Friday, June 15, 2007

Make Holy Art!



Here's a quote from an interview with Howard Finster done in 1984: "One day – how I got started in art – when I was 60 years old, after I’d retired from pastoring, my shop was over in the garden that I have, my environment, I found out that when something got scratched, you do a touch up job on it. Well I’d put my finger in the paint like that – I could smooth it with my finger much better than with a brush. I’d learned to do that. I took my finger and dipped it in white paint, and I looked to do that. I took my finger and dipped it in white paint and I looked at it and this white paint was a human face on the ball of my finger there. And while I was looking at it, just a warm flash kinda went all over me all the way down and said, “Paint sacred art.” And I said to it, I said, “I cain’t do that.” I said, “I know professionals can, but not me.” And it come to me again and says, “How do you know?” Then I asked myself that question. I said, “how do I know that I can’t paint?” I took a dollar bill out of my wallet and I taped it on a piece of plyboard and went out in front of my shop. And I started drawing George Washington off that dollar bill. And the school kids got out along about three and they began to groom up behind me, you know, and watch me painting. That was a little exciting, and touching too, you know. I felt almost like an artist then. [Laughing] And then from that, then, I started painting. And my idea was, what I’ll do, I’ll paint ’em and I’ll hang ’em in my garden."

Why am I quoting Rev. Finster right now? I feel like I got my little face appearing in the paint telling me to make art! I entered the quilt for my mother in a nationally juried Art Quilt Show (www.thebrush.org -- I promise to learn how to do hyperlinks, soon, at least i learned the word for them!) and I got accepted into the show!
I am very excited!

4 comments:

Rayna said...

Glad I found your blog, Kristen!
Hope to see you at the opening in Lowell.

Rayna said...

P.S. Gillman has two LL's.

Kristen Cook Tyler said...

My second comments! Woo hoo!

Polly Cook said...

Love the Finster story and the quilt. will send to Uncle Arley and Uncle Steve, they'll love it! LATer, Sis