacher. She says, “Using your creativity gives God glory.” 

Artists teach us to pay close attention to God’s world. Vincent van Gogh shows us a new way to look at the sky. Do all those swirls in The Starry Night suggest wind or his topsy-turvy feelings? Maybe both? 

Rembrandt van Rijn points us to the power of light and mercy in The Return of the Prodigal Son. Most of the light is on the repentant son and his father. The son kneels in rags while his father welcomes him home. The father shows his affection by placing his hands on the son’s back and shoulders.

Grace Carol Bomer is an expressionist artist. Her art reflects her faith. She says Jesus uses images like “pearls and doors and seeds to describe who He is.” He Has Prepared A City For Them shows people laboring in a field. Mrs. Bomer says that while we work hard in this world, the gold sky reflects that our true hope is in God. The title is taken from Hebrews 11:16.

Each person is one of God’s works of art. And He lavishes His love upon us. Vincent van Gogh once wrote in a letter, “There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”