“The earth was formless and void…and God said, Let there be light.” (Genesis 1:2–3, NASB)
By Victor Forbes
“With the pen of a ready writer”, (Psalm 45:1) Dr. Gwendolyn Reasoner sat down at her desk in the midnight hour to transcribe the words inscribed on her heart by none other than the Creator of the Universe, God Himself. In this night vision that was much too intense and detailed to be a mere dream, there was a mission statement that clearly stated Gwen was to be the messenger to tells the world about the goodness of God and the infinite love and mercy of His Son, Jesus Christ. This was to be done in the form of a book, to be composed primarily for the young but suitable for all. It was to be hip and modern — yet eternal — in its message. It was to be the story of Creation: all seven days compressed into 40 pages of delightful prose, enthralling illustrations and the simplest of prayers. Where Did The Day Go? is the stunning result.
Guided by The Spirit of God, Gwen saw how something — the Universe — was created from nothing. An impossibility for all but not for the Almighty. In a recent interview from her Hackberry, Louisiana headquarters, Gwen, who is a Ph.D. with a Doctorate in Philosophy, Business Administration from California Coast University with a slew of other academic credits. An accomplished guitarist and singer, Gwen holds a degree in Music Education and post-graduate degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Louisiana State University and the University of Oxford in England where she wrote a thesis on “Rare Books and Art Preservation”, spoke about the origins of Where Did The Day Go?
“In 2010, when I had that dream, I had the outline and story line done in 30 minutes. In that dream I saw the basic outline of the book, and I saw the illustrations as well.”
Gwen cleared her business calendar and set aside time to refine the text. She was committed to however long it would take to complete the story. Her methodology was to pray God for that first day’s material, and that’s all that would come to her. “I told the Lord,” she recounted, “I’ll meet you tomorrow,” and by the end of seven days she had the entire story. “The message came directly from God to me. It was incredible. I couldn’t go past that one day. I would have to shut it down and the next day I came back to work and He gave me just what was needed. I had it all. The book was finished.” Even more incredulous, if such a thing is possible, was the way the paintings came into the picture.
Though she was a well-respected author in both scholarly and art literary circles, Gwen had never written a children’s book and knew she needed to come up with the perfect artist for this anointed project. “In my dream I could clearly see all of the paintings — they were all about the Creation.”
Somehow, in considering what artist to use, Gwen thought back to her art gallery days, when she owned Re Vann Galleries, a thriving business on New York Avenue and The Boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ. At the time it was a real-life boomtown of Monopoly board fame with casino gambling, major concert halls and the Miss America Pageant. It was the East Coast’s version of Las Vegas. Re Vann Galleries was at the epicenter of the art action and hosted memorable shows that were more like week-long celebrational galas than mere art exhibitions. Two of the more memorable events were for the legendary master of Art Deco Erté and America’s Artist, Peter Max. “I partnered with Donald Trump to bring Erté in. We had to work with his publishers and agents in Paris to actually get him to come to Atlantic City and preside over this sensational exhibition. The Trump Organization worked with us to put it together. It took one year of planning. The first event was a champagne reception art exhibition. The gallery had nothing but Erté bronzes, original paintings, jewelry, serigraphs, objects. It was filled to the brim. We had pledged an $8-10 million dollar commitment to get such an important artist but that’s how it was back then. We invited people from every state in America and 20 foreign countries to the reception at the Trump Crystal Ballroom at the Trump Castle Casino Hotel. We had 5,500 people in attendance for the night, all black tie, and we also brought in the star of “Stardust” show on Broadway (for which Erté designed the sets and costumes) with a 120 piece orchestra. We had food for a Royal wedding, open bar and ice sculptures. The ballroom was unbelievable, it was amazing and we sold the exhibition out that night. We were able to benefit Erté, the Town and we gave 10% of the proceeds to the Boy and Girl Scouts of Atlantic City.” Gwen published a hard cover book for this show and the same for the “Mega Max” Art Exhibition by Re Vann Galleries and Harrah’s Casino October, 1990 with Peter Max meeting and greeting his fans and collectors.
“We had gone so high profile with Erté,” she noted, “We had to go for something more. People loved the show and wanted us do something again so millions of dollars of Peter Max original art, serigraphs and bronzes were sold with 1,240 people at the Opening Reception at Gallery and 3,400 in attendance at a Black Tie gala at Harrah’s Ballroom. Re Vann Galleries received Official Citations of commendation and praise by the citizenry of the 2nd NJ Legislative District, presented by Dolores G. Cooper Member of the General Assembly. The show sold out and a substantial donation was made to the Mammal Stranding Center of NJ.
The next major event continued in Re Vann’s porcelain tradition with a Vatican Museum Dedication in 1992 in which Gwen was selected to go with Mrs. Helen Boehm and a group of 80 for the dedication of the Boehm Museum and for the presentation of the Dove of Peace to Pope John Paul II.
“The gallery business is awesome. It’s been a great ride for me. I love it and this is my 41st year selling art. I started in Lake Charles, LA, then partnered with my brother Ken in Lafayette, where there was a larger population and more of an opportunity for growth. He had a 16,000 sq. ft. gallery on Jefferson Street. We were there until the mid-80s when Reese Palley, who had a gallery on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, called me. He was a renown gallery owner who had been there from the ’60s and specialized in the porcelain sculpture of Howard Boehm.” Gwen and her brother sold a good amount of the Boehm Royal line and as Palley was going to be closing, “He called and asked if we wanted to buy the rest of his inventory, his client list and to fill a void in Atlantic City as there were not many galleries there. I took the opportunity over the phone and said, ‘Yes.’” Initially opening a small gift shop and a gallery on the Boardwalk, the brother and sister “left our home and were planning a summer test drive, but by the end of the summer we had so many clients we decided not to leave. On a good day we would have 2,000 or 3,000 people in our gallery We had long hours as the people in Atlantic City weren’t that much into sleep.”
One of those people was Loretta Shadow Owens, of Reston, Louisiana, who stopped in at the gallery with her husband while in town for the Miss America Pageant in 1990. Miss Louisiana was a friend of theirs so they came up for a week to see the pageant during which time they came into the gallery. Gwen picks up the story: “I showed her some Erté bronzes, and we became friends. That they were from Louisiana and I was there was just gravy. She came back the next year and I sold her some more Erté bronzes and Loretta showed me photos of a few of her small works of art saying, ‘My life started at 40 because that’s when I started painting.’”
In 2010, after many successful years in Atlantic City, Gwen went back home to southwest Louisiana (“Where my roots are”) to take care of her parents. “I wanted to spend some time with them before time ran out.” Ever the business woman, she maintained all of her clients and sells more internationally than nationally, servicing the world over.
Then came “The Dream.”
Next was to find the artist.
Gwen recalled meeting Loretta in her gallery all those years ago and liking the small photos of her art. A stalwart record-keeper, Gwen was able to track down the artist and describe what she was looking for to illuminate her words. “During all that time, I only had the photos,” said Gwen. “I never saw any of her art in person,” continues Gwen. “When I called her, she told me she had been doing all these paintings but putting them in her stock room so nobody could see them. She didn’t know why she was hiding them or painting them, but after I described the story to her and she described the paintings to me, it all made sense. It wasn’t the finished book, but it was a great start. I knew it was from God,” continued Gwen, “She already had those originals done, and we only needed one or two more paintings. She had to paint God’s hand holding a paint brush, which I asked her to do as I saw that in my dream _ it was all so vivid — and that was one of the only things she had to add. She already had a vision, and she didn’t know why.” Gwen went on to tell her it was all about The Creation and how “God wants me to be the ghost writer for this project.” Loretta responded instantly: “I’m in. I have 40 paintings done in my stock room, where no one has ever seen them. I knew I had done these for some reason, but never showed them, never talked about them. Now I understand how Jesus led me to do them. I’M IN! I would love to do this project because painting is a spiritual experience for me, led by the Holy Spirit.” Adds Gwen, “I knew then that God had prepared the road for us, prepared the journey. He equips us. He chose us and put us together for this.”
But even with her great education, her many scholarly papers and the hard cover books she produced as a gallery owner on the famous artists she presented, Gwen still had trepidations about what would become Where Did The Day Go? “First of all, I told the Lord, ‘Lord, I’m like Moses, I can’t do this.’ (Moses tried to opt out of becoming the leader and deliverer God chose Him for because he had a speech impediment and had to use his brother Aaron to speak for him). I said again, “Not me, Lord. I’m a gallery owner, I’m a businesswoman.’” But her love of the Lord was the deciding factor and she told Him, “The only way I can do this work is if You open the doors. I’ll walk through them, if You open the doors.”
Finding Loretta Shadow Owens and her secret stash of Book of Genesis themed paintings was such a door. These paintings surround and bestride the text in glorious color, a flash of Fauvism here, classic but totally original naiveté there. Her renderings of solar systems, the Garden of Eden, menageries of brilliantly colored birds and mammals, even God asleep in his heavenly hammock, surrounded by angels, birds, sun, moon and sky with the words “And I blessed the Seventh Day and made it holy” create what can only be described as perfection. As Gwen says, “If it is, it is because it was created by the Master.” When she handed her final manuscript off to be edited, the proofreader came back and said “I only see two commas that may be changed, and that is entirely up to you.’ How,” Gwen asks, “do you edit God?”
As the book in her spirit began to manifest into ink on paper, Gwen and Loretta made a commitment to have it done professionally, with a graphic designer and have it edited. “To really have a book that would make God proud. We worked on it for three years and went up to Canada to have it printed. We sat on the presses every day, looked at every page, watched the process from start to end. We had a conversation with the staff before starting and I told them the history of how this book came about. They were so attentive, and promised to do everything to make this as perfect as a human being, a staff or team of great printers could. We went in and just knew that God had His hand on the printing process and put it together.
One of the first reviews came in from Ann Powell, of ARP Editing, Dallas Texas who wrote, “Where Did The Day Go? is a gorgeously illustrated ‘hip kids’ version of the Genesis account of God creating our world, one day at a time, and the ensuing temptation and fall of man. Endearingly quirky but recognizable flora and fauna romp in glowing Technicolor across pages of God’s running commentary on His daily handiwork, couched in kid-friendly jargon in a style that is relevant but not irreverent. This is a user-friendly, large-loving God who continually asks the reader for responses…Some are provided, in the form of short, spontaneous, single-sentence prayers, including a final one accepting God’s offer of rescue from the effects of the fall…”
On the heels of that accolade, Where Did the Day Go? was awarded the 2015 National Illumination Book Award, Silver Medal for the Best Keepsake/Gift/Specialty Book by the Jenkins Group. With the motto “Shining a Light on Exemplary Christian Books,” the Illumination Book Awards are designed to honor the year’s best new titles written and published with a Christian world-view. In addition, Where Did the Day Go? was named the Gold Winner in the Religious Non-Fiction category of the 2015 National Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Catherine Goulet, Awards Chair at the National Awards Reception held on May 27th at the Harvard Club of New York City presented the Gold Metal to Gwendolyn who attended the prestigious gala awards reception held at the landmark location in NYC during Book Expo America. Reasoner was personally autographing the book at the Book Expo America in NY on Friday, May 29th at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. “The book signing was overwhelming. Book buyers, librarians, media and industry professionals were lined up by the hundreds to obtain a signed copy. When people see those award seals on the book, they grab them.”
Gwen returned home and immediately the book started selling itself. “As holiday time came around, we thought we’d have a pre-preview. We had about 200 people come in and fellowship with us and right then a tornado came through the city of Ruspin and took out the electricity. All we had were some candles, lighters and power from a small generator. Despite 80 mph winds and pouring rain, we sold the book by candlelight. We knew God had his hand on the project without any advertising or promotion. God has given us this tool to promote His Word.” At another event, the Southwest Louisiana Family Book Festival at the Central School for the Arts in Lake Charles, there were 500 people in attendance and Gwen presented the Illumination Award she received to Mayor Randy Roach, the City of Lake Charles and State of Louisiana so that they could display it at City Hall for all the people to enjoy. “It was a real family affair for the people with about 30 or 40 local artists & writers. We had paintings from the book on exhibit along with the book.”
Gwen is at the point where some would be thinking about retirement. “I’m planning to slow down,” she says, “But never retire. I will always continue my music career, sing in the choir, perform in public. In the world of business you have to keep reinventing yourself and you have to be on the cutting edge of today’s technology, the art market and trends of investment art.” Gwen also brokers art if her clients want to get into something different and also handle estates filled with porcelains and paintings as a certified appraiser. She also wants to do more missions work, and keep Where Did The Day Go? going strong as sales proceeds are benefiting hungry children through a charity that puts actions to work called Feed The Children. Where Did The Day Go? is also designed to feed hungry children’s minds and bodies so they will have hope for the future. The book teaches all children to do the right thing and help them realize how God sent His son to save each and every one of us, young or old. “This isn’t just another story,” Gwen concludes. “It’s the real story from Creation to Adam and Eve’s banishment from the Garden of Eden and illustrates an awesome canvas of God’s love for his children. Everybody tells me the same thing: ‘When I hear you speak this, I get cold chills down my arm. I want a book.’ They come back and buy five or ten more. They cry for joy. ‘I don’t really understand the scripture like I’d like too,’ They tell me but Where Did The Day Go? is so user friendly that they could ‘get it’ now. One person told me she reads it every day when she gets up to drink her coffee.
“I am so grateful to make a difference. Glory be to God, I give all the credit and thanks for empowering me to write and share His eternal message.” The message that Gwen and Loretta convey asks “Are you believing God for something that seems impossible?” The answer is simply “We serve a great and mighty God and He can create something out of nothing! He can make a way when there seems to be no way. Before God spoke the world into existence, it was formless and void. If God can make the world out of nothing, He can take the empty places in your life and create something beautiful, too. He can speak light into your darkest hour. He can take your formless dreams and give them shape. He can resurrect your dormant gifts and talents! He can make your crooked places straight! Trust Him in all things because He can make something out of nothing!”