Inspired by the Divine Artist

My husband and I went to Hawaii on our honeymoon. Every day, we woke up to gorgeous, sunny skies, birds chirping, and the smell of fresh flowers and humidity. We surfed in warm blue oceans, drove up volcanic rocky mountains, and hiked through luscious green forests. In short, we spent our honeymoon in paradise. Every day, we marveled at the beauty around us, reflecting on how awesome God is. When our plane landed back in Boston, we were greeted with a dreary grey cityscape and bare trees. And honestly, it was still so beautiful. I remember looking out the window of the sky bridge at Logan Airport and saying to my husband, “I didn’t even realize it, but I’ve missed New England.”  

God is the master artist. He created everything out of nothing. People, animals, plants, landscapes — every last fiber was crafted with expert care. And it’s all so wonderfully unique.

Reflecting the Divine Artist

I like to think of my art as a small reflection of God’s divine artistry. When I sketch a person, I pay attention to the details that make them unique. How big are their eyes? How does their hair fall? What is this person’s fashion preference? What colors can I use to express this character’s personality? The same is true with landscapes and animals. Each color is intentional, each abstraction or illustrative decision is a new way of viewing the world. And each time I have a blank canvas, whether digital or physical, it is a new chance to make something out of nothing.  

Art trains me to see the beauty in everything. I think as humans, and more specifically as women, many of us struggle with body image. I know I do. It’s easy to compare, to judge, and to wish certain attributes of ourselves were different. But let’s go back to the analogy of God as a master artist. He’s intentional, picking out every detail and carefully saturating every color. And unlike human artists, he doesn’t make mistakes. Everything he creates is a masterpiece. That means each of us is, too. Both the sunny, vibrant island of Kauai and the gray barren trees of a New England winter are beautiful. And I think that’s what makes life, and art, exciting!  

Art by Sophie Rahilly

All is beautiful

As I view the world through this artistic lens, I like thinking about how God chose to compose everything. A sunrise is God water-coloring the sky, just to bring us joy. The tiny chickadee was sculpted just as carefully as the giant pine tree it nests in. That attribute that you can’t love about yourself, God adores it. He designed it just for you. And it’s all beautiful!  

A sunrise is God water-coloring the sky, just to bring us joy. The tiny chickadee was sculpted just as carefully as the giant pine tree it nests in. That attribute that you can’t love about yourself, God adores it. He designed it just for you. And it’s all beautiful!  

As an artist, I want to share Christ’s light through my designs. I love switching up my artistic style, experimenting with pop art, cartooning, illustration, line art, painting, drawing, sketching, abstraction … it’s all a chance to bring a different part of the world to life. To take that blank page and make something new. Whether it’s illustrating different saints, a curly-haired Mary holding a smiling baby Jesus, a bright red cardinal, or black and white trees, I hope my art reflects the beauty of God, just as all of creation points back to the Divine Artist.  

Sophie Rahilly is a newly married Catholic artist born and raised in New England. She loves art, audiobooks, being outside, and spending time with her family. Sophie stated her own art company, called Radiate, to help spread God’s love and light to the world. You can check out her website at radiate-ssrr.com