S. D. Smith’s The Green Ember and the Role of Artists in Community

Blaise Pascal, in his Pensées, writes, "How useless is painting, which attracts admiration by the resemblance of things, the originals of which we do not admire."

At first glance, I took offense at this. Pascal probably would have adjusted his view if he'd lived long enough, but alas, he died a relatively young man. After some thought, I realized that he's only half right. True, painting that is mere replication of reality is useless. Painting that does not lead to deeper appreciation for creation is mere vanity and an appeal for praise. However, Pascal never lived to see the potential painting has for God's redemptive purposes in the world.

Yesterday I was listening to a podcast my wife had recommended. On Grace at the Fray, Hunter Dockery was talking about what a city needs when missionaries are sent to it. One of the things he mentioned was that a city needs beauty. He goes on, "What artists do is actually reach into the future, actually reach into heaven... and they're bringing back pictures from there. And it's beautiful. And they're saying, 'This is where we're headed.'"

And that brings me to the Green Ember series by S. D. Smith. It's an epic tale about anthropomorphized rabbits, wolves, and birds of prey. One thing that is unique about the tale is the running theme of the "Mended Wood."

Two of the main characters, Heather and Picket, are chased by wolves to a refuge called Cloud Mountain, a fortified and hidden commune of rabbits. After the attack, which included the death of a friend and member of their community, several of the leading rabbits of Cloud Mountain get reports on what's been happening in the outside world. Once the catastrophic news has been reported, Lord Rake says, "It will not be so in the Mended Wood." And the group gathered there responds, defiantly, "The Mended Wood!"

At the mention of the Mended Wood, every face is changed. Everyone now finds himself or herself with courage and hope, simply by the mention of this "Mended Wood." As you read the story, the inhabitants of Cloud Mountain refer to themselves as "heralds of the Mended Wood." When Heather asks Emma what this means, Emma simply shows Heather. The series unveils a picture of a world coming apart, yet with colonies of "heralds" who believe in a world where everything broken will be mended. All will be at peace, restored, good. It's the Old Testament picture of Shalom: total well bring, everything that was ruined made new. What Emma shows Heather is simply each rabbit plying his or her own trade, doing it beautifully and excellently, for the good of all the others.

I believe, in some sense, that the artist's duty is to be a herald of the Mended Wood, someone who reaches into the future and brings back a picture of what is waiting for those who believe, so that we might gain hope and courage in a broken world of rockets, corruption, betrayal, selfishness, greed, hatred, and idolatry.

If I believed painting was useless, I wouldn't do it. But I still hold that we as artists have an opportunity to do more than depict what we see. We can try to do so in such a way as to signal a world to come, a world healed by the coming Christ. New heavens and new earth, with the glory of the Lord as our light. Whether we can name it or not, or are willing to acknowledge it or not, this is the longing stirred in every single human being when we see something beautiful.