Nicholas Cockrell: Covenant of Time
April 1-30, 2022
Nicholas Cockrell: Covenant of Time
Opening reception: Friday, April 1, 5:00-9:00 PM
Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Saturday, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Please note, the Emporium will be closed on Saturday, April 9 (but open on Sunday, April 10, 10 AM – 1 PM) and closed on Friday, April 15.
Time is fundamental to all of life. In every aspect, time is considered as the duration(s)1, cycles, periods, changes, and//or transitions that mark one’s existence. From the rising of the sun, the phases of the moon, climate seasons, birth, death, and everything in between, time is present and passing. Similarly, God’s love is tantamount with time. For argument’s sake, let us assume this to be true. Then, in all moments of time (i.e. durations, cycles, periods, changes, transitions, and etc.) God’s love is present. Since time is fundamental to all life, and God’s love is interwoven with time, God’s love is fundamental to life. Therefore, God has a Covenant of Time. In all moments of time God’s love is inseparable. If it is inseparable from time, and time is fundamental to all humans (as there is no human outside of time), then God’s love is inseparable, by extension, from us. If you can break His covenant with the Sun, Moon and Stars, then He will break His covenant of time with people.Can you stop the sun from rising, the earth from spinning, the moon and stars taking the stage at night? Then, how much more is God’s love and covenant of time towards you.
I used a combination of traditional and contemporary oil painting techniques in this project. Moreover, I painted each piece in response to a time, season, or event in my life. Specifically for this project, I painted each season in its correlating months. This process allowed me to be present with change, especially while it was happening. Thus, a deeper awareness and appreciation emerged allowing me to connect more closely with the pieces, nature and time itself.
Altogether I explore multiple, correlating elements of time in this exhibition. I integrate personal experience, reflection, faith and philosophy into this present coherent body of work.
1 William Lane Craig, “Time and Eternity”, 2001.
Born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, but Nicholas Cockrell was raised in Tennessee. In the course of his life, he fell in love with the geography, people, and the cities here across this state. Tennessee became his fondest place to call home. Moreover, he loves hiking, reading, poetry, journaling, rock climbing, and coffee. Did he write this while drinking coffee? Yes. Yes, he did.
Nicholas earned his BA in Religion and Philosophy with a Minor in Photography in 2018 from Carson-Newman University. He started painting at the onset of COVID-19’s debut in the States. At first, painting allowed him to express himself in newer ways that photography had yet to satiate. However, one of his roommates passed away tragically in April 2020. He grieved through painting. This lethargic outlet gave him the space to cry, scream, be undone, feel, and overtime heal. The grief journey is far from over, but painting is forever inseparable from that piece of his story. As he continued to paint, he found himself exploring past wounds and trauma, philosophical thoughts, faith, and the emotional range of colors.