Art is everywhere....

In sixth grade I won an art contest. It was sponsored by the Durham, NC Arts Council.
It was a themed contest. The theme was simple...Art is Everywhere. Even as a young man I looked at the world around me through the imagination of one who loves to create. My notebooks from school were covered in tiny pieces of art, sketches, doodles and creative lettering were everywhere.

I entered the contest and looked to maximize the theme. I grabbed a cereal box, a piece of clay glazed cardboard, some colored markers and went to work. After several afternoons I had re-created a colored graphic of the cereal box, because art is everywhere. From boxes in the grocery store to fine art on display we are surrounded by the beauty of artistic creation.

With the eye of an artist I wanted to make sure my kids had the ability to see the world through artistic eyes. My oldest says that I help them grow up with an "artistic mindset". We would stop when I saw something interesting and have the girls look at it carefully. Clouds, animals, people, nature, buildings, objects were all mini lessons in creativity. We would look at the colors, the light, the shadows, the lines of objects. We would attend art exhibits and museums to look at the work of other artists. we always would have tons of paint, crayons, markers, paper and clay around the house. Even today, out home is full of artistic supplies. Sketch books are laying around almost every room in our home. Each filled with experimental drawings, small sketches and many completed works of art. We are constantly fighting over the use of the colored pencils or box of Sharpies. We may draw or paint on anything and see art anywhere.


We see human skin as a canvas, and though none of us possess a tattoo, we love the art created by those artists. The "foot art" above was created by my daughter with Sharpies.

We love art

We see art everywhere.

We breathe deep the creative power of our God.

Grab a bag of Sharpies and a sketch book and join us.


All the art at the top of the post was created by my daughters. The two doodles below the post were created by me. My oldest daughter created the earrings out of sterling silver and Swarovski Crystals.

It's all about the stories...

Shelley and I were in Wake Forest last evening. We decided to stop at the local Chili's and have dinner. We were seated quickly and our waitress came to the table to take our drink order. I noticed a very swirly tattoo script poking under the edge of her t-shirt sleeve and decided I would ask about her tattoo when she brought out our drinks. When she returned and served our drinks I asked about the tattoo, she lifted the sleeve and revealed a very neat tattoo script that said "Bad Girl". She was quick to fold the sleeve back in place and lifted her right sleeve and there was one word and two dates,
1998
Brandon
2003
She spoke very plainly, "This is my memorial tattoo to Brandon".

I love the art of tattoos. The body as a canvas, moving, walking, traveling, always with a piece of art attached. Like all art, there is good and there is bad. I know a good tattoo when I see one and I know a bad tattoo when etched permanently in the skin.
I flip through the tattoo magazines and tattoo art books at Barnes and Noble on a regular basis, just to enjoy the beauty of the art form. I have no tattoos, nor do I plan on ever getting a tattoo. If you have them great, if you want one, get it. I have one caution, pay the money for a good artist and good artwork. Remember, a tattoo could last for thousands of years.

Back to dinner with my wife. Our waitress (Katrina) took our food order and I determined I would ask her about the memorial tattoo when a proper moment arrived. Our food came quickly and we enjoyed our time together. When Katrina brought the check, she lingered just a moment at the table, I asked her to tell me the story of her memorial tattoo. Her words were simple, "This is a memorial to my 15 year old brother who was killed by a CO2 cylinder from a piantball gun. He was cleaning the gun , when the cylinder flew off, struck him in the forehead and he died.
There is a website that talks about it and the other folks who have died or been injured." Katrina then flashed a purple wrist band with the website address clearly printed, "paintballdangers.com". She continued, "When I am in a grocery store or other places, young guys think my tattoos are cool, then I tell them the story of Brandon and give them the website. I hope it might help someone else avoid the pain." You could tell by the conviction in her voice and the concise wording of her story that she had told it many times.

I wondered about the pain of her family. The loss, the suddenness, her drive to tell others to be careful.

I have found most tattoos have a story, many times the story is of hurt and pain and loss. Other stories are of drunken craziness or joy, to remember a good time or significant event. Tattoos are bookmarks in the memory that cause people to remember and re-create the emotions of the moment locked in ink under the skin. They are billboards filled with the passion of life, the pictures in the story book of human journey.

Katrina wears her tattoo to remember and hopes others will take time to ask and to listen to her tale.

How many folks do you meet on a weekly basis who carry art work on their bodies?
Have you ever taken the time to ask about the story behind the art? What kind of spiritual conversation might be started by a curious question? Are you brave enough to ask? Do you have a story that should be told in ink on your body? If Jesus were here, would he carry body art to tell the story of God?
Oh, by the way, Shelley and I did NOT take Jesus with us to the Chili's...Jesus was already there when we arrived;-)

Big paintings = God's kingdom on earth, touching people, where they live and work and play...

Dan Nelson started the painting above at 12 noon May 17. He set-up his giant easel as a part of Artplosure 2008.

This is the same painting at 3pm Sunday, May 18. Dan finished the painting at 6pm Sunday evening, the painting was then sold to the high bidder of a silent auction that went on while he painted. At 3pm, the price was around $550.00.

Dan is an artist. He paints big. He paints small. He illustrates books.
He paints portraiture. He draws on sidewalks with chalk. He draws/paints architecture. He draws cartoons. Dan plays several instruments. Dan sings. Dan writes music. Dan is an artist.

Dan is also a pastor. Dan planted and lead a church for several years. They would meet on Saturday in Moore Square in Raleigh, NC. They would make music and eat food together, inviting any and all in the park to join along. On weekends, Dan would set-up his giant easel and paint and talk to people as they passed by. Dan met many people and a church grew. Dan painted and pastored for several years, then decided to move the church to a home church. After five years of home church, Dan spends his Sundays painting all over the area. After many years of church, Dan is now part of the fastest growing Christian community in North America. Dan is one of the many Christians who is no longer a member of a church. Most Sundays he never even attends a church.



Dan is an artist, a musician and probably a better pastor now than he ever was when he was pastoring/attending a church.

It IS art.

IMHO, sculpture is the highest form of the fine arts. Drawing well would be second. Well actually, you cannot sculpt well unless you draw well...drawing well is the basic building block of all the fine arts. Whether you are sculpting in stone, clay or wood, you must have artistic control of all three dimensions. As Michelangelo was carving David and Rodin was casting The Thinker, I doubt if they ever imagined Legos being a sculpture medium.