LIT: Love, Illumination, Transcendence opens 1st Thursday at Art & Soul, just in time for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival!

Drawing on more than 45 years as a storyteller in the theatre, Rod Lathim presents an immersive body of work that explores light as both medium and metaphor. Long engaged in creating works that reflect the human condition, spirituality, and the fragile beauty of life, Lathim turns to sculpting with light as a way to bring illumination, hope, and presence into an increasingly complex world. His artistic practice is deeply intertwined with his spiritual journey, a connection also explored in his book Finding the Divine Child: A Journey of Spirit, Light, and Art.

Rooted in themes of love, illumination, and transcendence, the exhibition draws inspiration from the ethereal qualities of both light and music—forces Lathim views as restorative and healing. With a background in music therapy and decades of experience witnessing the transformative power of the arts, he creates works that give visual form to music’s intangible energy. 

Repurposed vintage instruments and found objects, rich with history, are reimagined as vessels of light, offering moments of reflection, peace, and renewal for the viewer. Rod is honored to have collaborated closely with Don Scott, Russ Carter, and Ricardo Duarte in the construction of these works, and to have partnered with Miguel Lee Leon and Clark James on numerous pieces featured in the exhibition.