The SONG...

If you remember some of my previous posts this year, myself and several others worked together to create another 3 panel backdrop for the sanctuary stage at the Boise Vineyard. That backdrop is now hanging up to help illustrate the new sermon series on the letters the Apostle Paul wrote while he was in prison (Collosians, Philemon, Ephesian, Phillippianes).

The backdrop is representational of physical imprisonment and persecution and also representational of spiritual and emotional imprisonment in our hearts. Going from left to right, the backdrop shows the darkness of this world that we live in. We as humans can tend to mistake our identity in that darkness. But our identity should be in Christ (notice the word "identity" painted near the cross). It is the the love of Christ that pours into the darkness and sheds light. That light permeates into our hearts (even through the bars and walls that may be oppressive obstacles). It is His light that breaks down the walls and sets us free.

The word "song" is painted in the center panel towards the top, to remind us that the Bible (and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus) is really God's song (His story) being sung in the lives of the humans he created. Some choose to sing the song (even amidst great adversity and hardship). Others choose to sing only one verse and then they move on to other songs. Some choose to keep the song locked up, buried, and even will persecute others who try to sing the song. This happens because they haven't allowed the song to fully grow within their hearts to allow themselves to experience the freedom that the song really brings.

We were created to see that song.

It's not about breaking out of prison. It's not about finding an easy way out of our problems and difficulties (like a "get out of jail free" card). It's not about escaping this world of darkness, nor is it about lying down and letting the darkness overcome us, or letting our hearts become cold and angry. It's about letting God's love to set us free in our hearts...that no matter what our circumstances...we will be free. It's about singing the song in amidst all of it...and allowing the light to shine into it. It's through the song that we are set free.

If you haven't read the "Singer Trilogy: The Singer, The Song, The Finale" by Calvin Miller...I highly recommend it. It's a creative allegory about this song I'm talking about.

The plan is that a couple of us from VineArts will continue to paint words and phrases onto the backdrop during Sunday morning worship services throughout the 8 month sermon series. The additional words and phrases will be painted on the right panel (which shows the stone walls being blown away and the stones turning into parchment letters flying out to all the world). It'll be a way that we all can remember and reflect on what we're learning as we continue to embark on the journey of this life. It'll be a way we can recognize that even in the bad times...God is with us.

Art is an amazing thing. So many layers. So many ways God can use art to speak His song to us.

recycling paintings: creating new from old

today i spent some time in my art studio creating a new painting from 2 older paintings that i have done. this is something that i do sometimes. sometimes i end up having paintings that i've done that either i never really liked or they just don't seem finished...like the concept is good but needs to be re-worked somehow. so sometimes i will cut them up and use bits and pieces of them to create a whole new painting. or sometimes i'll just paint something new right over the already existing painting. i did both today. i had a painting that i did 7 years ago that i never really liked (it was an oil impressionistic landscape painting of a calm lake)...so today i used that canvas and painted right over the top of what was already there. i also had a painting that i did 3 years ago and i really liked the concept of it but i just didn't like how the painting turned out (it was a mixed media abstract with some tiles fixed to the canvas)...so today i cut that canvas up in pieces to fit bits here and there within the new painting. i was able to elaborate on that concept and create (what i think) i really intended.

this new painting is a 16x20 that i have titled "STRONG TOWER" and i base it on Psalm 46:1-3 and also the song by the same title written by the band Kutless. i used oil paint, latex house paint, acrylic paint, images printed on paper, text (song lyrics, Scripture, words), tiles, and the cut up canvas of a previous painting to create this new abstract expressionist collage. the photo of the fortress is one that i took last year when i was in Ireland. its of The Rock of Cashel (located on a hilltop, it had been a castle, a cathedral, and a monestary. It was a major center of refuge for many during the 12th & 13th centuries).

Psalm 46:1-3

from The Message

God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in the seastorm and earthquake, before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift the mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God of Angel Armies protects us.

Strong Tower

song by Kutless

When I wander through the desert.And I'm longing for my home.All my dreams have gone astray.When I'm stranded in the valley.And I'm tired and all alone.It seems like I've lost my way.I go running to Your mountain.Where your mercy sets me free.You are my strong tower.Shelter over me.Beautiful and mighty.Everlasting King.You are my strong tower.Fortress when I'm weak.Your name is true and holy.And Your face is all I seek.In the middle of my darkness.In the midst of all my fear.You're my refuge and my hope.When the storm of life is raging.And the thunder's all I hear.You speak softly to my soul.Now I'm running to your mountain.Where your mercy sets me free.

I plan to submit this new painting to the upcoming juried/themed VineArts Gallery Art Exhibit titled: REFUGE IN YOU that will run from August through October.

Creating Memories

i finally created a scrapbook documenting my trip to Ireland that I took a year ago (May 2008). i wanted to do something different than just a normal photo album or even a normal scrapbook. so i "revved" it up a wee bit.
i used a normal composition book and printed off my digital photos on normal computer paper. using the same abstract collage painting techniques that i use in my canvas paintings...i created a unique look for each leg of the trip.

to help tell the story, i used the blog posts from my Ireland blogsite:

http://www.uiscebeatha-wateroflife.blogspot.com

with some of the pages i was able to almost create a themed landscape painting with the photos and paint and a little embellishment of writing or sketching.

now i can look through the scrapbook and remember the trip on so many levels.

these are just a few of the pages. i had so much fun creating this scrapbook. i plan to do one for my trip to Paris and for my trip to Germany that i took last fall.

I'm on YouTube!

Recently the leaders of the VineArts ministry at Vineyard Boise have created over 30 short videos (2-4min each) for public viewing on YouTube. We had a blast making them! The short films range from information about what VineArts is and how to start an arts ministry, discussion about what it means to be an artist who is a Christian and what it means to be an artist in & out of the church, info about the events and happenings that take place within VineArts, and details of how to get involved. Some of the films have a serious side...others have a more silly side.

Go to http://www.youtube.com and type in vinearts and you'll get a list of videos that you can view. Check em out!

I thought I'd give you a taste here with one of the videos that I'm in. This is a call out to anyone in the Boise area who would want to join our VineArts Gallery Installation Team to be a "Gallery Grunt" and work with me installing the quarterly art exhibits in our art gallery. Take a look...I warn you though...this one has a high rating of sillyness...so be prepared!

video taken by J.N.

walking on a painting

this is me applying some white highlights to one of the 3 canvases that i've been working on to create a stage backdrop. there truly is something so amazingly fun about standing on top of a huge canvas and painting. most people put their canvas on an easle or a table or even hang it on a wall to paint...these 3 canvases are so large that it's just easier to do most of the painting flat on the ground. however, this creates the issue of how to reach certain areas of the canvas. so walking on the canvas is actually required. for this project i've splattered and applied paint with long rollers, brushes, mops, rags, sheets, bubblewrap, foam, and anything else that will help to add color and create texture. even my sneakers have added cool prints of texture to this painting. walking on a painting is definitely a unique experience!

grunge

i'm originally from Seattle. i lived there when the word "grunge" began to describe a style of rock music that sounded as if it was made up of the manky dirt & mingen grit & grime like you'd see & smell at the Seattle shipyards and waterfront. it's a mixture of salt water corrosion, mold and moss, muck and mud flowing from the rain.

it's sort of a good picture of how our hearts can be at times. we can be full of hate & judgments & meanness & selfishness & pride & jealousy & lust & unforgiveness & all sorts of ugliness...whether all this is due to terrible stuff that's happened to us or whether we've been fed lies about ourselves and we've believed them, or whether we find ourselves to blame...we need the love of Christ to wash all that away. when we allow ourselves to have relationship with him and allow him to be Lord of our life, and give our hearts and our circumstances and our struggles to him...he is able to create in us a clean heart. he can fill us with hope & love & joy & kindness & mercy & generousity & forgivenss & peace...and so many more glorious attributes. we truly can be his reflection...if we're willing.

i've been having fun working on a painting project which requires layered texture techniques that create a grungy look. this look seems to be quite popular in graphic design today. it reminds me of Seattle grunge and i've been a bit nostalgic lately.

the project represents exactly what i just described above. the love of Christ can wash away the grunge in our hearts. the hope of Christ can bring joy in the midst of our most difficult and darkest times. but we have to allow him to do the sort of work in our hearts that is required to clean up all that grungy mess.

it isn't easy. it can hurt a lot. it doesn't happen over night. but it's worth it for the freeing of our hearts from the grunge of this world. our hearts are worth it!

this is just a quick picture of what REVELATORART is about...through art, God can speak to us.

Applying Texture

This is me applying texture to one of the three 12'x18' canvases that will make up the next backdrop for the Boise Vineyard sanctuary. Yes, the canvas are on the ground now and we walk right on top of them as we paint with large brushes, brooms, rollers to apply the paint and things like sheets, bubble wrap, and foam, and squirted water to create texture. Today we utilized rollers on extension poles to apply some of the darker base colors of the background. For this painting we are using a lot of layering techniques. We water the paint down quite a bit and also spray water on the canvas as we go. This allows the paint to be a bit transparent. After some dry time the colors, textures, and shapes that we're applying and creating come through and enhance each other layer after layer. When we finished for the day, it felt really good to stand back and look at all three canvases and see the painting begin to come together.

VineArts Exhibit: "The Creator's Heart"

This last week was the submission dates for our new art exhibit in the VineArts Gallery. Most of our art shows are themed and juried. I'm the coordinator of the installations (they call me "The Grand Gallery Grunt") and so along with our VineArts Director, I have a huge part in each of the exhibits. The Director and I work together from designing and printing entry packets, to sending artists emails and making phone calls, to creating signs, to taking in the artwork submissions, to administrating jury day, to typing up and printing artist statements, to leading a team of "Gallery Grunts" to install the show (which is quite a huge undertaking in and of itself), to designing advertisement postcards, to planning and producing the opening receptions.

Today we had the Opening Reception for a new art exhibit called: "The Creator's Heart".

It was a chance for the artists to mingle with those who came to view the show. We had live music and refreshments.

I made a short video for you. The show will be up for about 2 months.

making the process easier

today we hung up one of the primed 12ftx18ft canvases. one of our leaders built a hanging system that was installed yesterday. and hooks were fashioned today to be able to hook into the grommit eyes on the canvas and set into the hanging racks on the wall.

our next step is to project outlines up onto the canvas, with overheads, of the images we will be painting. we will trace them with chalk. this will help to make it easier for the painting process (because we will be painting the canvases flat on the floor and it can be difficult to get correct perspective and placement from that angle).

remember...we have 3 of these panels to do. all 3 will create one large painting to be hung up behind the stage in the church sanctuary. we'll be painting them over the next few weeks.

PRIMING

today myself and our VineArts director began working on our next sanctuary backdrop. we have 2 sets of canvas panels (3 panels each set) which form a triptic mural painting that hangs behind the main stage. each panel is 12ft x 18ft. this is the 3rd mural backdrop we've worked on in little over a years' time. so in order to paint this one we needed to prime over one of the mural paintings in order to create a new one.

the panels are so large that we lay them out on the floor in a huge garage to paint on them. that's a photo of me standing on one of the canvas panels pouring primer onto it with a ladel. then we used long handled rollers to spread the primer to cover the canvas.

you may be gasping thinking about us painting over such a huge and memorable painting (but we did take lots of photos of it before we ruined it). this is somewhat of a normal thing for artists to do...to paint over other paintings. it was a little sad to cover over the painting underneath (see the post "RE:FORM")...but we didn't mourn too long...it was great fun spreading the primer all over it. and now we have 3 huge blank canvases to create something new and exciting on for the congregation.

and currently the 2nd backdrop mural painting is still hanging in the sanctuary (see the post "Painting the Heart of David") and will continue to hang until this new one is ready to go up (as it will coincide with an upcoming sermon series for the church).

we'll be painting any chance we get over the next few weeks...this new backdrop will be hung up by June sometime. i'll try to post updates for you as the new painting comes to life.

Still Alive

tonight i painted live at a venue downtown Boise called The Record Exchange. my friend Jerry Fee and his band were playing there live to release their new cd titled "Still Alive".

it was an amazing experience to create a painting throughout their entire set. i was positioned just a few feet away from the stage. and by the end of the night i felt like part of the band.
the painting is themed to coincide with the new cd. the lyrics of the songs are all throughout the background of the painting. the images i used all work into what the songs are about. and the overall color scheme and look of the painting was inspired by the cd cover painted by another artist friend of Jerry's.
here is the finished painting. it is an 18x24 mixed media abstract on canvas. i used ink, oil paint, latex house paint, paper images, matte medium, & acrylic paint. it was raffled off to a member of the audience at the end of the evening.
here is a wee snippet of me painting live to the song "Still Alive" as Jerry and his band play live. i apologize that the video is sideways. it was recorded verticle and for some reason i can't seem to get it to play that way. hopefully it won't distract you and you can get a taste of how i paint.

i want to give a big thank you to all who came out to see the show and also to Jerry Fee, his family, and his band for letting me PLAY with them. it was a blast! Jerry...your music is inspiring!

photos & video taken by E.M.

painting LIVE

okay, so besides what I typically do with my art business Revelatorart (selling my paintings, doing commission work, teaching lessons, doing art shows, illustrating books, etc.), and in leadership with the VineArts ministry (installing gallery exhibits, leading art groups, painting murals & backdrops,etc.)....God has been opening doors this year for me to do a bit of performance painting (creating a painting live in front of an audience to music) in various venues for various purposes. Some events have been small, other events have been quite large. Some events have been worship focused, other events have been for charity, and other events have been arts & community related. Performance painting has been something I've always been interested in doing (as part of how I like to express the creativity God has placed within me) and I have been enjoying these opportunities by embracing them with all I've got to give. I wanted you to know about the most recent opportunity coming up.

You have another chance to see me create a painting live...

I'm going to be painting at another cool event THIS COMING FRIDAY NIGHT!!!

This event will be FREE and open to ALL AGES...

WHAT IS THIS COOL EVENT?: JERRY FEE  CD RELEASE PARTY

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?: Jerry just finished making a new cd titled "Still Alive". He will be playing songs from that cd. And you can have the chance to be among the first to actually purchase the cd (he'll give you several ways you can do that...all very inexpensive and tailored to fit for your convenience) 

Get a sneek listen to Jerry's music at: <http://www.jerryfeemusic.com> 

WHEN IS THIS COOL EVENT?: Friday April 3

WHAT TIME IS THIS COOL EVENT?: 7:30pm to 9:30pm

WHERE IS THIS COOL EVENT?: The Record Exchange in downtown Boise ( <http://www.therecordexchange.com>)

[1105 W. Idaho St, Boise: <http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=+1105+W+Idaho+St%2C+Boise%2C+ID>]

{This is a place where you can buy new & used cds & dvds & other merchandise. They also have a COFFEE BAR!}

WHAT'S IT GONNA COST FOR THIS COOL EVENT?: It's FREE to come to the event!

WHO CAN COME TO THIS COOL EVENT?: ALL AGES are welcome! 

WHY SHOULD YOU COME TO THIS COOL EVENT?: This will be loads of fun to listen to some great music, watch me paint, and enjoy the atmosphere.

WILL THERE BE AN OPENING BAND AT THIS COOL EVENT?: Yes, Low-Fi will open with an acoustic set.

IS THERE A BONUS AT THIS COOL EVENT?: YES! You can watch me create a painting live to Jerry's entire set of music. 

There will be a raffle for the painting (raffle tickets will cost $2 each...you can buy as many as you want!) and YOU COULD WIN THE PAINTING I CREATE LIVE AT THIS COOL EVENT!!! 

Remember...this cool event that I'm painting at is....THIS COMING FRIDAY NIGHT. 

Tell your friends. Tell you family. Tell your neighbors. Tell your co-workers. Tell your postman. Tell your barista. Tell the kid who bags your groceries. Put a reminder on your frig, on your computer, on your Blackberry, on your dog, on your forehead. 

THIS FRIDAY APRIL 3. RECORD EXCHANGE. BOISE. 7:30PM. FREE. LIVE MUSIC. ME PAINTING. COFFEE. GOOD TIMES!

Hope to see you there!

Scraping Paint

today i got to do something i hadn't done since my days in Scotland (2000/2001/2002) when i helped to transform a hundred+ year old building into a coffeehouse/church in Glasgow.  being an artist...typically you can find me applying paint to things....but today i got to scrape paint off. 

i've been helping with a large mural project (details in the previous post) and part of that project has been to not only paint the walls and ceilings...but also all the doors. we ran into a bit of problem when we realized that the paint that was originally on all 12 doors was an oil based paint. the paint we are applying to do this project is a latex paint. this won't work. as you know, oil and water don't mix...so latex will just peel off once applied on top of the oil based paint. 

we tried sanding the doors...but didn't get very far. so a stripping solvent needed to be brushed on (it's purpose is to eat away at the paint and bubble it up to make it easier to scrape off). special gloves and masks were needed to protect us from the toxic fumes. then we set to scraping the paint off with scraping tools. it's a long, tedious, and muscle aching job. 

once the paint is completely scraped off we can apply a coat of primer that will allow us to use the latex paint we have to paint the murals with onto the doors (creating a continuous scene). 

so i had a bit of a nostalgic experience today...scraping paint, something i did A LOT of when i was in Scotland. you can read about my experiences in Glasgow at my blog: http://www.streetsofglasgow.blogspot.com

working together

part of what the VineArts Ministry does is make ourselves available to do art projects for the various ministries at Boise Vineyard Christian Fellowship. this time the project was so huge that we opened it up to not only the artists who are a part of VineArts, but also to anyone who wanted to join in and help out. 
the building that the children's ministry is located in was in need of an "extreme makeover". so the head of the ministry partnered with our VineArts director and came up with an amazing artistic concept...to paint the hallways that surround the gymnasium with vividly colorful and fun scenes from our world.
these scenes include the desert, the ocean, the mountains, the jungle, space, etc....and are filled with water, foliage, animals, and other things that would be found in each of the scenes (all things that children would enjoy looking at). each scene morphs into the next...and some even continue through doors and up onto ceilings. 
this is the week for the project to be completed...so over a 100 people have been contributing their time and efforts to work together to get the job done (yes, you read that right...over a 100 people!). our director has made it easy for everyone no matter what their skill level in painting is. first the pictures were traced onto the walls with chalk in simplified shapes and then a numbering system was created to paint by number (match the number on the wall in the shape with the number of paint in the paint cans at the paint table, pick up a cup with that paint in it, grab a brush, and go to work)...this way lots of people can work together side by side with as little instruction as possible and the job gets done quickly and easily. 
today i helped do some detail work...like these pink water roses in a cross section of a lake. it's a really cool experience to work on such a large scale project as this. it's a reminder that if we all work together we can accomplish big things much easier than if one person or a few people were to try and take it on. and it ends up being way more fun too! 

Dreams Really Do Come True

Tonight I was one of several artists that were featured at a special arts event in downtown Boise.

The Forerunner Cafe owned by my friend Lisa Johnson is a company that specializes in promoting local talent and inspiring others to take hold of their dreams and be who they are meant to be. This evening was the first of many more events like this to come. There were hip-hop dancers, an actor, a poet, a musician, and a ballroom dancer featured along with myself (a painter). We were the evenings' entertainment for a semi-formal dessert theatre. It was an amazing night of inspiring art, creative hearts, and passionate performances. I'm still flying high from such a amazing time!
I painted on stage to a medley song of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World" by Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole. I used a 3ftx3ft gallery wrapped canvas. I had prepped the background beforehand...writing the lyrics of the songs, some Scriptures, and various phrases onto the canvas and then rubbed on oil paint, and then brushed on latex house paints (let them tack up and then rubbed them off in certain areas to give a weathered look). During the performance I glued on various images and words and bits of other paintings I had done, and then applied acrylic paints with my fingers and did a bit of splattering too. Oh my goodness I had so much fun with this painting! 
Here is the final piece. I call this painting "Dreams". People were able to purchase a raffle ticket and get the chance to win the painting at the end of the evening. The MC joked from the moment I had arrived with the painting that he was going to win it. Funny thing is...his wife's raffle ticket actually did win! They both commented that it was really cool to have such a artistic reminder of the event to place in their home. 

The painting is a reminder...that dreams really do come true. 

THE BOOK IS RELEASED!

Today is the day! The book that I illustrated, "Formation Generation" by Robert Michael Kurz, is OFFICIALLY RELEASED. You can find it in all Major bookstores, Christian bookstores, and on-line at Amazon.com and directly through the Publisher and the Author himself. 

Here is a little promotional video made for the book:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpbJ0qt-Hyg

Here is the Authors Official Website for the book:

http://www.formationgeneration.com/

Here is the Amazon.com page for the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Formation-Generation-Robert-Michael-Kurz/dp/1606965565/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233809712&sr=8-14

Here is the Tate Publishers page for the book:

http://tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60696-556-6

You can read reviews on Amazon.com.

some upcoming events that i'll be featured at

EVENT #1:

This next Sunday is the BOOK SIGNING for the book I illustrated.

What: "Formation Generation" Book Signing 

with Author Robert Michael Kurz & Artist Lisa Marten

When: Sunday March 1, 2009

Time: 10:30am-11am AND 12:30pm-1pm

Where: Boise Vineyard Christian Fellowship

Copies of the books will be available for you to purchase at the book signing.

The book will be released to all major bookstores and on-line at Amazon.com as of March 3rd. 

<http://www.amazon.com/Formation-Generation-Robert-Michael-Kurz/dp/1606965565/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233809712&sr=8-14>

EVENT #2:

WHEN: Saturday March 7th, 2009 

WHAT: The Forerunner Café will be presenting: 

The First Dessert Theater in Boise , Idaho

TIME: 7pm

WHERE: The Water Cooler in downtown Boise

COST: $8 

PURPOSE FOR THE EVENT: It is a semi-formal event to give you an evening of entertainment, 

and to show you what can be done when you pursue your passion and use the 

talents that God intended for you to use to make a difference in this world!  

The performances will encourage and excite you to pursue your own!

Artists that will be performing are:

Lisa Marten: Nationally and Internationally known local artist who owns Revelatorart.

Natalie Wickstrom: Dance Instructor and Choreographer who owns Carpe Danza Ballroom in Boise, Idaho

Matthew Le Baron: Actor and MC for the night and who is also a local Real Estate Broker

Chuck Cathcart: Videographer with Clear Creak Productions

Samual Fortner: Local singer and guitarist

This is just to name a few of the artists and performers...

WHAT TO EXPECT: Shortly after the performances, there will be a time of networking 

intended specifically for you to meet the artists and other prospective talents to help you pursue 

your personal desire to grow in that area.  The night will also be topped off as with 

specialty desserts, exquisite coffee and drinks.

BONUS: Watch me create a painting. You could win the painting in a raffle!

EVENT #3:

What: JERRY FEE CD RELEASE PARTY

Where: The Record Exchange, Downtown Boise

When: Friday, April 3, 2009

Time: 7:30pm to 9:30pm

Cost: It's FREE for ALL ages. 

Why: Come listen to Jerry play and pick up

his new CD titled "Still Alive" 

Opening Band: Low-Fi 

BONUS: Watch me create a painting to his 

entire set of music. And you could win the

painting I create in a raffle!

Check out Jerry's music at:

<http://www.jerryfeemusic.com>