My wife Jackie and I had the pleasure to meet Mr. David Clayton, artist-in-residence at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, NH at a lecture he gave this week in New Hampshire. David is a fine artist, teacher, and creator of The Way of Beauty blog and program at the College.

He posted comments on 9/9/11 on the connection and application of artistic traditions within the American experience. His blog was posted on The New Liturgical Movement’s website and is attached here: www.newliturgicalmovement.org.

David has a quality to his artistic perception that needs to be mentioned as valuable for all of us to emulate – and that is – let us examine all that is around us and see the patterns of beauty that are there and draw from them a deep sense of contentment, order, inspiration, and spiritual nourishment.

Natural and artistic life and expression in all its forms may speak to us of the patterns, harmonies, and flavors of reality that express the beauty that was created by God. A sensitive eye and soul is able to distinguish, with a little tutoring, the wheat from the chaff.

God’s palette and palate are perfect – but, even in our artistic weakness and imperfection we must try, in imitation of Him, to replicate what He has laid out for us.

I especially would like the members of the Institute’s Sacred Needle Arts Guild to enjoy the article as a means of inspiration for their own work. Also, Adam Wood’s comment which is at the end of David’s article speaks of applying these ideas to music and he provides a sample of his work, too.

Copyright © 2011 Deacon Paul O. Iacono All Rights Reserved