Grace in art

I have been attending art lessons for just over three months. At the start, I was as usual impatient to get to using paint and brush- the 'real thing'. But.....for the first six weeks, I had to start with the basics of sketching, learning ways of shading, allowing light and shadow to emerge just through using a black pencil in creative ways. No paint and brush yet. But ever since I started with paint, I realize the wisdom of starting with the basics, of drawing forms and observing shades. Watercolor, as the teacher reminds us, is a transparent medium. It is a subtle medium and one starts with light shades, gradually adding on darker shades. It is a medium that does not allow for too many 'mistakes' - you can't paint over and over, as you could when using oil paints. So it is important to observe the colors, the hues of the whole picture before starting. Mixing of colors is another skill that takes time and patience and practice, as almost every colour used is a mixed one.

How do I find grace in all this? For a start, it slows me down. And for some time now, I have been wondering what a 'slow-er spirituality' might look like. It takes time to do a sketch - as accurately as possible is helpful for beginners like myself, as I would find it really difficult to paint in the details later. It all takes time. I find that my other love- reading- does not help me slow down - out of habit, I read (too) fast!

Another way art helps me is the careful observation of colors. As I do that, I realize that life is all about observation; about attentiveness to God, to the different ways he makes his presence known to his creatures. Life with Him would be monochromatic and rather dull without the desire to 'find him in all things and all things in him'; looking around both in the shadows and the brighter times.

The actual painting time brings me to deep reflection. I find myself being drawn into the painting, fully involved in the choice of colours, mixing them to obtain just the right shade.......This reminds me that to live fully means being deeply immersed in life, being drawn into it mind, body and spirit......seeking the deepest desire of our hearts.

I have found much grace in this new pastime. I have always known that I need to seek out creative ways of expression, to balance the tendency to live too much in my head. And I have found a graced way to help me.