Artist Story: Nate Christenson
Art and faith have been two core foundations for me throughout my life. It is no wonder then, that they have intertwined and strengthened one another as I have grown as an artist and follower of Jesus.
At first glance, the presence of my faith might not be immediately obvious in my illustration work. Though I am not opposed to it, my path through personal and professional illustration has not led me to create depictions of biblical scenes. But with a closer look, I think it is possible to trace the veins of faith that flow beneath the surface.
A strong example of this underlying faith can be seen in my book: Explaining Future Scars to Your Past Self. The book is a collection of drawings and written reflections on traumatic experiences. It explores the pain and darkness we encounter in life, as well as the glimpses of light we can sometimes catch in hindsight.
One of the drawings from the book, titled Out of Body, is based on a near death experience I had as a child. It is still a vivid memory, for me and it is impossible to capture the weightlessness of a soul departing or the intensity of eternal light that I experienced. So I used a mixture of ink and graphite powder to capture the contrasting heaviness of our bodies and the relative darkness we live in.
In the piece Psalms for the Poor, I used mixed media illustration to go beyond my personal pain and explore the brokenness of our world. Art can serve as a powerful tool to challenge and convict. It is especially evident with some of the Old Testament prophets, who I view as early performance artists. Yet in this piece of artwork, I am more interested in asking questions than in giving any kind of answers. I think there is value in presenting a selection of imagery and letting the viewer partake in the creation of meaning.
In Reflecting, I draw from a different set of experiences and try to capture the beauty of God’s creation. The swirling pattern of colors in the trees, the symmetrical reflection of still water―these are aspects of nature that inspire joy and wonder within me. My job as a visual artist is to capture these observations by simplifying down to their essence.
As beings made in the image of our Creator, I think each of us has been given the capacity to be a creator in our own way. I see it as our responsibility as faithful servants to invest our gift of creativity and let its blessings multiply for God’s glory and the good of the world.
I believe we are called to be creators in a culture of consumption. It does not matter how small you feel your gift is, or how far off it is from conventional art forms, it is always worth investing. Jesus talks about something similar in the Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14-30). The key is to identify the form of your creative gifting and to nurture it faithfully over time.
Ultimately, whether I am exploring pain, brokenness, or beauty in my art, I am creating from a yearning for what is to come. It is a yearning for a place where there is no more pain, where what was broken is restored, and where beauty is eternal. This is the intersection of art and faith―creating from and into the New Creation.
Nate Christenson is an illustrator, living in Ecuador, and working at a Christian camp ministry. He is married to Britta and they have a daughter named Josefine. Find more samples of his work at nate-christenson.com