Colors of the Sun

No matter how much I read in the way of explanation, certain phenomena continue to amaze me. For instance, the concept that sunlight contains all the colors of the spectrum, and the colors of all things are determined by the way in which their particular molecular structure reflects/refracts sunlight. Consider the colors of a rainbow against a gray-green stormy sky, or the colors and patterns of Aurora Borealis. Or the hues of flowers.

Color as an inherent property of variations of molecular structure seems so marvelous, intricate and amazing a scheme to me, and so improbable. In fact, the existence of color in all its rich, gorgeous and mellifluous variations, seems entirely unlikely to unfold by virtue of the laws of science. If color is an adjunct form or system of ordering within the complexity of the universe, why such an extended nomenclature? Hence I am driven again, to believing in miracles. Not in a Biblical sense, necessarily, but in the sense of something awesome and extraordinary. Whether such miracles derive from the exigencies of evolution or by the hand of God, is beyond both my knowledge, ability, and desire to expound upon. Suffice it to say that my sense of awe is piqued by such seemingly serendipitous gifts of organized complexity.

In spite of a number of books that address the marvel of the apparently self-ordering qualities of the universe, I cannot conceive of the ubiquitous and layered complexity that makes up our world. In this painting, "Colors of the Sun," I was paying homage to the wonder of color. Light from the sun contains all the colors in our visible spectrum. So essentially, sunlight casts layers of color all over our world. Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas, 30 x 36 inches.

If you would like to see more of my art please visit www.lyndalehmann.com. Or read my articles at http://www.creativityportal.com/articles/lynda-lehmann/. Image and all text c 2007 Lynda Lehmann.