About Jonathan

Growing up, our family would drive down to my granddad's farm in the panhandle of Texas, and on the way, we'd often pull over off the highway, get out of the car, and photograph the wide-open sky.

Or when we were at home in Lincoln, we'd see color in the sky just above the treetops and run up the hill to the park to catch a better view of the sunset.

We midwesterners like to joke that when the storms come, we go out to the front porch to watch. I run out to the edge of our property to get a view of the storm approaching above the neighboring fields.

People often think of the Nebraska landscape as modest and unassuming. Yet above the landscape, the wide-open sky plays host to striking displays of power and beauty, often so fleeting that mere moments later — when the winds have blown a little further or the sun has sunk slightly lower on the horizon — we are left to wonder what it is we just experienced. When we're confronted with God's brilliant designs in the sky, it can make us feel small, see our lives in perspective, and point to what is greater than we are.

Figuring out life as an artist

I trained in painting and printmaking at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, graduating in 2008. After school I went to work as a web designer, and then as a creative director, while Suzanne and I started a family. In 2012, I had a solo exhibition at the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln, which featured much of the work from my school years alongside some new work. In the years following, somewhere in the mix of my career, and ministries at church, and building a family, the painting stopped. And I truly don't regret it.

My family comes before my art career. Glorifying God, loving and providing for my family, serving in my local church — these were always more important than whether I was making paintings. And I'm convinced my art today is better for it. A balanced life produces balanced art… but my life wasn't balanced without the art.

In 2018, we moved out of town to a small acreage at the top of a hill. Inspired by beautiful views in all directions, I started taking breaks from renovating the house to photograph jaw-dropping sunsets. Three years later, I had a library of over 3,000 landscape photos and I was really itching to paint again.

In June of 2021, I started a new painting. I worked at a small scale so I could finish a piece in a single sitting after the kids went to bed. Seven months later, I'd finished 23 paintings, ranging from little 5×7s to canvases up to 56 inches wide. These days, my artistic production is higher in some seasons than others, but creating art has found a permanent place in my life and schedule. For me, creating art is a responsibility I have to steward the gifts God has given me and share them with others.

The heavens are telling of the glory of God

“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1 (LSB)

As an artist, I am drawn to the color, rhythm, and drama of the sky. But the beauty expressed therein is more than hue, value, and shape — it's a message. When I paint, I am mimicking the design of the Creator. I am pointing to His glory that He has put on display in what He has made.

I hope that the work does a small part to point to my Creator's glory, even if just to remind us to look up and see the power and beauty of what He has made.

Outside the studio

I've been married to Suzanne for 19 years. We have eight children and live on a small acreage outside Lincoln, Nebraska — where I can see the sky in every direction.

I'm a classically trained violinist, and I play guitar and write music. These days, I especially enjoy playing music with my kids. If I'm not at my day job, at church or in the art studio, I'm probably with my wife in our quarter-acre garden.