Art as Prayer

I am fascinated with the idea of art as a form of prayer. Because I want this to be true of my art, I have made an intentional effort to make my art prayerful. One of the things that has helped with this process has been a book by Gary Selby entitled Pursuing an Earthy Spirituality.  Selby contrasts two ways of looking at beauty and pleasure. The first, Christian piety, has often been characterized by self-denial for its own sake and for detachment from the physical body and its sensations. Selby prefers a contrasting view he sees expressed in the writings of C.S. Lewis which are that pleasure can be a religious experience. He explains that wonderful sensory experiences are glimpses of heaven, that they are “glimmers, from an unimaginable distance, of the very glory of God. He bids us wonder at what the nature of God must be to have created this. And he invites us to imagine what it might mean to live eternally in the presence of this God.”

I invite you to try this. For example, go for a walk or drive and look at nature from this viewpoint. Enjoying beauty in this way almost always leads to a greater appreciation of God and to praise. In fact, Selby quotes Lewis, saying that “praise does not merely express enjoyment; it actually completes enjoyment.”

So what does this have to do with making art? Well, painting is a form of enjoyment, a way of being with God. Enjoyment is at the very beginning, with the choice of what to paint. Something draws me to paint a particular subject. It might be shapes, colors, general design, or the feeling it evokes. Enjoyment continues as I begin painting because I am observing (and enjoying) shapes, colors, values, and temperatures, and how they fit together in the elements of design. 

I often listen to music as I paint. The music helps me enjoy the beauty of what I am painting, and the painting helps me enjoy the music. It slows me down (and also calms the inner critic), and I can just “take in.” I purposefully let the combination of music and art guide me in my endeavor to “just be with God.” Sometimes I feel the amazingness of God; sometimes I share my heart and feelings with God; sometimes it’s simply the joy of participating in God’s creativity.  Sometimes the prayer has words, sometimes not, but it always involves enjoying God. It’s not about the end product (but who doesn’t prefer a great outcome). Rather, it IS about the process. Art becomes prayer. When I do this with intention, painting is truly the highlight of my day.