Lift Up Your Eyes

Lift up your eyes on high and see,
who created these.

– Isaiah 40:26

This was the passage I was given to illustrate: the marvel of creation, and a moment of awe in perceiving it. A starry sky, spacious and blue, immediately came to mind. With open assignments like these, in which the editor gives me no direction, I’ve learned to go with the first image that pops into my head.

I love to combine warm and cool blues. Here we see dark ultramarine blending into a lighter, warmer hue that approaches aqua toward the center of the image, where the above verse was ultimately printed in large type. Moving outward, I pushed the blue the other way, toward purple in the clouds, and then to bluish-black in the corners.

Dwarfed by these large shapes are the humble creatures riding on the palm of their Creator’s hand: a man, a fox, and a little tree. I don’t know why I chose those things. The little bits of color variation they provide – teal leaves, clay-colored skin, burnt sienna fur – are like a sprinkling of spices that complete an otherwise dull meal. The contrast of large and small, and of these bits of other colors, completes the design.

The Book of Isaiah has long been a source of wonder. For both Jews and Christians, it’s full of mystery, as the line between prophecy and poetry blurs. Isaiah lived in troubled times, and is also believed by some scholars to be two people who lived in two different centuries. Regardless, he was an educated man, as many prophets were – part historical analyst, part weather forecaster, part intuitive, part orator. I’m no scholar on the prophecies of Isaiah, but I carry within me a deep impression of his writings, which both intrigue and puzzle me.

And that impression is dark blue. It wasn’t until after the assignment was done that I realized I had illustrated a long-held personal vision. Standing before the spacious expanse of Creation, we feel part of something larger than ourselves. This expansive mindset is what I feel when I read Isaiah’s words, and what I hoped to convey to my viewers. We’ve all experienced it in the rarefied moments of our lives. Where I live, it’s right outside my window, as the cold, clear nights of winter bring especially beautiful stars. In these times of long dark nights and indoor isolation, Isaiah’s reminder to lift my eyes toward something larger is well-taken.

Of course, my modest little painting doesn’t answer the question implicit in the above verse: Who created these – the stars, the sun, the earth and all its creatures? Who indeed? Whatever we see when we lift our eyes and perceive the world from a higher place – maybe that’s the answer. I really don’t know. The illustration only asks the question.

Wishing you a peaceful and expansive mindset.

D. Yael Bernhard

https://dyaelbernhard.com

Have you seen my other Substack, The Art of Health? In addition to being a visual artist, I’m also a certified integrative health & nutrition coach with a lifelong passion for natural food cooking and herbal medicine. Now in its second year, this illustrated newsletter explores cutting-edge concepts of nutrition. I strive to make relevant information clear and accessible, and to anchor essential health concepts in unique images. Check it out, and if you like it, please subscribe and help spread the word. Your support keeps my work going!