Blog

Why do I paint what I paint….  

This is a question I’ve been reflecting on and praying on for a few years.  To question a call in faith requires a lot of time just to listen and be still. While I strive not only to further develop a skill, but I also strive to grow in holiness and sometimes that can be an act of control. Controlling the outcome of one’s efforts, the feelings, the direction,  the aspirations, the inspirations, the hours spent , the discipline given and all for what??? To be the one in control and to answer this question perfectly? If the answer were yes, to all of the above… then why is it so messy in the middle? It’s not until I step back after many, many months, perhaps even years and reflect backwards. The events of my life are similar to the strokes of a painting , you have to step back and see it from a distance to make sense of where you are going. It’s a beautiful thing, this stepping back, to pause and to look more deeply into one’s own heart and to listen, then to look up again and be led forward. 

Last week, I was on an artist’s retreat and it led me deeper into this question.  We studied other artists as well as writers that unpacked these exact questions for their own works. We studied Flannery O’Connor and her pursuit of excellence through prayers and suffering,  St. Teresa of Avila, and her spiritual metaphors of grace through imagery and  St. John Paul II and his call to all artists..   I love doing retreats, there is always something new and it feels so good to return to normal everyday life with new direction and renewed purpose. 

Enjoy the prayer given to us on this retreat below 

for artists based on St. John Paul II, Letter To Artists

Creator God,

Help me to see as You see: the dignity hidden within every person,

The grace concealed within suffering, and the hope that shines even in darkness.

May my work never become an escape from reality, but a deeper encounter with it.

May I have the courage to tell the truth, the patience to pursue excellence,

And the wisdom to create what uplifts the human spirit.

Let my art be a bridge between souls, a window opened toward Heaven and a lamp that points beyond itself to a source of all beauty.