in the absence of god

  1. a gift of fire by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    a gift of fire, 2017

    Oil On Canvas

    20.37 x 20.37 x 1.37 in

  2. a gift of fire: Cassandra by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    a gift of fire: Cassandra, 2018

    watercolor and ink on paper

    20 x 14 x 0.1 in

  3. absence by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    absence, 2011

    watercolor on rice paper

    12 x 9 x 0.1 in

  4. cities of the plain 1: Lot's wife by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    cities of the plain 1: Lot's wife, 2014

    Oil On Canvas

    36 x 24 x 0.75 in

  5. corona 9 by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    corona 9, 2020

    acrylic on birch panel

    9 x 12 x 0.125 in

  6. i thirst by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    i thirst, 2020

    acrylic on birch panel

    12 x 9 x 0.125 in

  7. it is finished by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    it is finished, 2020

    acrylic on birch panel

    12 x 9 x 0.125 in

  8. Jephthah's daughter by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    Jephthah's daughter, 2018

    acrylic on paper

    14 x 20 x 0.1 in

  9. power comes from everywhere by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    power comes from everywhere, 2020

    acrylic on birch panel

    12 x 9 x 0.125 in

  10. revolutionary patience by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    revolutionary patience, 2018

    acrylic and watercolor on paper

    24 x 18 x 0.1 in

  11. seeing the city by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    seeing the city, 2019

    Acrylic On Canvas

    24 x 36 x 0.75 in

  12. the absolute absence of god by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    the absolute absence of god, 2017

    Acrylic On Canvas

    24 x 36 x 0.75 in

  13. the arc between two deaths 5 by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    the arc between two deaths 5, 2017

    ink and watercolor on paper

    14 x 11 x 0.125 in

  14. via crucis by Steven Schroeder, Image 1.

    via crucis, 2016

    Oil On Canvas

    36 x 24 x 0.75 in

Paintings from In the Absence of God, which gathers poems written between 2003 and 2021 with paintings completed between 2011 and 2020. Some of the poems have previously appeared in print, some have been published online, and some appear in this collection for the first time. Most of the paintings have been included in one or more solo or group shows. Paintings and poems (like people) are turned and shaped by the company they keep, so a new collection or a new show makes the pieces of which it is composed new. As I put this collection together, I had the liturgy with which I grew up in mind. The liturgy is the public work of the church, and the rhythm of that work may be apparent in this work to readers and viewers who know it. My work as a scholar began with theology, and, though the church and I left each other some time ago, I return to theology time and time again. Poetry, like theology, dances about what is not there and is still in the presence of what is – in silence, in writing. And painting, it seems to me, is even closer to the "mystics" that led de Certeau to describe writing as a practice of silence akin to walking. It goes without saying that every walk is transformed by the persons (human and otherwise) we walk with, cross paths with, and (sometimes) collide with along the way. Theology, as the teachers who have meant most to me insist, is the second step. What precedes it or, more properly, lies behind it is the creative practice in which we engage together. I look forward to walking with you for a while in this work. To view and/or download a pdf with poems and paintings, please visit my website. [Link will open in a new tab.]

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