I was introduced to a new phrase the other day, and I found myself using it like I knew what it meant. It was tossed into the conversation during the course of oil painting instruction. I picked it up and ran with it, figuring it out, incorporating it, before words could explain it. That’s how it is with discovery, with learning… with most things. I was learning the beauty and importance of an occlusion shadow.
To save you the time and expense of your own painting workshop, I will just tell you what it is. An occlusion shadow is the darkest shadow closest to an object, which is obstructing the main source of light. It is a critical component that helps cast form and create definition. It is typically the darkest dark on the canvas. But what I found in using it, was that the shadow was not just a black stroke across an otherwise beautiful painting. It was nuanced, it was subtle, and there was indeed a deep, rich hue to it.
Here is your short lesson. If a green apple sits on tablecloth, the occlusion shadow will be the color of the tablecloth, without light, but with the reflection of the color of the apple. So, there will be a green hue to the shadow. The part of the cloth closest to the apple reflects the apple. (I am a beginner, so this is probably over-simplified.)
Painting gives you a lot of time to think about shadows. I am discovering they are the most beautiful part of the composition– the unobvious, the quiet, reflective support to the main character. I was wondering how shadows and darkness play a role in life, for they are certainly there. The Bible teaches us that life here and now is only a shadow of the kingdom to come. We don’t live in the full, unfiltered light of God (yet… see1 Cor 13:12) – but we do live in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). What does it mean then, to live in the shadow of God?
When I look back on my life, there are clear periods of living in the shadows, walking through the valley of the shadows, so to speak. Those times were indeed dark. They were hard for me. While all the world around me seemed to play in the sunshine, it was God’s design that I would be nestled as close into his form as possible. For me, it was dark… but it was also safe, and warm. “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge.” (Psalm 91:4). That’s how it was, like a small bird sheltered under a protective wing. The apostle Paul tells us that for a while, our life is “hidden” in Christ. (Colossians 3:3) I didn’t always understand why, or honestly appreciate it, but now I see the work the shadows play in our lives.
Shadows create form, structure, and God knows we need that in our lives if we are to become who He has always called us to be. He is defining us. Also, the reality of God is highlighted by the lights and the darks which help us to see him more clearly. He is defining himself. But here is what I love: the reflection of God is seen in the shadow. It is not without light. There is an intensity of hue, a sincere depth that is created, when we abide that close to God. It is a good thing. It is beautiful. And it brings new dimension to our lives. Honestly, to live in too much light, when everything is “rainbows and unicorns” is to be washed-out, indiscernible, and flat.
I discovered something else about shadows, as I was painting the other day. Deep, in the darkest recesses of that space, the edges are blurred. There is not a hard edge. I like that. In our darkest places, burrowed in the bosom of God, the edges between us are blurred. There is union, there is Spirit, and there are no hard edges between us.
I don’t know why God ordains for us to have these times, but they are not without great impact. And we are not alone. Far from it. We dwell much more deeply with God, and often with others who walk with us during these times. But maybe it is as Paul says, “Your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Col 3:3-4) Maybe the form that is coming into shape is ours, a reflection of the glorious Christ.
Then one of the elders addressed me, saying,
“Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?”
I said to him, “Sir, you know.”
And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple;
and He who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 7:13-17