I have been participating in an art class this week and two of the collages I have done are pictured above.  One of the things I love about collage is that as the artist I have no preconceived notion of what the painting is going to look like.  I am free to enter the creative process, working with creativity itself while it is happening.  Since God is the Creator, I see this as a journey with God.  Ultimately I will see one or many things within the painting.  But always it is more than anything I could have done alone, for creativity is truly a gift of God.  It is who God is, what God does, and something God chooses to do in and through us.

The other great thing about collage is the freedom for you, the viewer, to see what is present for you to experience.  It is not about what a painting is “supposed to look like”.  It is about what the painting stirs inside you to touch your own feelings and experience.

When my son Steve saw these paintings he said, “I love the colors in this one.  They remind me of what you would see in southern Utah.”  This made me smile, knowing how much he loves the natural beauty in Utah where he has been rock climbing.  I have not seen Utah like he has.  How special that this is present for him in my painting!  Indeed, God paints!  I remember Steve’s words to me in a moment one summer when he and I were driving west together.  We were headed to California where he would begin an internship as an architect.  Driving into a beautiful setting sun before us, he said, “Mom, I thank God everyday for the gift of creativity,”

I invite you to enter the painting.  What do you see?  What do you experience?  For what are you thankful?

nk