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Ways to Pray - Art as a Way to Pray
by Joanne Emmer, CSJ
What is the Kingdom of God like?
It is like a sower who sows a seed in the earth;
and day by day the seed sprouts and grows, -
[s]he doesn?t know how. Mark 4:26
Art-making, like farming and teaching and every other good work, is by its nature a form of prayer. The artist knows that the materials she has often have a life of their own, and she must discover what they want to do and follow their lead. My favorite example of this theory of co-operation with a medium is acrylic wash painting.
Beginning with a saturated canvas flat on a table, the artist applies a first fluid color. If the color drifts into a pleasing shape, she lets it dry that way; if it seems to need manipulation she blots it with sponges. The entire canvas must be allowed to dry completely before it may be saturated again and a second color introduced, - possibly overlapping the first color to create a third. She may repeat this procedure dozens of times. ("Day by day the seed sprouts and grows.")
She doesn't necessarily understand what is happening. She may have a particular subject in mind - or no subject at all. She can't explain why one choice of color seems so right and another so wrong?
The artist (teacher, farmer, parent) recalls the ancient poet's vision of Creator God kneeling in the mud of the river bed, forming something, breathing life into it, - pronouncing it "good." Any artist will tell you this has got to be what the kindom of God is like.
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