Testimonies for the Church, Volume 2 - Ellen G. White

to worship the talent which can produce a beautiful
drawing, but where do those who devote their lives
to this work obtain their designs? where do the
artists get their ideas of things to put upon canvass?
From nature's beautiful scenery—from nature, only
from nature. Individuals devote the entire strength
of their being, and bestow all their affections, upon
their tastes in this direction. Many withdraw their
minds from the beauties and glories of nature that
our Creator has prepared for them to enjoy, and
devote all the powers of their being to perfection of
art; yet all these things are only imperfect copies
from nature. Art can never attain the perfection
seen in nature.
The Maker of all the beautiful things of nature
is forgotten. I have seen many who would go into
ecstasies over a picture of a sunset, while at the
same time they could have the privilege of seeing
an actual and glorious sunset almost every evening
in the year. They can see the beautiful tints in
which nature's invisible Master Artist has with
divine skill painted glorious scenes on the shifting
canvass of the heavens, and yet they carelessly turn
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