Broken Wings Fly Free: My Painting for a Friend

a dear sweet talented and beautiful friend of mine is celebrating another year of life this month. she has been and continues to be an amazing inspiration to me of love and joy and beauty and strength and hope arising out of pain and brokenness. i couldn't think of a better gift to give my friend...than a part of myself...so my birthday gift to her was to paint live at her birthday party...creating a a very unique painting just for her...as her friends and family gathered around to celebrate in her life and love on her as she has so loved on us.

here she is...she is so beautiful!!!!

local Boise musicians (Naomi Psalm, Matt Gambrell, and Rebecca Scott) showed up and played at the house party and kept the festive atmosphere shining througout the night.

to start the painting...i had each of the guests sign the canvas for her so that their words of love would be a part of the creation.

i then added color and images and words in layers that symbolized and meant deep things to my friend...

it was a joy to paint such love all over a canvas to celebrate such an amazing life. and as i painted to the music it was so fun to interact with the friends and family who had come to love on her...they too engaged with the painting and felt a part of such a act of love.

my heart was lifted as i handed the painting to her...and saw that smile on her face...it's a smile that lights up the room...and has lit up our lives. Here's to you Abby. I love you my friend. Keep flying free.

icons in transformation

i am a big believer that the thematic use of art in sanctuary spaces can inspire the heart and uplift the soul and become a window to Heaven. recently i experienced such an experience myself. while in Seattle i attended a service at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral and found a delightful surprise awaiting me...an international traveling art exhibit that was displayed throughout the sanctuary and side chapel. "icons in transformation" by artist Ludmila Pawlowska was an absolute inspiration to interact with in such a beautiful setting. i was personally encouraged and inspired through the art and found myself wiping away tears as i connected with many of the pieces.

Ludmila's expression of the ancient artform of iconography, through mixed media abstract paintings and sculptures, gives the modern worshipper a fresh perspective to connect with the Divine through contemplative prayer and art. I LOVE IT!!! These are just a few of the pieces that were displayed in the exhibit. The exhibit runs through October at St. Mark's. You can go to Ludmila Pawlowska's website to see more of her art, along with this exhibit and others like it. http://www.ludmilapawlowska.se/

Art in August

Do you want to see my art up close, live & in person?

I will be the featured artist for the month of August at The District Coffee House in downtown Boise located at 110 S. 5th St. I will have a number of my abstract expressionist mixed media paintings on display and for sale. Yes...for sale!

Come see my art, have a coffee, hang out and chat with me on First Thursday August 4th for my Opening Night. I'll be there from 5pm to 9pm.

Downtown Boise is always hopping during First Thursday with live music, new art shows, delicious places to eat, and good times awaiting you! So come on out and make it an artistically fun night of it!

My paintings will be showing at The District for the month of August...oh, and they have live music every Friday & Saturday night. Their hours are Monday-Thursday 7:30am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 7:30am-11pm, Sunday 9am-5pm. http://www.districtcoffeehouse.com

The place rocks by the way! They have great coffee, great food, great music, great art, great atmosphere, and great employees! So come on down to the District! :)

Community...what does it look like?

i love love love what i get to do in life! this week i had the priviledge of partnering with another VineArts leader to facilitate a special night of art for a group of about 15 young adults who desired to connect creatively with each other and with the concept of community. this kind of special night of art is an experience that VineArts offers to small and large groups of all sorts as a way of interacting through art for one purpose...to connect in community and to connect with God. people coming together to create one piece of art together. It sounds easy but it requires individuals (who may or may not have any experience artistically) to bring whatever they have within themselves to a common canvas and allow others to paint alongside of them in order to create one unified fluid piece of art together (with no plan or prep) while still allowing their own "voices" to be heard through the creative process.

We start out with a simple outline on a blank canvas. this image comes about through the teamwork of the VineArts leaders involved. We get together ahead of time to discuss and pray about a starting point for the group that will be experiencing the night of art. Sometimes there are discussions ahead of time with the leaders of the groups to get a feel for where the group is & what they're focus is. That way we can best know where to launch them from...so it's relevant to who they are. For this particular event we came up with imagery that included people gathering to wash and anoint feet (this sprung from the Scriptures in the Gospels talking about the woman pouring expensive perfume & oil over Jesus' feet, washing them with her tears & hair, and also when Jesus washed his disciples feet at the Last Supper...both a picture of Jesus preparing people for ministry & people giving their all back to God in ministry). The leaders of this group let us know that their intention of the night was to do something in community with each other that would speak of community...and that they could submit to the next VineArts Gallery Exhibit titled "With Everything" (about giving everything we are to God).

night of, we spend some time talking with the group about the topic and explaining painting techniques and ideas that they can implement in the painting as long as they don't actually destroy what someone else has done, but rather enhance it and expand upon it. then we encourage the group leaders to pray for the group. once the intro is over we set them loose on the canvas...we have music playing in the background...and we let the night ebb & flow as it needs to. the fun thing about these kinds of art nights is the group dynamics that happen throughout the night. i love to watch the transition from individuals to community. regardless of whether people have experience with art or not, they tend to start out as a bunch of individuals apprehensively approaching the canvas with colors and filling in the spaces as if it were a coloring book.

some people tend to hang back and let others go forth in order to allow ideas to stew...but others hang back because they're sort of scared to paint...as if what they have to offer isn't going to be good enough to the project.

throughout the night we will interact with the group (sometimes we'll talk with someone one on one, sometimes we'll address the whole group, sometimes we encourage the leaders of the group to interact with their own members to encourage). we want everyone to find their creative voice to add to the piece (maybe it's paint and brush or paint & fingers, maybe it's with pen and words, maybe it's with paper & glue, maybe it's with objects and layered texture, maybe it's with water & spray bottle allowing paint to drip, or rags & paint, or splattering) it all is a part of the creative process moving from individuals creating side by side to one cohesive group creating together.

i love that moment in these events when you can actually watch a kind of miracle happen and the group begins to create as if one voice, working together, communicating together, discussing ideas, implementing ideas...together. there's an intensified level of energy at this moment. and those of us who are facilitating are able to step back and watch this community take place right before our eyes...it's a beautiful thing to witness.

the addition of color & drips that create a mood....

little addition of details that enhance the composition...

the addition of paper & objects (like dirt & flowers) that create a layered effect & texture...

the addition of words that have meaning to the group...

the addition of interactive splatter that gives that finishing touch...

here it is...a creative piece about community created in community by a community for a community. Truly this is a beautiful thing to be a part of !!! At the end of the night we gather everyone together and have them discuss their thoughts, impressions & experiences of the night and then we spend sometime praying to close. By the closing prayer everyone is typically so exhausted from being stretched mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually but the energy levels don't dissapate because they're also so excited and energized and astonished about what they just experienced and created that they don't want to go home...they want to continue connecting in community! i love love LOVE what i get to do !!!!!!

Heading to L.A. Cali for CIVA

this week i'm heading to Los Angeles with our Director of VineArts Jessie Nilo http://vineartsboise.org/, to attend the CIVA conference at Biola University. we'll be joining professional artists from all over who share a common faith in God. this year author David Taylor http://artspastor.blogspot.com/ will be teaching the "Art and the Church" track and author J.Scott McElroy http://jscottmc.wordpress.com/ will be teaching the "Spiritual Formation" track. Jessie will partner with Scott on a special panel of artists that will share about the "Spiritual Practices of Artists" and later offer a time of prayer ministry in the chapel for anyone who is attending the conference.
you can check out the conference tracks, speakers, sessions & workshops here: http://civa.org/resources/civa-events/2011-biennial-conference/

Painting Live: Party For A Purpose: A Benefit for the Joplin Tornado Survivors

I want to announce:

I am honored to have been asked to paint live at this benefit concert event to raise funds for the Red Cross to help the survivors of the Joplin, Missouri tornado devastation.

Saturday June 25th, 2011

10pm-2am

Ophedia Studio in Boise

Featured music by The Blue Cinema www.thebluecinema.com and other local musicians.

Arial & visual artists to perform & an art auction available.

There will be a dancefloor & live DJ along with an open martini & beer bar.

$50 per ticket, additional donations accepted.

Let's PARTY FOR A PURPOSE!

Retreat for Pastors & Ministers to Artists 2011

I once again had the amazing opportunity to attend the Retreat for Pastors & Ministers to Artists at Laity Lodgehttp://www.laitylodge.org/laity-lodge-retreat-for-pastors-and-ministers-to-artists-2/ outside of Kerrville, Texas. It's a retreat specifically tailored for those of us who find ourselves in the mentor role to artists. There were under 50 of us from all various Christian denominations and from all over the States and the world, who share a similiar heart for artists, gathered at this intimate setting to connect & learn from each other.
Four of us leaders from the VineArts ministry http://www.vineartsboise.org/(under the umbrella of Vineyard Boise Church) embarked on this artistic adventure together. We were excited to share with others what we have within our VineArts community and to learn about what happening elsewheres in art ministries all over.


The retreat center is located in a remote river canyon miles outside of Kerrville, Texas. Laity Lodge can only be reached by driving through the Frio River...literally!!!

It's a beautiful setting for the chance to get away from it all (no cellphone coverage, no internet, no TV, etc.) and relax.
The retreat allows for plenty of mingling and conversing time around meals and free time. This was so valuable in order to connect with each other.


The speaking sessions were created to till the ground for conversations with each other throughout the weekend which fostered relationship and challenged ideas. Along with the main speaker sessions taught by David Taylor & Frederica Mathews-Green, there were workshops given on encaustic art, iconography, theatrical Scripture reading, art & faith in the marketplace, and a tour of an art exhibit about Rwanda in the gallery on site.
I enjoyed getting to know the caliber of people who attended. We were all on the same ground...no matter what our "titles" or "education" or "economic status" or "artistic background" or "faith denomination" was...we were all there for one common purpose to share in community.


They have an art studio at the center and we had the chance to take an encaustic workshop (the ancient artform of layering&fusing with beeswax) taught by Phaedra Taylor & Shannon Newby.

Daniel Domig from Vienna, Austria http://www.currentlynowhere.com/current/(an installation artist) led us in discussion about being artists of faith within the marketplace.

David Taylor http://artspastor.blogspot.com/(artist, author, and head of the retreat) spoke to us about character development as art ministers.

Frederica Mathews-Green http://www.frederica.com/(author, pastor, and wife to Gregory-an Orthodox priest) spoke to us about the importance of prayer & worship when creating art for the artist of faith.

Brooke Waggoner http://www.brookewaggoner.com/(singer/songwriter & musician from Nashville, Tennesee) shared some of her songs with us.

The grounds of Laity Lodge are layed out for the peaceful enjoyment of meditation & contemplative prayer while you stay.
The dock on the river offers swimming, boating, and picturesque beauty to soak up.

I got to kayak (which was a first for me) and had a blast during and after the retreat (as our team from Boise & a few others were able to stayover an additional night before our flights out).

I made some new friends & reconnected with friends I had met last year from all over the world as we shared in rich conversation around intimate meals and gorgeous scenery.
The retreat was once again a highlight of my year...a chance to get away and relax, a chance to meet new people, a chance to learn new things & be challenged, a chance to listen & hear God in regards to direction within arts ministry, and a chance to continue to step into my calling as an art minister/mentor (in & out of the church). I LOVE WHAT I GET TO DO!!!!

Creative Expression of Worship

okay...i am someone who enjoys traditional liturgical worship to God & modern spontaneous worship to God. and whether i'm in a traditional church (like an Anglican church)or a modern church (like a Vineyard church), and whether i'm in the States or another country...i enjoy worshipping with the Body of Christ...however that looks. but i do believe that the winds of change are blowing within in the Christian Church world-wide (regardless of the denomination or if it's Protestant or Catholic). there seems to be a "New Renaissance" taking place within churches around the world. the arts are breaking loose within the Church. what used to be relegated for "special services" or "Holy Day" emphasis is now being brought into the weekly worship experience more and more within churches today. no longer are people just singing songs & listening to sermons, people are allowing more interactive worship...there's a greater acceptance for creative & more Spirit led heart felt worship to God within church services. painting, dance, music, writing, photography, drama, film, sculpting, etc. and with the inclusion of the arts there seems to come an outpouring of people connecting at a deeper more authentic level within worship to God.

a couple of weeks ago i attended a weekend conference called ONE THING REMAINS. Jesus Culture musicians/speakers Kim Walker-Smith and Jake Hamilton led us to a deeper level of understanding God's love for us. during the worship times there were artists who painted to the music.

it was inspiring to say the least! i truly believe that we all learn & connect differently (God made us this way)...and the "model" of church for so long has reached a certain type of people (those who can easily experience God through singing a few songs & sitting & listening to someone speak). But there are so many more of us who learn & connect easier through other types of creative ways (utilizing all of our senses). when a church allows the arts to be a part of worship in a more kinetic way it opens the doors for so many more people to connect with God!

this painting was about the winds of change...

last night i traveled with a team of artists from VineArts to join another church for their worship service. it was so fun to experience worship so creatively! there was music & singing, painting, dance, art being created by everyone, and lots & lots of beautiful people of all ages, expressing their love, praise, thanks, and hearts to God in creative ways.

this was a dance troop called One Force that performed street dancing as a form of worship to God!

this little girl gave it her all as she painted as an expression of her worship to God!

this artist is from Pennsylvania! he flew out to Idaho to partner with us in the arts!

here i am doing what i love to do...paint as worship to God!

this painting was about recognizing the various stages of our lives and how God can use us to bless others within each.

this painting was about Christ the Savior (sacrificial lamb) and Christ the King (Lion of Judah)

this is the painting i created. i call it Furious Love. it's based on Psalm 107:23-31...about God being in the storm & in the calm. we cry out to him in our desperate need & his love stills our fears.

i'm excited to see more and more of the creative arts brought into the church!!! keep a watch out...cuz it's happening!!!

*photos taken by S.Coffield & J.Rold & J.Nilo