Visual Faith

The term, "Christian art" has always bugged me. What comes to mind when I hear that term is the stuff in many Christian bookstores or images of Jesus hanging on the cross, or Moses receiving the Ten Commandments. To me, that is "religious art," and there is great meaning and beauty in that style of art.

But not all Christians create that style of art. Nor do they need to.

Sometimes the art I create is rather "dark" coming from an unknown place in my soul where sorrow and guilt meet Jesus unexpectedly. Through that interaction, expression happens, bringing to life a pencil-sketched visual image of my human reaction as I process what took place in my soul. And it often doesn't look very "Christian" and I'm pretty sure it would not be appropriate to hang on the wall in a Christian bookstore.

Other times, an image or visual phrase births in my mind directly from God Himself. In those moments, it would be disobedient to not express that through some artistic medium. Again, this may not have any significance to anyone but me. Often, it's a prompt from God to trust Him, trust myself through Him, stay on the path, have courage, slow down and be still - listen to His still small voice. It's our way to communicate. I listen to what He places in my heart then I respond by bringing it to life through clay sculpture, a painting, or a drawing. Once I see the visual response to His words, I'm moved even deeper into what He's saying to me. I can't deny hearing it because now I see it. Seeing is believing, right?

My relationship with Jesus is only magnified when I respond to Him through creating art. As a good friend used to say, "God becomes Hi Definition, full Technicolor and THX surround sound!" He was right.

I'm a Christian. And I am an artist. My artistic genres vary. Sometimes it's dark and mysterious from the hallows of my broken heart. Sometimes it's an over flow of His loving grace and acceptance. Sometimes it's a word or phrase He shares to encourage me or to correct me. Sometimes it's a project so grand I know I can not do it without relying on Him one hundred percent. It's always different. It's always intimate. It's aways special. And to me it's faith portrayed through art...that is true Christian art.

May you meet with God as you "sit before the canvas" and express what He's placed inside you. Don't worry about what others will think of your art, they never have to see it, unless you offer it to them. Just express what is in your heart and allow God to bring to you, your "visual faith."

Grace & peace ~ deAnn

Nurturing Creativity

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of "Eat, Pray, Love," her memoir, speaks about the creative muse (a.k.a. the Holy Spirit, in my opinion) and nurturing creativity in this 20 minute, but worth while, video. I'm not sure where she is spiritually, but that doesn't really matter when you listen to her words through your own spiritual filter. I'm inspired by her talk and believe this is a good topic for discussion among artists who love Jesus and seek to collaborate with the Holy Spirit in their creative endeavors. Basically that's the point of her talk, however, not in those exact words. But meeting with God and allowing Him to create through us in our work is the heart of Vertical Creativity - not so much for the "awesome" stuff that will come out of such moments, but because we are forever changed and transformed each time we encounter our loving God.

I hope you enjoy this short clip.
Grace & peace,
deAnn

See The Light

If you have the funds and love photography, you need to go to the SEE THE LIGHT seminar featuring Dewitt Jones and Jonathan Kingston. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to attend, but the funds are super tight with our baby girl due in May. But, with God, I know nothing is impossible. We'll see what He has in store for me. :0) BUT if you can go - by all means - GO! What an experience it will be!

If you don't know who Dewitt Jones is, click here. He's amazing and inspiring and funny - he spent 20 years shooting for National Geographic, just to mention ONE of his accomplishments. I've heard him speak before - he's awesome.

The seminar is in Hawaii, October 23-30. Please click here to read more about this seminar!

Here is a little excerpt about the seminar:
The Art of Photography is the Art of Seeing Deeply
Every photograph is a moment of personal expression and self-discovery.
Join Dewitt and Jonathan on the magical island of Molokai for a 7-day seminar as they teach both the technique and the spirit of photography.


Photograph from the highest sea cliffs in the world, wander through ancient rain forests, swim in the warm waters of secluded beaches. Explore the reasons why we photograph and discover new ways to see -- more and more deeply. Live together as a family of photographers searching for both images and insights.

If you go to this seminar, I'd love to hear about it and see your images! Email me.
Grace & peace,
deAnn