Do painters enjoy "worship leading"?
As many of you are of the visual persuasion, I was wondering what your thoughts were with regards to leading worship. I've attended many church services where painters were up front creating during the music or sermon, which I've always thought to be beautiful and diverse. I'm dreaming up a monthly, one hour evening of sacred music at a theater, and have wondered what the painter's experience is. I'm leaning towards having finished art that ties in with the Liturgical Calendar (as the whole evening will tie in as well). Of course, those of you interested in helping with this are absolutely welcomed. So what is it like for you to be up front? To witness others painting?
I've posted this comment on my blog here if you wish to read my current philosophy.
Cheers!
Zadok
I've posted this comment on my blog here if you wish to read my current philosophy.
Cheers!
Zadok
posted by Zadok at 9:10 AM
3 Comments:
zadok,
this really is a great question...and i may only be able to offer partial thoughts this evening, but this is definitely something that's been on my mind quite a bit and as primarily a painter, i've wondered where this fits into worship gatherings.
having painted in a handful of different settings, the following is just kind of what my experience has been. mostly having painted alongside of musicians, there has been immense amounts of joy that have also collided with frustration and sadness.
the round, which you know is more of a concert-style event lends to feeling pressure to perform. while the musicians are offering a "finished" presentation of songs which they have already spent countless hours on, there is the pressure to produce something of the same quality, when it really may only be a fragment of what the painting would be if there were several hours or days.
and what if it's just bad in the end...i mean, come on...painters make bad paintings, but they're usually not the ones shown in galleries. they stay hidden in attics or under the bed until someone finds it years later. so at the end of the night, what if it's just bad?...is that what matters, or is the incarnational process what one remembers?
and then the process...so the audience sees every movement--the wiping away and starting over at times...the really ugly moments of a painting...beautiful moments that turn ugly...and ugly that turn beautiful. it's a really bizarre process, as i imagine composing songs must be, and that's actually something that i LOVE-that others get to experience a process rather than just seeing something finished hanging somewhere.
the process is perhaps the thing that i love most about painting and letting others in is a gift. (though very vulnerable). it's always fantastic to have a great painting in the end, but being able to know what was before and at various moments throughout before the painting comes to completion brings me much depth and gratitude. it's the same as knowing the story of a person or a group's life...in this case the knowledge leads to greater understanding & appreciation...while also not removing the mystery.
so...that's a lot, eh? i won't go on to write about painting in conversational settings unless you're curious...it's a somewhat different experience.
all of this actually makes me wonder what it might be like for musicians to gather on stage for the purpose of composing songs in front of others rather than performing what has already been written. what would that be like for you?
The times when I have painted in front during a worship service have been some of my most amazing worship experiences ever. It was as if my senses were heightened to the worship aspect and I became very unaware of the "audience."
At the same time, because the time is short and the work feels more than a bit rushed, I've never cared very much for the finished product. I don't know exactly what that means, but that is how my experience ahs been.
hm. yeah...cris, ditto. heightened senses.
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