About the Artist | Gnarled Oak Art

Artistry in Wood – My Story

Posted on September 8, 2019

gnarled oakart, gnarled oak, woodworking art, artist statement, wood, grain patterns

A breeze sings through the leaves, forcing the sunlight to dance its way through to reach the forest floor.

Birds join in, adding their melody to another breathtaking day.

Squirrels dash about the tree tops with boundless, excited energy.

A deer suddenly raises its head over the bush it had been nibbling before bounding away.

Trees rise up to greet the sun, sheltering those who live below. Growing steadfastly ever greater in their quiet, unconcerned way. The merry sound of a stream drifts up from the valley; bringing with it the scent of water to mix with the rich smell of the earth. Here is a place to walk, sit, think, play, and create. Making your way through the forest, you drink in its paradox of stillness and riotous abundance of life, its peaceful order and clamorous joy.

But things never stay the same forever; eventually, even trees fall. These stately, aged giants succumb to time and come crashing down, making way for their offspring to flourish. Many would cut them up for firewood or leave them to rot. I see deeper. Below the bark lies the story of that tree. What happened here over the last hundred years? Did it grow straight, or did the wind bend it to its will? What struggles has it overcome, or has it grown in peace? Everything that happens to a tree creates patterns in the grain, a physical memory of what was. As a woodworker, I get to be a part of the story by displaying this memory for all to see. I never know what I will find inside a tree, and it always takes my breath away.

Because of this, wood feels alive. It is a living memory. Every piece is special and reminds me of the life, joy, order, and calm of the forest. I try to express the feel of the forest along with the story of the individual tree; capturing the ruggedness of the bark, the delicate intricacy of the leaves, and the elegance of soaring columns rising far above.

Wood is different from other materials. It is not a blank canvas for you to express yourself on. When I create something out of wood, I am working with the tree, not imprinting myself on it. Taking care to mesh my ideas with the character of the wood is what creates something truly special. I create pieces as enduring as the original tree; expressing the calm, unhurried, yet unrelenting, resolution to flourish.

The Art of Being Content but Not Satisfied

Posted on March 7, 2019

painting, gnarled oak art, acrylic painting, fish ocean, art, practice — In order to learn acrylic painting, I found a tutorial that taught me how to paint this.

Human beings have a number of quirks, and among one of the more predominate ones is the tendency to be your own worst critic. Artists are no exception to this malady, and we are often found criticizing the very work we put so much effort into creating. What we have to remember is, life is a journey, and learning is a process. It takes time to develop skill as an artist, and we should not condemn our work as terrible just because it didn’t meet our expectations. We must learn to be content with where we are, even as dissatisfaction drives us to improve.

Condemning my artwork has never led me to improve. It does just the opposite. It discourages me from ever trying again and creates anxiety, showing that attitude to be less than useless. Contentment, on the other hand, allows me to objectively view my work, enjoy the good in it, and see how much I have learned and improved. Most of my art is not even close to bad, but what happens when I really do mess up? I get to enjoy the process and satisfaction of learning. Then I take what I have learned, try again, and enjoy the excitement of seeing improvement. Sometimes, after I make a huge mistake, I’ll keep going, create something comically bad, and have a good laugh. I am content with this day and my completed work.

Of course, contentment does not prevent me from wanting to learn, improve, and grow, and this is where dissatisfaction is beneficial. I am a decent artist, but I want to become a great artist. I am not satisfied with my skill level or experience. I want to learn more, practice more, and create more. I want to create different types of art and tackle more complex projects. I am not satisfied with my current work.

Far from causing problems, contentment and dissatisfaction work well together. Contentment allows dissatisfaction to be exciting and fun. “If I have improved this much already, how much more will I improve in the future?” The only way to find out is to do another project. Dissatisfaction allows me to keep moving forward instead of becoming mired in the frustratingly mundane. It allows me to always have something new to be content about.

And so, I will continue to practice the art of being content but not satisfied.

About the Artist Jonathan Sutton

Posted on October 18, 2017

Jonathan Sutton, artist, prophetic artist

Hello,

My name is Jonathan (although most shorten it to Jon), and I am the artist behind Gnarled Oak Art. After a long journey (I won’t bore you with the details), the focus of my art has become sharing the encouragement that God gives me with others. Subjects may include God’s work, how He views you, the power of love, the strength of joy, overcoming difficulties, ect.

Of course, creativity runs a bit wild, so from time to time I make something that just for fun or because it’s aesthetically pleasing. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

At this time, I am focusing on improving my painting skills. I’ve learned enough that a lot of people are impressed, but I still feel like a novice. Currently, I am learning to paint people from imagination. Hopefully, I’ll remember to update this section as I progress.

One long term goal for my painting is to illustrate Shapur which is a short story I wrote. It’s an allegory for how God saves, redeems, and gives us a new life and identity. I already have a written and audio version of it, but I don’t have all the skills I need to illustrate it yet. If you haven’t haven’t read or listened to it yet, please check it out by clicking here.