Jeff Morton from byFaith on Vimeo.

“I’m interested in patterns and rhythms in my works,” the Covenant College art professor said. “Pattern is an organizing strategy in our lives. Every day we start with a blank sheet and have to find a way to structure our lives.”

Six of Morton’s landscape paintings were showcased in an art show titled “A Pattern Logic” at Covenant College last fall, following his sabbatical. Each piece contains 10 to 18 layers, representing 100 hours of work.

“People typically consume images in three seconds,” he said, “but I’m asking viewers to slow down with these pieces. At first glance you think you know them, but there’s so much more underneath.”

Morton, who earned an MFA in painting from Yale University prior to joining the staff of Covenant College in 2000, believes that God affirms the material world through the arts.

“Artists aren’t architects of meaning, but we add value to the world we live in,” he said. “Artists point at the world and reflect it. Calvin once said that world is the theater of God’s loving intentions. I believe that’s true. I believe arts are part of this theater.”