DRAWING IS THE FOUNDATION OF COMMUNICATION

Drawing is our first language. Before we can form sentences, and long before we learn to write, we draw. It seems to be hardwired into our nature.

We talk with pictures. We represent ideas with images. Why? Probably because our most powerful response to the world is visual.

We see objects and events, and we try to depict the things we see. We mimic what we visualize. We communicate our understanding of the world through the pictures we draw. It is probably true to say that there is no right or wrong way to draw, just successful or unsuccessful ways to do it. Whether one lays down meticulous lines or scribbles and smudges marks together, the only question to ask is, "Did you accomplish what you wanted?"

Beyond that, accuracy and effect are factors that certainly do matter to the process of drawing. From the time we are children we seek better and better ways to draw. There really is no end to it. When people go out for coffee and try to share an idea with a friend, often they will grab a pen and a napkin and will draw a picture of it. The response is often, "WOW!" or "Yup, I get it."

Drawings can clarify what mere words never can. I suppose each has its own limitations. A great drawing is always exciting. I know of very few people who are unmoved by a great drawing. It is important to draw, and it is important to learn to draw better.

There are many WONDERFUL things that happen to the human brain when one draws. Learning to draw is a journey of a lifetime rather than a destination at which one arrives.

Both educational and scientific studies have clearly indicated that people who draw expand their capacity for learning in many areas; from math to science, from conceptual ideas and spacial intelligence to manual dexterity and visual acuity.

In short, drawing is good for us.What makes a drawing great? There are objective things that make it great, and there are personal things that make it great.

What are some of the great drawings you've seen, and why do you like them?

Here is a pencil drawing I did on the beach in Hawaii. I hope you like it.

ART-TENT / Freedom Fest 2007 / August 17-19

HEY - August is Awesome!

If you haven't already looked at the Freedom Fest website, go there after reading this. http://www.freedomfest.org/ It is full of cool stuff about this important event. There you will find a list of bands and talent of all kinds. You don't want to miss this.

From the 17th through 19th you will absolutely enjoy some of the best fun of your entire summer. Beyond the bands, the food and the fun, Freedom Fest is hosting their first ART-TENT, where lots of creative fun will be happening all weekend long. The program is rich in creative material for you and your friends, or for families and kids. There is something for everyone from 2 to 102.

Among the happenings at the ART-TENT will be a TAG-WALL; ART-DEMOS - "how to" draw and paint taught by a professional artist; READINGS from C. S. Lewis by Connie Rice - Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters; COMMUNITY-MURAL where you can paint with other friends during the course of the weekend; FACE-PAINTING for the kids; CONVERSATION-PIT where you can sit and chat with your friends about ARTSY subjects and other cool things; RIBBONS for best drawing and painting per related age-group will be awarded; OPEN-SESSIONS where you can just come in and do art till your heart's content; and TONS-MORE. You are gonna totally LOVE the new ART-TENT -- and what is the ART-TENT called? What else . . . THE ILLUMINATRIUM! What is an "Illuminatrium?" It's a place where resplendent light shines on the creative spirit.

Really - if you love music and art and fun in the sun, this event is for YOU!
Go online and get your tickets today. Don't delay!!! :-)

Connie and I will be there the entire weekend, so drop by the ART-TENT and say "Hi!"

ART & CHURCH BUILDINGS

It use to be that Christians took great pride in the arts. It showed up in everything they did, especially in their buildings - be they large or small.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the Christian church heavily influenced all the arts of the western world for nearly sixteen hundred years. That is quite a long time. These days, the church is barely in the arts at all - except perhaps for Evangelical music which has experienced a huge boost in popularity in the past century, especially the last thirty years.

However, other than with a few examples, most church structures have gone from being monuments of the creative-worshipful-spirit to ultra simple configurations.

Some churches today don't even own a building. They meet in warehouses, shopping malls, theaters, and gymnasiums. The idea is often expressed that this is a good thing because more money can be spent on evangelism, social work and missions, and other such things; but that argument sounds somehow hollow to my ears. I am not sure why, but it always makes me feel that the one saying such things has other agenda . . . like the disciples complaining about the woman who broke the alabaster box of ointment on Jesus. They complained that it was a waste of wealth, and that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus did not agree with them.

Yes, sometimes money can go to better things than to buildings. I get it. I know this sounds sensible and financially wise, but is it really the truth? Is it really wisdom? For sure, there can be excess with anything, and money can be spent on useless items, but is putting money into the arts for the sake of enriching spiritual experience unwise? Is it always wrong - is it ever wrong to spend money to enrich one's spiritual experience? How does one decide that?

The nagging questions in my mind are, "Who will remember the gymnasium-churches of today?" "Doesn't their very transience demonstrate an unwillingness to think and plan for the long-term?" "Does choosing the easy low-brow-architecture meeting-place of the gymnasium demonstrate a disdain for the notion of the permanence of the Kingdom of God, to say nothing of the need for enduring creative-arts?" "Is the Church to imitate the pop fad-culture of 'here today, gone tomorrow' - disposable-everything - including the place where the Almighty is said to be worshiped?"

One thing is for sure, the cathedrals of the past still stand as monuments to the historic Christian faith, and every stone of their structures proclaims a richness of faith that has endured through the centuries.

The argument that these structures were built on the backs of the poor does not hold water for several reasons. One is simply that cathedrals were also centers of culture and they belonged to the people. They provided respite from the poverty of a person's common life, instructed the mind, lifted the spirit, and provided comfort for those who used them; and almost everyone used them - from the rich to the most poverty stricken. Cathedrals provided many benefits, despite their obvious expense. In fact, it is their enormous expense that speaks so loudly about their value and their enduring contribution to culture.

I know that some will say that the cathedrals are dead and that no one worships there anymore, and this is true with some of them, but here is a picture of Wells Cathedral, where vibrant worship continues unbroken from the day it was begun until now . . . and so it is with many of these sacred places. Sacred places are important, and continuity with previous generations is vital for the Christian faith. When both are combined, it makes for a compelling story that ought to be respected.

My personal sense is that a false sense of piety has stripped the church, and world, of a very wonderful influence, i.e. magnificent, creative, enduring architecture, as seen in the things made by those who worshiped in previous generations with their whole mind, body and soul.It makes me ask the question, "When splendor in worship is no longer a sacred value in the church, how will the world then associate the brilliance of the Creator-of-the-universe with the people who claim to belong to Him?

How could this phenomenon of prejudice against great architectural structures of worship have happened, and what can be done about it? Does anything need to be done about it? Yes, it is true that one can worship anywhere. That is not my point here. My point is, when one CAN make something to glorify God, and chooses not to do so, what does it say about that choice?
Your thoughts on these questions are welcome here. Even if you think me completely wrong on every point. The purpose of the blog is to respectfully explore ideas together. I look forward to seeing your comments here, and to learning something new. :-)