Sacred Discipline

I'm getting closer to achieving in part -- at least -- a closer idea of what it means to combine the essence of the sacred with the discipline of art. I can feel the shift happening in my mind and in how I view objects and colors. In church, we paint non-representational paintings that don't have strong compositions at all. They're painted in 30-40 minutes, and it's obvious. Sometimes one of us breaks through with a truly affecting painting, but usually not. I'm on the search for consistency in truly prophetic, truly good art -- not just one side of the spectrum with a few hits in the middle.

An example of an intensely prophetic painting would be of me looking at a tree and wanting to paint it. A completely prophetic standpoint of painting that tree would be to paint the pure essence of the tree. So the end artwork would have colors and forms that - to me - define what "tree" is to me spiritually. Perhaps "tree" would symbolize stability and growth, then I would paint using bluish-greys and stark red-oranges with lines that flowed upwards. It wouldn't look like a tree at all, but to me it would demonstrate the essence.

Now, if I wanted to simply paint a tree, then I would. It would end up looking exactly like the physical tree: brown, green, limbs, bark, grass.

The problem with both ends of the spectrum is that they're undefinable to the person. If I saw the prophetic painting, it might speak to me, but it wouldn't speak "tree" unless God willed it. If I saw the disciplined painting of the tree, I would immediately register what it was, but it wouldn't hold any deeper significance that affects my behavior.

What would it look like to combine these two intensities? I am constantly in pursuit of the center of the spectrum...which may lie on a completely different level. God likes to make it that way sometimes.

So how does one combine these two? The prophetic/sacred and the discipline of art and drawing?

I don't know exactly. But I'm on the way there, it feels. My creative mind is growing and stretching and cooling and heating all at once; it's like a shift in seasons but with more intensity. I feel the way I felt when I was very young and the first cool autumn day made my blood race and all I did was run as fast as I could around the playground during recess. I never grew tired, I never stopped running. Artistically, I can run for miles and miles and still be grinning.

For now, I'm getting closer to feeling around and understanding the shape and scale of the spectrum I'm standing in. I pray that Christ is seen in my artwork, above all. Whether it's sloppy paint or a beautifully rendered portrait, it's nothing if He isn't looking through it.