Advent Blessing: Darkness and Light

In the Taliaferro Hall Gallery from December 1 through December 31
Steven Taylor, artist

Artist’s Statement
The subject compelled me to create a series of unique works. The spiritual nature of the season resonates deeply with me, and I want to share some of my thinking as I worked through these pieces.

The whole of creation emerged from an unorganized mass, brought into the light of being. Darkness is not an absolute or uncontrollable force that coerces humanity, but a state that holds potential. From chaos and void, our ideas, hope, and love illuminate the world—and each other.

So it is with Advent: from the darkness of humanity’s downfall through anger, greed, and malevolence into the hope of God’s grace, love, and light—a pattern repeated until the birth of an unknown savior illuminates us all.

This is the trajectory of the season: from darkness into Christmas light, the blessing that carries us into the joy of Christmas.

Steven Taylor is a multimedia artist living in Jacksonville. He was trained in New England and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture from Massachusetts College of Art. In 2021, he and his wife found their way to Jacksonville for the care of her brain tumor.

Annunciation

See all of Taylor’s works on exhibition here.