working on large scale projects

being on the leadership team for the VineArts ministry at the Boise Vineyard gives me many opportunities to play with paint and hang out with friends doing art. this week we began our prep work for a 3 paneled canvas painting that we will be creating over the next 3 weeks. each panel is a little over 11 feet high and 18 feet long. The 3 piece painting will serve as a backdrop in the church's sanctuary for the new year and will coincide with the pastors' sermon series theme of "the heart of David" (King David from the Old Testament in the Bible) The Bible says that David was "a man after God's own heart"....so the backdrop painting will be an abstract representation of that concept. i will continue to post photos of the paintings' progression for you as it forms.

last year in January we did this process for the first time when we painted the backdrop for the sanctuary coinciding with the "RE:FORM" sermon theme focusing in the Book of Acts (New Testament in the Bible) you can read more about that project if you scroll down further on this blogsite to read the post title "RE:FORM".

today we built a huge stretching frame so we could staple each canvas to it in order to prime them. years ago i had worked as a professional canvas manufacturer for a local art supply company. i gained some valuable skills from that job regarding stretching & priming canvas and it's good to still be able to utilize them at times.

i'm very excited about the next 3 weeks as we work as a team to create this huge painting. i love the chance to work side by side with other artists. i love the conversations that go on, the laughter that is shared, and the learning that happens as we work together to get a project done.

by the end of the year we should have this finished and then it will be hung up behind the stage in the sanctuary as the backdrop where the worship band plays and the pastor speaks. during the first couple of Sundays of January-myself and the VineArts director will join the worship band on stage and we will be painting the finishing touches on the backdrop during the morning worship services while the band leads the congregation in singing. it will be an opportunity for everyone to experience the arts as an expression of worship to God.

and as a sidenote: during the month of January 2009 i will be painting at 4 separate events as an act of worship. i will blog more about this as time gets closer to each event.

photos taken by J.N.