painting with brooms and anything available

remember my post about working on large scale projects?

here are some photos of the process. i was one of 12 people who worked on this project at various times over the last 3 weeks.

the 3 paneled canvas painting is now hanging in the Vineyard Boise church sanctuary as a backdrop on the front stage, to coincide with a new sermon series on the "heart of David".

this coming Sunday Jan.4 at 9am and at 11am, myself and the director of our VineArts ministry will be painting on the finishing touches during the morning services. we will do this as a creative expression of worship along with the band that will be leading the congregation in singing.

i have a deep belief that we can worship God through all of the various aspects of our lives (not just when we're attending church). Art is a large part of my life and who i am...and when i do it with my whole heart...i enjoy blessing God through my creative efforts.

photos taken by J.N.

"Coffee Talk" (My End of the Year Newsletter)

"FARTHER UP & FURTHER IN"

That’s a quote from the Chronicles of Narnia written by C.S.Lewis. It’s an attitude of the heart to continue the journey set before the traveler.No turning back. No giving up. Always moving forward, pressing on to the goal. This is a journey of discovery and exploration(as John Eldredge says). With each step I take I am learning more about my heart and my desires...I’m learning that they are good and worth seeking out. So this year was about me & God. It was about painting & travel, ministry & support, friendship & family. I read some great books, created some new art, encouraged some beautiful people, visited some amazing places,wrote some fun blogs & made some great memories.

IRELAND:

This year I had the amazing privilege of traveling back to Ireland. It was my second trip to the Emerald Isle (my first trip was the summer of 2005 with my parents). This time I traveled with some friends from the VineArts Ministry that I’m involved with at Boise Vineyard. We toured all over the Republic in May. They’re photographers and artists, so our trip consisted of exploring picturesque landscapes, ancient celtic ruins, castles and monastic sites to photograph, sketch, paint, and enjoy. I also had the chance to do a little bit of family ancestry searching on my Mom’s side. There’s such rich history in the land and everywhere you go, the people are friendly and welcoming. I know I will always be going back to Ireland...it’s deep in within my heart (just as Scotland is).

to read more about my trip to Ireland, visit my blogsite: http://www.uiscebeatha-wateroflife.blogspot.com

PARIS & GERMANY:

In September I got to experience my second trip to Europe this year. I traveled to Paris & Germany with my parents. We have friends who live near Frankfurt, Germany and it had been many years since we’d seen them. We decided that it was time to go for a visit. We thought it would be fun to stop off in Paris first on our way. I fell in love with Paris! It’s an artists’ dreamland! The atmosphere of the street-side cafés, the glorious beauty of the architecture, the museums full of art, and the delicious foods. It was all such a wonderful experience. And then we took a train to Germany. We had a great time with our friends. They showered us with hospitality. We got to taste some amazing foods, see some gorgeous castles, and learn about the life in Germany from past to present. It was a priceless experience.

to read more about my trip to Paris & Germany, visit my blogsite: http://www.hanginoutineurope.blogspot.com

PAINTING:

This year has been an incredible year of creativity for me. I’ve been able to be a part of some really impactful artistic experiences. And on more than one occasion I have been stretched out of my creative comfort zone to try new things and be utilized in new ways with art. I was given a travel set of watercolors for my trips to Europe. This freed me up to be able to sketch and paint while I traveled...from the ancient green bog-lands of Ireland to the endless halls of the Louvre in Paris. Back home in my art studio I will be creating larger oil paintings (from the wee watercolors that I did on my trips). I’ve also continued to be in leadership with the VineArts ministry at the Vineyard church in Boise. This has given me endless opportunities to work with other artists installing art exhibits for our VineArts Gallery, doing workshops, writers groups, downtown Boise art walks, art hangouts, our Annual VineArts fundraising Gala, and collaborating on paintings for a purpose (like the RE:FORM ripple effect backdrop for the sanctuary, and the Art & Worship day for 60 students at a local university). I love being utilized in this way for God’s Kingdom. I am currently helping to paint a new backdrop (3 large canvas panels, each 11 ft high & 18 feet long) that will be hung in the sanctuary in January to coincide with a new sermon series based on the heart of David (from the Old Testament). And also in January I will begin to co-lead a home group for artists and will continue to paint & be involved in ministry as much as I can. Beyond the arts ministry...I am still painting and selling with my art business "REVELATORART". I've also had some new doors open recently for my business where I will get to paint for some special public events (downtown Boise) in January (i'll blog about that here on this site in more detail later). I am really loving being an artist!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

May you be surrounded by love and may you know His Love.

Dive Deep!

photo taken by T.&K. N.

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.

painting landscapes

I've been creating abstract collage expressionist paintings so much lately...that many people forget or don't even know that I paint impressionistic landscapes in oil too. 

After traveling to Europe twice this year I have a tons a inspiration to paint from and have now begun to put paint to canvas to capture some of those moments abroad. 

I spent a month on the Emerald Isle of Ireland in May and then a week in Artistic Paris and a week in Beautiful Germany in September/October. 

Here is one of the paintings I just finished. It's a 16x20 oil on canvas. It's of a tree and rock wall that I stood by in Tipperary, Ireland. 

When I paint my oil landscapes, I exclusively use Winsor & Newton Oil Bars and Sennelier Oil Sticks. I layer the colors (dark to light) so I can create depth. I use my fingers to mix, blend, and paint right there on the canvas. This technique creates a very impressionistic style and is a lot of fun for me (as I am a very tactile kind of person: so to get my fingers right into the paint and to feel the texture of the canvas as I move the paint around is really cool for me!)

I like to paint scenes that I've actually been to...so I can create emotion into the painting as I remember how it felt to be there. 

I utilize photos that I take when I travel on my trips as a reference for what I paint. And actually when I was in Ireland and also Paris/Germany I knew that I would be using the photos to paint by later on...so I did my best to set up a scene (composition, lighting, mood, subject of interest, etc.) to make it easier on myself once back home and in my studio.

When I paint landscapes I listen to music that either is representative of the place (ex. Irish music for Ireland) or music that I might've been listening to on my iPod when I was visiting the place (ex. soundtrack to the movie "Once" set in Dublin). 

If you're interested in seeing some of the impressionistic oil landscapes I've done in the past...there are 2 short slideshows of some of my paintings on this blogsite (one that you can click on a link to go to: located on the right hand sidebar. and the other was a previous post labeled "slideshow of my paintings": just scroll down the page). 

allowing yourself to worship God creatively through the arts

Today i got to be a part of a team of leaders from VineArts that went to a local university in the Boise area to facilitate an ART & WORSHIP day for over 60 students. We had prepared 3 rather large canvases beforehand that stood up near a wall. We had outlined some Carravaggio paintings of Christ (the left painting was Christ being whipped, the center painting was Christ coming down off the cross, the right painting was Christ with his disciples after he has risen) in which the students would then add the color during worship (however wherever they wanted to).

There was a band playing worship music as a way of helping people focus...but this was an opportunity for the students to experience a different way to worship God...through art. It was a chance to allow the creative parts of the hearts to be set free.

Every once in awhile during the 3 hour block people read out Scriptures that were speaking to their hearts as they participated in the art. Sometimes people read poetry that they had written right there on the spot...inspired to express through words. One of our leaders read encouraging quotes and told stories of moments when God brought healing to people's hearts in a creative way.

Many of the students had no art background at all. It was really cool to watch them let go of any apprehensions and fears that they carried. They each got up there and put paint brush and paint to the canvas...together, side by side. It truly was an amazing thing to be a part of. I enjoyed the conversations that people were having with each other about the subject matter of the paintings. And those of us who were leaders were able to not only help in regards to pracitical things (like mixing colors, changing out brush water, etc.) but we also had the chance to get to know the students and learn about who they were and where they were at in their lives.

Once the time was ended and the paintings were finished we all spent a moment in prayer together. Later when the students had moved on, those of us on the leadership team made grids on the back of the paintings and CUT them up in 12x16 rectangles. Each student will take a piece of the whole home with them. The piece is represents a memory of this very special art & worship day, and also as a reminder that God is continuously painting their lives (sometimes with dull colors, sometimes with bright colors)...and perhaps they can't quite tell what the whole picture is about if they're only looking at themselves. The point is...each of them is a piece of the bigger picture. That's what being a part of the Body of Christ is about...that's what it means to be part of the Kingdom of God. We each play a very important role and we need each other.

CIRCUMCISION of the heart

This is an edit to the post below...the photo above is the finished painting. 

This painting is NOT FINISHED. It has been a process of about 6 months to get to this point. I was given a word picture about God holding a heart and massaging it to bring it back to life. I was told that I needed to paint it. It took months of grappling with the concept, spending time in prayer, and researching. And finally this last week I began to put paint to canvas.

I don't even know what the title really should be yet. The painting is about God taking our hearts and doing surgery...indepth cleansing, deep healing, cutting out the old dead and grafting in new living...all through the death and resurrection of Jesus. This surgery can be painful as He cuts deep within our old man, and the recovery can take years, but the results are healing.

There are many layers to this painting...and there are still many to come. I did part of this at the VineARTS Gala themed "Hearts and Hands"...experiencing God's healing through the arts. It is a 36"x48" canvas (that by the way, had been sitting around my studio for years without a vision for what to paint on it). I'm using oils, latex house paints, acrylics, images on paper, Scriptures, ink words, objects.

It's a big canvas so I am painting it on the floor...hovering over it, dancing around it, kneeling beside it.

I started out putting oil paints (specifically Oil Bars) down with my hands. Then I painted latex house paints with brushes over the top of the layer of oils. I let the latex tack up and then in various areas rubbed away the latex with a cloth (creating a really cool effect that looks like weathered paint on wood-as the latex lifts off in areas and the oil shows through). Then I did some splattering with more house paint. At the Gala I then began applying the images, I've printed out, with Mod Podge (an acrylic glue that dries clear and you can add paint to it and also paint over it and wipe off and still see the image below). I also began writing words and phrases all over the canvas with a Sharpee and also paint pens. Then I took acrylic paints...and with my fingers I applied that in various random areas around the images to begin blending everything together as one.

Next I will do more of the same (write words, blend with paint)...perhaps also adding in some objects here or there). And then to finish up I will paint a large circle of white & black with a brush...sort of all encompassing....and then splatter the latex house paint (mostly red and white) out from the circle (giving a bloody effect)....cuz this painting is about the blood spilled for us...and the transfusion we need of His blood.

When I finish I do a new post with the final piece for you to see.

VineArts Gala

This coming Saturday November 8th from 7-10pm in Heritage Hall at Vineyard Boise, the VineArts is having a Gala. It's a semi-formal event to celebrate how God heals through the arts.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for students & clergy.

They'll be live jazz music, a guest speaker, visual artists creating on-site, a dance performance, video productions, and hors d'ourves & desserts.

Sidenote: Myself and several of my artist friends will be creating art on-site and speaking that night. I would love it if any of you in the Boise area could come out and join us for this special VineArts Gala...tickets will be sold at the door.

RE:FORM (VineArts Gallery Exhibit Opening)

this little video is of the VineArts Gallery at Boise Vineyard: http://www.vineyardboise.org/ (click on the Ministries dropdown menu and then click on VineArts). we opened a new exhibit today called "RE:FORM". we purposely linked this exhibit with the upcoming Boise Vineyard Conference (Sept.24-26) with the same name: http://www.reform-now.org/ focusing on seven areas of world crisis.

1. confusion and spiritual deadness
2. environmental decline http://www.letstendthegarden.org/
3. world hunger
4. human injustice
5. illiteracy & lack of education
6. poor health & disease
7. immoral & corrupt leadership

we have around 30 artists (of all ages with various skill levels utilizing numerous mediums) who submitted their artwork with artist statements coinciding with the theme for a juried exhibit. the exhibit runs for 2.5 months in the VineArts Gallery at the Boise Vineyard http://www.vineyardboise.org/.

gallery hopping

okay...so i belong to a rather large arts collaborative called VineArts (you can read more about who we are as you scroll down the page on the right side bar of this blogsite).

and each month some of us gather together for a field trip to experience the art culture of Boise by attending the First Thursday Art Walk downtown. once a month the art galleries stay open late. many serve refreshments, and some hire live musical entertainment. it's like a city-wide gallery opening reception. it's a great way to connect with the art culture of Boise and to be inspired by the creative efforts of others in our community.

we begin our evening adventure by meeting up at the Boise Art Museum (BAM) which has free admission all day on First Thursday. BAM usually has new art exhibits to walk through and enjoy. the city also provides a free trolley shuttle service (a hop on-hop off bus) that will drop you off at the various art gallery hot spots throughout the city. we like to utilize this for a quicker trip to the galleries we've chosen to check out.

once at a gallery, we meander through the exhibits and allow ourselves to dialogue about the art we're seeing. as we discuss the concepts, the techniques of medium, and perhaps even meet the artists and creators of the art, we get the opportunity to step outside of our own artistic endeavors and connect with those people and ideas that are shaping the world around us.

i don't know if your city offers this sort of cultural experience...but if it does, i encourage you to take part in it on a regular basis. gather some of your artist friends and take a field trip in your own city. you'll be surprised at how much you'll learn and grow artistically through the experience.

take a risk

ever since i moved to Idaho i have tried to enter a painting or two into the annual Western Idaho State Fair Art Exhibit held in Boise. i enter paintings mostly because it's a great opportunity to have my work viewed by thousands of people as they browse through the exhibits...and there is always the chance that the judges will like my work & i could win a cash prize.

for years i have displayed my impressionistic landscape oil paintings in various venues around the world (coffee shops, small galleries, juried art shows, and fairs). and almost every year at the Western Idaho State Fair i have been blessed to receive a ribbon or two...("honorable mention" or "4th place").

this year i noticed they had a couple of new categories listed in the handbook for submissions: abstract and mixed media. this got me excited, because along with painting impressionistic landscapes in oil...i also create expressionistic abstracts in mixed media...and other than the displaying my abstracts once in awhile in the quarterly juried art exhibits in the VineArts Gallery at the Vineyard Boise church, i have not ventured out to display my abstracts in any other art show or venue.

so i decided to take a risk and give it a try. i really wasn't sure how my abstracts would stand up against the rest of the competition out there. but i gave it a shot. i entered my painting "Sweetly Broken" (a 24x36" framed mixed media expressionistic abstract painting on canvas: oil, latex house paint, acrylic, printed images, sketches, words, objects)....and to my complete surprize, i won a ribbon!

a first place blue ribbon! with cash prize!

boy oh boy, i'm glad i took the risk!

my studio

some of you have asked to see my studio space, so here are some photos. when we had the house built in 2005, we had the builder take part of the 4 car garage and section it off as a seperate room for my studio. it has 2 doors (one that leads to the garage & one that leads outside to a patio). there's heating/air, 2 large windows for light, it's plumbed and has a sink, there's rubber flooring, and the rest is shelving for supplies.



half of the room is where i have a desk and bookshelves and supply shelves, along with frames hanging on a wall for storage. the other half of the room is where i create. i paint flat on an art table or flat on the floor. when i'm teaching students i bring in other tables for them to use. there is also a section of wall that i utilize for displaying paintings on easles.

i've painted some of the walls earthy coffee shop colors and have hung up lights for ambiance. i have plans of installing track lighting but i don't know when i'll do that yet. there is a light and fan in the center of the ceiling currently. i can get pretty wild when i paint, so i do utilize plastic tarps and drop cloths when i need to protect things. so there ya go. if you find yourself in Star, Idaho...let me know and we can do some painting together.

art in motion: created to worship

i put together another wee muvee...this time a fast & fun film about me doing art & worship. this is what i'm about...it's interspersed with photos of me in action and many of my paintings created in the midst of worshipping God. the song is "He is our King" by the David Crowder Band.

grand gallery grunt

that's me...the 3G.

i'm in charge of the quarterly art exhibit installations that we have in the vinearts gallery at the vineyard boise.

our shows are juried and themed. we do 4 a year. there are a lot of details to take care of each time we install a show. my responsibilities include partnering with our vinearts director regarding thematic choice, design, and details. i help create signage to title each show, take in & document submissions, oversee the jury process, communicate with the artists via phone & email, and coordinate a team who helps to type up artist statements, photo archive the artwork, aesthetically hang and place the art in the gallery, and plan & put on opening receptions for the artists. i'm also in charge of the take down process once each art exhibit has finished, which includes: contacting artists, taking down artwork & signage, and prepping the gallery for the next exhibit. that's a lot on my plate...considering it's all volunteer time that i give. but i'm not alone. i have a wonderful dedicated team of volunteers who help me out. i call them my gallery grunts. they give of their time and efforts each time we install an exhibit. and i work with an amazing team of leaders who (though they each have their own areas of expertise that they oversee within the vinearts ministry) they give of their time and efforts to pitch in where help is needed throughout each installation process. i'm very blessed by each of them, they make my job easy and fun. and we do have loads of fun and laughter as we work side by side to get the job done. speaking of fun...i love what i get to do within this arts ministry. to be a part of a leadership team...doing art, worshipping God, loving people. i am so blessed and so honored to be a part of something so cutting edge, so upside down, so creative. i get really excited when i think about what a cool thing i get to do. one of my favorite things about working in the gallery is the personal contact i get with the artists who submit artwork. the stories i get to hear about how they created their work, or what God was doing through them as they began to paint, or how God has transformed their lives and their art, or how just even being able to gain the courage to take the risk and submit their art to a show...they feel empowered and encouraged. and then once the art is installed i love to walk through the gallery and sort of be a fly on the wall as people gather to view and read and experience the art. i enjoy hearing the conversations as people discuss how the art has impacted them. it's a wonderful tool for ministry. we just finished installing the latest art exhibit today...i'm exhausted, i'm humbled, and i'm filled with joy. life is good.

workin thru it

i taught myself how to paint years ago. i consider myself an oil painter, mostly. it's my preferred medium when it comes to landscapes. i use oil bars and i paint with my fingers (not brushes) mixing the colors on the canvas flat on an art table. my style has been somewhat of an impressionistic style (i've been told by many that my paintings are Van Gogh -ish.)

a few years ago my art evolved to include abstract painting. i had always wanted to find more expressionistic freedom with my art...and so i let the paint fly. with my abstract paintings i combine oils, latex, acrylics, objects, images, words, papers, fixatives, etc and i use a combination of techniques to create some very unique art (kind of abstract expressionist collage). i have a very Jackson Pollock-like style of painting (even splattering and dribbling with brushes and sticks)...flat on a table or the floor so that i may walk around the canvas and hover over it to get at it from all directions.

i am learning to adapt as an artist...trying new mediums & techniques does help to expand what i do as an artist and my art seems to evolve in new directions with each season.

recently some friends of mine generously gave me a rather expensive artist grade pocket travel watercolor set and paper to utilize on my upcoming month long trip to ireland in may.

in all the years of my travels throughout the States and overseas, i have never really taken to the typical artist thing to do: to plein-aire paint (to sit somewhere outdoors picturesque and sketch & paint the scenery that is right before my eyes.) it conjures up images of masters like Monet and Van Gogh...sitting in French fields before easles with canvas, palettes held with thumbs fixed thru, long brushes dipping into paints....very romantic.

i'm not completely new at it, i have taken a plein-aire painting course from an art university, and i have done a little bit of sketching outdoors here and there...but i've always been more of a studio painter (preferring to take photos of the beautiful landscapes and then afterwards to go back into my studio to paint the scenes from the pictures and from my memory.)

i've only taken a one day watercolor painting workshop...so i'm not very experienced in that medium. but i am willing to give it a try out there. it feels fun...and it does seem so...artsy. i long to have wee journals filled with sketches and paintings of foreign landscapes and architecture, people and impressions. there's always a first time...so, i'm practicing with my new set of paints.

this is my start at working my way through the 'artist block' i've been experiencing. it's crazy...but the freedom is coming not from a medium and style i'm used to, it's coming from something new and different for me. i'm rather excited about it. i wonder what it will mean for my art...am i going through another creative evolution? maybe that's why i've been 'blocked'...it could be part of the process....of change?

the way of the journey

I belong to a Writers Guild in Boise, Idaho. We're a group of about 20 who meet every 3rd Saturday at Barnes & Noble for a couple of hours. We grab some coffee and spend some time reading whatever we've been working on to gain encouragment & critique. Some of the members are published authors and some are just creative types who like to write. We seem to all have a commonality that our faith in God is very important to us. Being that it's March...this month our assignment is to write something (in whatever genre we choose) about marching forward or about our dreams and hopes, perhaps even St. Patrick if we choose. I'm starting to figure out what might be causing my artist block and I'm trying to work through it. I pecked this out on my laptop today. I'm quite excited because it's a start at pushing through this block I've been experiencing. So here is my attempt at writing a poem.

The Way of the Journey.

c. 2008 Lisa Marten

Walk.
Run.
Fly.
Crawl.

Climb.
Reach.
Jump.
Fall.

Just keep going.
Just keep swimming.
Just keep praying.
Just keep living.

Cathart.
Learn.
Dream.
Be.

Embrace it.
Push through it.
Get to know it.
Don’t rush it.

Dance.
Laugh.
Sing.
Give.

Risk.
Fight.
Hope.
Forgive.

Soak it up.
Mess it up.
Suck it up.
Don’t give up.

Breathe.
Cry.
Trust.
Release.

You were made for this.
You can get through this.
You are worth this.
You can do this.

This is the way of the heart.
This is the way of the journey.

Hi, my name is.....and i'm an artist.

paint. sketch. splatter. erase. scribble. smudge. brush. rub. type. dry. layer. glaze. spray. delete. rip. write. draw. wash.

Okay, so I admit, lately I've been dealing with a wee bit of ARTIST BLOCK. What's that?--you ask. It's when yer creativity has seemed to come to a standstill...there's a block, a sort of subconscious/conscious nothingness that fogs up any inkling of artistic passion and productivity.

Do you ever experience this? I stare at a blank canvas and....nothing. I stare at a blank computer screen and...nothing. It's not like I'm not trying. Oh, I can paint little bits of this and that (lately i've been doing little abstract expressionist collage card thingys for friends)...it's not that I'm not "doing" anything....but I'm not painting ...something big, something new, something that has depth and meaning and is passionately from within...it's just not happening right now...zilch. And yes, I can write little blurbs (like this blog or an email) here and there...but to write poetry or stories or essays that are mine, that really have depth and meaning or are even anything remotely fresh and fun...it's not happening for me right now...nada.

Why is this? What's going on? I recognize that sometimes we artists go through seasons like this. I'm no exception. Julia Cameron addresses Artist Block in her book "The Artist Way" (sort of a self-help creative recovery book for artists). "As you learn to recognize, nurture, and protect your inner artist, you will be able to move beyond pain and creative constriction. You will learn ways to recognize and resolve fear, remove emotional scar tissue, and strengthen your confidence."

That's it, isn't it? I mean...it's about working through the inner stuff to figure out what's really going on with the creative stuff. To move forward ya gotta deal with the here and now. It means being willing to let God undo me. Being an artist is about being real with myself. It's more than just what I DO, it's also who I AM.

"batter my heart, three-personed God; for you

as yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;

that i may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend

your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.

i, like an usurped town, to another due,

labor to admit you, but O, to no end;

reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,

but is captived, and proves weak or untrue.

yet dearly i love you, and would be loved fain,

but am betrothed unto your enemy.

divorce me, untie or break that knot again;

take me to you, imprison me, for i,

except you enthrall me, never shall be free,

nor ever chaste, except you ravish me."

-john donne, sonnet no. 14

So I guess it's back to the drawing board.

the heart of this artist

sometimes i get the opportunity to look at my heart (it's motivations and desires, it's movements and responses, it's thoughts and emotions)...and i get the chance to see (or wake up to understand) that the mural that is my life is still in progress of being painted. though i desperately want it to be completed...and many times cry out in angst that it is not. the picture is still rough, unfinished, and at times, unrecognizable. and there are reasons for this. there are many cans of paint of various colors that still need to be mixed and applied. there are several parts of the canvas that still need to have primer brushed on. there are still slops and spills that need to be forgiven and worked in. there are still details that need to be carefully painted in (at the right moments, only after the base colors are applied)...and all the while, i am in constant need of refocusing on the pre-liminary sketches and tweeking the current layout to reflect the original idea...and yet, allowing for spontaneity and creativity to bring the mural to become an even deeper more intimate and beautiful painting. that is my heart. that is my life. sometimes it feels like an un-mixed can of paint (goopy and unwilling to show it's true color). and sometimes it feels like a slopped on, muddled, and overworked area of the canvas (will it ever be salvagable?). but every-so-often i am given the chance to experience my heart from a very tall ladder or scaffold high above the canvas...to see it as a whole mural from above...to understand that though it is still in progress of being completed...my heart is good. God is painting a beautiful mural with my life.

RE:FORM

have you ever found yourself in the middle of doing something and you realize that there is something very special happening in the midst of it all? this week was one of those moments for me...and i'm finding it hard to put into words how i feel. what i do know, is that my heart has been impacted in a very profound way due to some very spontaneous and creative events that have taken place at my church recently. as you know, i am an artist...a full-time self-employed painter. i've been doing this for almost 10 years...walking the journey of making a career out of what i love to do. i call my business "REVELATORART". the name is after Saint John the Revelator (author of the book of Revelation in the Bible...a letter of prophetic imagery revealing all kinds of phenomenal spiritual & supernatural aspects of God and His Kingdom)...it inspired me that God is the ultimate artist who has filled me with His creativity to do art (and not just "pretty" art...but art that creates emotion, that takes action, that says something, that goes deeper). and i live my life as an artist who desires that God would be revealed in creative & prophetic ways through the artwork that i create...that others may experience something special with my art and be inspired and perhaps even challenged. about 4 years ago i began a deeper creative journey...i became a part of a new art ministry called vinearts at the Vineyard Boise *i talk more about vinearts and the role i get to play in leadership as the gallery coordinator and a task force member, on the left sidebar of this blog site...just scroll down some and you'll find the info about the ministry and what we're about.* this week our vinearts director was commissioned to gather a team of artists and paint a very large mural as a backdrop for the sanctuary stage. the mural would depict the theme of our all-church Bible study in the Book of Acts. our pastor has called us all to be reformers...to make a difference in the world by "engaging in the Spirit-filled advent-ure" (that's "believing for the advent-ure by living a life of daring faith between Jesus' first & second coming"...which is NOW!) he sees reformation like a ripple effect...a rock dropped in water creates ripples that move out from the center farther & farther & farther out...making a bigger impact than the original rock (that rock being Jesus and us being the ripples) so our director called a few of us to task and we set to making this large piece of art a reality. she came up with the design and we all worked on it together. we stretched 3 panels of canvas (equaling 51 feet long and 12 feet high) onto a garage floor to prime. this was truly the largest painting i've ever worked on (and i've done some large murals over the years). then we hung the canvas & traced the outlines of shapes from a projected image of a multitude of ripples (creating a paint by number on the canvas). then we brought the canvas back to the garage floor to be painted. there were 7 of us artists working for days all hours using large brushes fashioned to long sticks, mops, & brooms to paint the majority of the mural. then the canvas was rehung in it's resting place as a backdrop for the sanctuary stage. and then themed wording was traced from a projector & painted on top. and if that wasn't enough to get us all excited...the director and myself (specifically chosen) were able to put finishing touches on a strategic part of the mural (the spot where the rock is plunked into the water) by being a part of the worship all 3 Sunday morning services for the paintings' unveiling. the director & myself helped lead worship with the band by painting alongside of them! it was the first time the Vineyard Boise has had that sort of thing take place in a main Sunday service (i know that there are many churches out there who regularly incorporate art in their worship services). a couple of years ago our arts ministry held some special art & worship nights at the church for people to come and interact with art as worship (but we haven't done one for a couple of years), and of course we do have an art gallery that displays themed art exhibits (4x/yr) which i am in charge of, and we have various teaching workshops & inspirational monthly meetings for the artists of our community, and we have had a guest speaker visit twice who is a potter (he throws pots and gives a sermon at the same time)...but honestly, painting during worship (as worship) on Sunday morning...this was a first! and i must say that i was totally honored to be one of the two people who got the opportunity to break it loose in this way. WOW! not only was it a dream of mine to be a part of something like that...not only was it an extremely fun experience (unifying & meaningful for all involved)...but as the band played and the singers sang & us artists painted...we were all worshipping and proclaiming God's majesty & His faithfulness & His glory. i could hear the congregation responding with more enthusiasm than i've heard in a long time, as they sang and danced with their all amidst such creativity....GOD's creativity! it wasn't about me. it' wasn't about vinearts. in fact, it wasn't about art at all. it was about God...to God, for God. it was a memory that i will hold dear to my heart and cherish for the rest of my life. it was truly a moment that transformed us all. and it was the beginning of re:form.