That Tim Wilson’s artwork is highly influenced by the teachings of Baha’u’llah, Prophet Founder of the Baha’i Faith, wouldn’t be surprising to any one who knows him. That his work is crafted based on the overwhelming influence of Nature and the imagination wouldn't surprise one either. These influences are inextricably inter-connected and it is virtually impossible to separate where one begins and another leaves off. Since 1975, when Wilson decided to become an artist, he has worked like a scientist searching out new forms and content, never being satisfied with developing only one style. Each style he has focused on has become another facet of one ongoing investigation, even as he has followed the teaching of Baha’u’llah to “investigate all things with a searching eye.” Wilson sees what he does as a form of worship—a teaching of Baha’u’llah’s— being that anything done in service to humankind is like worshipping in churches, temples or any holy place. Along with his visual art work, he enjoys writing poetry and has published a number of volumes. It’s more of an insistence to create that drives him to do this writing and art, notwithstanding the bipolar depression that he has had to deal with for decades. He has written poetry and painted since high school, but he trained professionally as an artist. His poetry is mostly self taught, learned through his study of other poets. In college it was recommended by one of his art teachers that he go to many different art schools. Wilson took this to heart, and it proved to be very good advice indeed. By going to many different art schools, such as summer programs and a semester away his senior year, he was exposed to more than a few art teachers, who were themselves artists. By doing this he met the most important teacher he had, an artist named Leland Bell. Bell taught how to paint with honesty, sincerity and to put the paint on canvas with pure motive. This approach goes well with the Baha’i teachings Wilson strives to follow. As it turns out, Bell taught Wilson at a summer program at the New York Studio School of Painting and Sculpture in the 70s. Later, when he saw Bell was teaching at the Parsons MFA program, he knew he wanted to go there. An ongoing theme of Wilson’s work is the Exiles of Baha’u’llah and the Exile of Nature. Baha’u’llah was exiled four times in His life, over a period of about forty years, and some of Tim’s work, especially from the 90s, portrays this theme. By the exile of Nature, Wilson states that if Nature itself is exiled, where can it go? That if it is exiled it means its death and extinction, which we are witnessing today. But the Baha’i teachings are extremely positive about the future, foretelling a time when there will be world unity and love will truly encompass the world. To get there, however, the Baha’i teachings foretell this world peace will come about through great trials, so the Baha’i Faith is very realistic about this. The horses in his work are more often than not symbolic of the twin Prophets of the Baha’i Faith, namely the Bab and Baha’u’llah, and also refer to the Prophets of all religions, among them Muhammad, Christ, Moses, Abraham, Noah, Buddha, Krishna, and Zoroaster. And there have been other Prophets before recorded history, and prophesies of all the Native religions of the world, like the tribes of Native Americans a of African tribes and of the Aboriginal people of Australia as examples. In the Baha’i teachings, it is said that all the religions of the past foretold the coming of a Prophet who would unify the world, and Baha’u’llah claimed to be that person; to Christianity He claimed to be the Second Coming of Christ, with Christ returned in the Glory of the Father. The worldwide body of the Baha’is represents such diversity in unity that it truly reflects a world Faith. Although the Baha’i Faith started not long ago, in 1844, it is known to be the most widespread religion after only Christianity. There are over five million Baha’is world wide, and one can only guess what will happen in the next century. Wilson’s art and poetry strive to make images and words that reflects this world unity. His art draws from the great history of art, and communicates with the artists of the past and present.