Positivity, Art, and Possibilities

Art always amazes me with the impact it has to affect the emotions and our inner spirit. That is one reason I enjoy viewing art in museums and art shows. I appreciate the artist’s talent but also seek to find a message for myself in the artwork. The picture above this column is a small painting that I recently purchased in my office. Even though it is small it packs an expansive message to me as I view it.

It is an art piece by Kelly Rae Roberts. I like to know the stories of artists so I went to her website, kellyraeroberts.com . I was surprised initially to see she studied social work not art in her educational pursuits. She worked as a social worker and when she was 30 she followed her passion into art. She describes herself as a “lover of life and people”, on her website. As I think over the pictures I saw in the store of her work that is very true of her artwork. I can see how social worker creatively fits into what she paints.

Her style comes across to me as modern and abstract. But it is not a harsh abstract that often turns me off in museums. Her choices of colors feel very calming and positive. Her lover of people orientation to me is seen in many of the paintings as she has people in them or positive phrases that can encourage and uplift the human soul.

That is what drew me to the painting I purchased, “Believe in Possibility”. There is a path or a road across the middle of the picture and then t me I view it as an ongoing field on the other side with the sky bright with light. The green around the edges add a peaceful feeling to me. The “believe in possibility”, stands out in the light of the sky.

Sometimes life is like that, settled on one side of the road, a little dark but comfortable as that is where we are and what we are familiar with. But a dream or a passion we may have, may mean to take a risk across the darker road and follow our field of dreams. We can be stopped from following into the light by saying to ourselves “it is not possible”. But two verses come to mind that I thought of in the store when I bought this painting. One is Matthew 19:26 “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Then in Mark 9:23 “All things are possible to him who believes.” One writer, Matthew focuses in on God in the equation that God makes all things possible and then Mark is looking at our human responsibility to have faith and believe in the God of possibilities.

As I look over my life I have been stopped many times from my lack of faith in possibilities coming true. So I stayed stunted in the foreground of the painting and not enjoying the light on the other side of the path. It is easier too often to say that is impossible to a new opportunity, rather than take a chance to try. This painting now in my office is a reminder that there are future possibilities ahead for the good that I have not even imagined yet. And some even right in front of me that I need to step across the road to enjoy them. I just need to keep faith in the God of possibilities as I step out and cross the road.


Reflection: What does “Believe in Possibility” mean to you? Is there new possibilities facing you and you need to step out in faith to give them a try?

Appreciating and Creating Art

Art is an area of life that adds greatly to the quality of our existence. I have always appreciated art talent in others. I say in others as art is one area I am not talented in. My stick figures look sad. One reason my art grades were so low when I was young; as I could not stand my art so I would often throw it away rather than turn it in to the teacher.

Appreciating art is a different story. One of my favorite past times in Chicago would be to go visit the Art Institute of Chicago. I even had a yearly membership. I could spend hours walking through the various collections. In front of some of the major works they had benches were you could sit and soak in the visual expression the artist had created. I enjoyed going over the details in my mind and then expand to the big picture so as to capture the emotion and story the artist was trying to communicate. My trips to the art museum were times to de-stress or times to quiet myself within to think more clearly when I was going through difficult issues. Art has that cathartic value in our inner healing.

Recently on our vacation to Niagara Falls we met a gentleman, Don King, who was showcasing his mother’s artwork. Her name is Polly King. I bought a print entitled “Sacre Coeur” that she had painted in France. It is a picture of a sacred church in Paris. I purchased it as my wife has always wanted to visit Paris and I thought this could be motivation for her to reach her goal someday. Her paintings had such a variety of colors and I could understand why by a short poem she wrote that was listed on the back of the painting.

God must have loved color very much
-he created so much of it
Vast skies with their ever changing bluse
-the silver greys
With their sunsets of
Oranges, pinks and purples
The mountains now green, purple, blue.
The grasses and flowers of limitless colors
And tints
And trees with their stark lines
In plumes of green, pinks and yellows
And now orange, scarlet.
What a wonderful world he has created for us.
-Polly King-
I thought it wonderful that her son is keeping her art story of the beauty of art alive. You can see her art work at www.pollykingart.com

For me art is gifted people reflecting the beauty of God’s creation as can be seen in Polly King’s statement above. I understand there are other definitions of art, as some in the post-modern realm feel art is all about shocking people. I will grant they have a point that art can be communication of sometimes shocking issues that need to be addressed. Yet I feel sorry for those that stay focused on the shock value and miss all the beauty God has for us to enjoy so we can flourish in our life journey.

If you have had the urge to be creative in the physical arts of drawing painting, pottery or interested in computer graphics take an art class at a local community college. You can also see if there is a local association of artists that may offer classes in art. Don’t take the “I’m no good at art as an excuse not to try” (I am the only one allowed to do that—believe me if you saw my stick drawings you would agree!).

You can also learn to appreciate art by visiting a local art museum or when you are visiting a major city visit one of the major art museums as in Chicago, Dallas or New York City. You may also want to take out a book on art at your local library. Take some quiet time at home to reflect over a collections book of a famous artist and enjoy their talent and the message they have in their paintings.

There are also many resources on the internet to learn more about art. Here is a listing of a few art links you may wish to explore:
http://www.artistsnetwork.com/artistsmagazine

http://www.artistdaily.com

http://www.collegeart.org

http://www.artshow.com/orgs
http://www.artpromote.com/famousartist.shtml

Enjoying artwork can help relax you from the stresses you face each day. Art can help you slow down the pace of your life and build up skills of savoring the good things in life. Artwork can inspire you to reach your dreams and goals. As I mentioned that is one reason I purchased a print of Polly King’s work “Sacre Coeur” for my wife’s dream of visiting France. Tap into your creativity today!

Reflection:

Take a book of artwork by a famous artist out from your local library or find some artwork online. Spend some time reflecting over the art. Choose one painting to focus on and spend 15 minutes looking at it. In a journal write down what was the artist trying to say in the painting. How did the artwork speak to you in your present situation. Did it help relax you? Did it inspire you in some way?