I have been making art ever since I can remember. God has made me to be an artist and I love doing it. As some of you know we have been back in the States for a bit now. Originally I was hoping I might spend some of my time back drawing and painting. But I never thought I would be making handcrafted pens. It is something I have fallen in love with doing. Thanks to a very generous friend for lending me some tools and his lathe, I have been able to turn pens for part of this past year. It has been a joy to see how God has used hand crafted pens for His glory. For example, we were able to finish funding a translation project with the proceeds from the sale of handcrafted pens as well as raise funds for some other various ministry projects.

But over the last months I have been trying to figure out how to combine my fine arts with handcrafted pens. I love to go to art galleries and enjoy the art I see. We have purchased different artwork from friends in the past and enjoy it in our home. But sometimes I wish I could carry those paintings around with me. Many of times those pieces of artwork are a reminder of something important in my life or a concept God is teaching me about Himself. What I am trying to do here is this: creating a piece of art that can be enjoyed in one’s home or workplace but also have an extension of it that can be carried around and used on a daily basis. This is one of my latest attempts.

Title: Divine Luminescence (the emission of light)

Acrylic on Canvas // Wood and Acrylic on Pen

16” x 20”

Jon Tello 2015

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (1 Jn 1:5–10)

This was from a project that I am working on at our church here in Ohio (Riverwood Community Church). One great thing about this church is that they have a visual artist team (VAM). We are working on a project that relates to 1 John. Starting this week, we will be going through 1 John as a church. The VAM team decided to have each member create a piece of art that would represent a theme in 1 John. The pieces pictured above are what God inspired me to create. It was such a joy to be a part of something that God is doing in this church. Next, the VAM team invited the youth to create a piece of art that also reflects a theme in 1 John. They will be submitting their artwork this coming month. I am super excited to see what God is going to say through their artwork to the rest of the congregation!

Maybe I will do another post on the process of creating these functional pieces of art.

Thanks for looking and reading.