I WANT TO LEARN TO PAINT!

I've been dabbling in small ways with art since I can remember but it was about this time last year that God seemed to press the accelerator pedal and I found my soul began to sing
...in colour!

An artist friend of mine had just come back from a trip to Bethel, spending a couple of weeks with their art team. She prayed for me, asking God to impart all she'd received from her visit there, to me, and she gave me a book 'Cultivating Kingdom Creativity' by Theresa Dedmon.

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Reading the first few chapters during my holiday, I was challenged and inspired about the idea of prophecying (bringing God's messages of encouragement to people) through art. My dialogue with God went 'THIS SOUNDS REALLY SCARY BUT IF YOU WANT ME TO STEP OUT IN THIS, I'LL GIVE IT GO'.

Literally the next day I received an email from the arts team leader for David's Tent with a rota of when I would be serving as a prophetic artist over the weekend (I'd been given 12x15 minute slots when I would be booked to draw pictures for people)!  The email had been sent in error, as I had only applied to be a delegate and to have my first go at painting in the worship times there, but the coincidence of the timing of this after what I'd been reading and saying to God made me think He might have other plans. I explained to the team leader that there'd been a mistake BUT that I thought God might be inviting me to have a go, if they'd show me how and wouldn't mind having a complete beginner on the team. ...Not surprisingly David's Tent was a REALLY significant few days. I painted 4 canvases in the big top during the worship (2 of which, people approached me about buying) and I ended up producing about 30 prophetic pictures for individuals over the 2 days, which in God's grace brought encouragement, direction and hope to people.

Back at home I wasn't sure how to translate what I'd learnt at DT into 'normal' life but knew that something had shifted in me, something was growing in me that I wanted to make room for.

At my church I offered to paint in our Ministry Room evenings (monthly times of extended prayer & praise), where I sought to continue learning to worship visually and asked God for messages to bring to the group through my art. I then got asked to paint at our carol service, at the front... for all to see! Which then was followed by the invitation to join the worship team once a month from January, to paint alongside the band in our two Sunday morning services!

Autumn, following DT, was rather swamped with Christmas crochet orders, but once that was over I had space to ask God 'what next?'. I felt Him remind me that I'd always wanted to be a fine artist and that now was the time to go for it. That weekend I received 3 separate commissions for paintings (my first ever) – God was underlining what He'd said. I was now painting regularly in public, getting commissions for work and had this growing visual song within me that needed some way of expressing itself. But with canvas in front of me and paint on my brush I didn't actually know what to do with them. I'd been to art foundation college, studied as an art teacher and no one had ever told me how to paint!

I'd heard about Pattie Ann Hale from another member of the DT arts team (Jude Caisley), I'd really loved her work and asked how she'd developed her style, she told me that Pattie had written a book and had coached her. I got in touch and started weekly Skype sessions from USA.

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On sharing my journey and my work thus far with Pattie, by way of introduction, with all my pictures laid out in front of me, I realised that my style was becoming increasingly controlled and tight.

I love pattern and detail and I'm sure this will often show up in my work in various ways but I could see there was a lack of freedom, expression and passion that I knew was inside me. In my life I've recognised that when I feel insecure and threatened by my circumstances I tighten control, it makes me feel safer, this can help initially but often becomes a bit obsessive and fear driven. When I came to the canvas my lack of technique and experience was making me feel inadequate and rather vulnerable in the public role I'd found myself in. I have asked Pattie to help me overcome this, to help me grow in technique and ultimately to find my unique visual voice.

It started with 'daily doodles'...