More Prophetic Art Stories
Creativity unlocked after 40 years as an art teacher!
I want to tell you a little story. I love stories, especially ones of redemption.
One of my students had been teaching art in high school for almost 40 years!
Anyone who has been a school teacher knows that teachers give out constantly. And often, there is so little left to create with that you just don't get around to your own work. That is what she had done; she had never taken the time to develop HER art.
She had spent her life giving out so other people’s children could create while she had completely neglected her own creativity.
And then she came to one of our retreats. At first, she didn’t think much of what we were doing and resisted a bit. (That’s a normal reaction when people have been doing it a while.)
But as time went on, she learned some things and gained confidence because she let go of some of her false assumptions.
And then she experienced the sheer joy of creating a painting that she was PROUD of! That's the eagle pictured. She went home a bit mystified but later she came back.
And did it again. And again. And again. (There’s a pattern there….)
Gradually, she allowed herself to be pushed out of her comfort zone and that’s when her painting really took off!
Her innate talent that had been squashed down for sooooo many years began to really shine.
And then her best friend, her dad, died.
At a complete loss, she came to our retreat the following week and Holy Spirit completely blew her away. She got lost in worship and God and her created her best work ever. A week after losing her closest friend! That's the lion pictured here.
How good is that?
Her creativity and talent have been unlocked from the material in these resources and the touch of the Father.
So if you’re wondering just how to marry your faith to your art and use it for His kingdom, come on the journey with us!
You will discover how important your art is to the heart of the Father.
A painting I did was used by God to validate someone’s life!
What I want to share now is close to my heart. It touches me deeply because it changed someone’s life!
Yep, that’s right. A painting I did was privileged to be used by God to validate someone’s life!
How GOOD IS THAT!!!!!
The back story is this;
I was asked to do a prophetic painting as an anonymous commission. (Prophetic painting just means one with a message from God).
I had no idea what to paint and went on a search with the Father till I found this cute little bird called a Red Cardinal, which doesn’t exist in Australia. Mind you, I had almost no idea what it would mean to her except that she had red hair and a wonderful singing voice! And God had said ‘that one!’
Fast forward; I gave her the painting and stumbled through a bit of an interpretation.
She went home and researched it though and came up with eight pages that she believed God had said to her through that painting!
This is how she summed up what she got from the work;
Can a painting validate a life?
I had been contemplating the total sum of my life and where God wanted me to be as I felt lost and lacked direction. I know what I am good at and what I have done over a 50+year lifetime, but I was at a crossroad and just couldn't put my finger on the 'thing' that would truly inspire me to go into all the world...I am a wife, mother and grand mother.
I am also a worship leader, singer, preacher, writer, mentor, encourager, one who builds others and who loves all those roles. Each of those things are unique and any one of them would be enough but nevertheless, there was still something missing.
As I grew up both parents worked long and late hours so I was often alone with my siblings after school until dark. I didn't have any direction and wound up a single mum at 17. I was frightened most of that time and empty too. It was a major road ahead to try and raise a child whilst still being one myself.
I was grossly overweight and miserable. I even left the country to 'marry' someone I thought would have been my forever man. It didn't work.
I just kept stumbling along until I had an encounter at 28yrs old with Jesus that changed my life forever. The journey I began all those years ago has been one of miracles of healing past hurts and encounters with Him in the secret place. I have grown exponentially in all areas of my life.
Even with all of that, there was an emptiness and I just began to pray and soak in His presence for direction.
Then came the painting!!! Someone commissioned a painting for me; a Red Cardinal. Grace Bailey, the artist who painted it, told me that the wings were translucent because she wanted me to know that I wasn't just a singer, but there were many facets and depths to me and not just the obvious. I was stunned, honoured and overwhelmed.
How could she have known what I was feeling?
Firstly, the word Cardinal means ‘of great importance’. I was so important to God and he had gone to such an extent to tell me in a painting. It got better and better.
Secondly, the red cardinal is a symbol of love and relationships. This little bird, because of its color and powerful voice tends to stand out from the crowd. They can get your attention when nothing else can reach especially in times of depression and grief. Their color also signifies vitality, importance, faith & power.
Their song is loud but very clear. It sounds like 'Cheer cheer'. It's the sound an encourager would make. The call of a cardinal can come to cheer us up, or cheer us on.
The unique clarity of their call can be used to gain our attention and lift us from our depression, our sorrow or perhaps even the mundaneness of life.
Cardinals are great parents who care well for their young and provide safety and protection until the babies are out of the nest. They exemplify health, strength, vitality and self-preservation. They encourage good diet, healthy eating, and a fight for health.
Having had a lonely childhood with migraines and no direction, I waded through a quagmire of life circumstances not realising that my life was special, unique and worthy to be lived.
As I look at the painting and see that bird soaring above the clouds, looking to see who is next to encourage, protect, lift up, cheer on, sing to and over, I see a new calling.
From a lonely, fearful, insignificant, very sick young girl, I have become a woman of substance, filled with health and a desire to encourage anyone who comes across my path.
To sing with passion in any arena, and 'Go' into the world He wants me to go into and be all of that as I love and protect and encourage the children. The painting spoke life to the void and validated my whole life in Him…'
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Isn’t that a cool story? Just about every time I read that story, I get teary.
Art really can make a difference!
Book.
take your art to the next level
I’m about to unveil a little bit of me. I’m going to be vulnerable.
I worked so hard on this latest course that it feels like a part of my soul! Lots of time and thought and prayer over lots of months have gone into it.
From the outset, I want to tell you that it’s not just a watch-and-do painting course. You’re right, there are thousands of those.
The material in Painting Powerhouse is the result of all my years of learning and refining as an artist without someone to show me the path. The things that I didn’t realise I didn’t know so were not doing correctly. I’ve distilled it into all the stuff that I think every artist should understand to avoid the many frustrations and distractions along the way!
It’s taken me a lifetime but now I am absolutely certain that God wants to see His artists create the best art that they were created to do. He wants us to partner with heaven to reveal beauty on the earth and possibly, His messages. We have a God-given assignment to create beauty and share His messages.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that all art created by Christians should set out to “proclaim the word of the Lord”! But we probably aren’t going to be creating the morbid and the miserable either!
Even if we only ever see it as a hobby, creating ‘the better’ is so much more satisfying.
So this course looks at the things that I’ve worked out that are necessary to understand, along that path.
It’s called Painting Powerhouse and it will help you;
- Get your head right about your art and your ability
- Compose your paintings well
- Paint backgrounds with confidence
- Understand the importance of tone, colour, light and form
- Accurately draw (even if you feel you can’t draw for nuts)
- Create a step by step painting of a lion to consolidate all your learning.
- Know how to look after all your art stuff.
It's a step-by-step guide to improving your art with downloadable workbooks and lifetime access.
Click here for more info;
Start Your Own Prophetic Art Adventure With The 'Painting With God" book.
You'll be guided by experienced artist, Grace Bailey, through ten colorful chapters on how to get started, face your fears and create images that tell God-stories.