There are many things I love about art. Visual to performance, art has a way of enriching and changing our life. If we create or just partake in the art process, we are touched by it. It can move us to tears, anger and everything in-between. Through the centuries artists have been motivated to create for many different reasons.
I create because I feel like I was created to do it. Many artists will talk about finding your style, or having consistency in your work so it is recognizable. But I have never felt like that was my calling. I like to paint in different ‘styles’ if you will. If you have been following me for a while you are aware of this.
The pieces that really have meaning for me are the ones that are based on scripture, a personal story or a powerful song. Take this piece, ‘Moving Forward’.
There is a lot going on in this piece. It came to me as I was meditating on Psalm 26. Specifically verse 2, ‘Examine me Oh Lord, purge me….’ I was wondering how many times I have actually asked God to do this and then reveal to me what I need to remove or get over! Not too many in my 30 years of relationship with Him. So I did.
This was what came of it. As we purge these things we then need to move on. We have handed them over, they are not ours to hold onto anymore! There is freedom in that! The word LOVE is in the work, but it is backward and misaligned. People sometimes hurt us, and then it is hard to love them. For me this process is like one step forward and 2 back. This is my struggle, and this is how I process it, with paint!