I have been preparing for this moment for about 2 months. I put all of my custom art projects on hold and focused on this day July 4, 2010. Four 3'x4' paintings in one day, 1 hour to finish each of them! This live painting was done for the worship services at Westside Family Church in Lenexa, Kansas - located at Highway 7 and 83rd St. It also happens to be the church I attend, although I go to the Speedway Westside Campus located in the Legends Theaters on Parallel Parkway.
Westside is having a month long series entitled "The Jesus Exhibition" in which I will be painting live the first and last Sundays and another artist will be painting the other two. The series is focused on the gospel of John in which the personal aspects of Jesus will be highlighted. This is the first time I actually attended a service at the Lenexa location - and I painted live on stage during the music and the pastor's sermon!
As I woke up in the morning I realized that in my excitement (and anxiety) that I forgot to remove my disposable contacts and I slept in them all night! As I peeled them out of my eyes at 5:30 a.m. all I could think was: "Why did I volunteer for this? Why did I willingly sign up for this?!" It was as if I just boarded a roller coaster and as it was pulling toward the tallest point I wished I could be anywhere else but in the position I was in! After a healthy breakfast of Kashi cereal, it took me about 45 minutes to get to Westside Church. During the car trip I drank 1 bottle of water, a cup of coffee, and half a bottle of green goodness in attempt to fill myself with energy... later I would kind of regret supplying myself with so much fluid. Once I got there I was greeted by the church staff getting the stage ready for the worship set. I checked to see that my station was still as I left it a few days earlier when I came to practice painting for the last time. My best time that day was 1 hour and 40 minutes. That fact was not a comforting thought to me. Instead, I worried that I would not even finish in the 60 minutes or less I was expected to.
As I stood on stage watching the band get ready to rehearse their songs Maria Morris walked out and beckoned me to the green room behind the stage. Maria is the artist scheduled to paint for the next two weeks during the services at Westside. The dates are July 11 & July 18. She is an amazing watercolor artist but she will be painting acrylic on canvas. I got to know her through the process of preparing because she shopped for all the supplies. She also was kind enough to provide her wisdom in art as well as help me learn some new skills. The prep process was interesting because we ran into such problems as the paint not drying within the time constraints. It is a challenge to produce a quality piece of art that you would be proud to sign your name to at all in only an hour!
Maria prayed with me. Her words reminded me that my nervousness really didn't matter because I was doing it for my Lord. This was a personal form of worship just as the musicians were performing on stage. I really clung to the fact that if I was consumed with nerves it would be because my focus was on myself and my own abilities. This was a gift from the Lord that I was privileged and humbled to give back to him.
Soon after I took one last restroom break I headed onto stage, that is right after I texted everyone in my phone: "Going onstage!" My hands were trembling. I started painting with my back to the audience. Some time went by and the first song was over. I realized I failed to start my timer. I had no idea how long I had left. Normally I can gauge these things but all sense of time was lost. So I kept on painting. The song choices were perfect. Instead of lifting my hands, as I normally would during music, it was as if each brush stroke was a demonstration of love for Who I was singing to and Who it was that I was painting! I had the boy finished at the end of the worship music: about 2/3 of the painting was left to be done. I didn't know if I could get it finished! As I painted the bread in the basket I heard Pastor Dan talk about how the boy's lunch was only about the size of a Chick-fil-A take out meal, not bad on the timing! Then as he talked about how he had personally prayed to see other people the way the Lord sees them, through the eyes of Jesus I finished painting Jesus' face and eyes. It was if we had practiced this way! As Pastor Dan encouraged all of us to feed someone's stomach so that they can hear God's word I signed my name and stood to the side. Something he said really stuck with me: According to statistics 2 Billion of the world's 6 Billion population is suffering from hunger and starvation. Also, studies reveal that 2 Billion people claim Christianity as their faith. This is not a coincidence. We are here to be the body of Christ to feed the hungry!
Each service, as I became more comfortable I prayed that God would not let me become over-confident and that he would take over for me, guiding my hand.
The paintings were sold in a silent auction at the end of each service. The money went to begin a soup kitchen to feed the hungry in South Africa. The bidding was only open for about 20 minutes after each service.
The first painting sold in 15 minutes for $1500! Second service $1200! Third $500 and fourth $400. I had prepared a 5th painting ahead of time for the Speedway location and that sold for $750. In addition I received a commissioned piece for $1000. The total money received was $5,350*!
I was so glad to take part in this innovative worship service. At the beginning of the day I was promising myself I would not do this again. But now... who knows what God can do?!
* Numbers are not yet official, there may have been more donated and less actually goes to the soup kitchen after art supply costs.
