"CHRIST VICTORIOUS FOUND WITHIN THE ARTS"
The Journey of James
A Self Portrait of Discovery and Hope
The Journey of James from the very beginning until now,
Was measured by countless hopes and fears;
For every single life seems to whisper,
God has spoken uniquely here:
For what purpose does my sojourn serve,
If wondered aimlessly and unclear;
Especially for this little boy who carries his dreams,
Inside a suitcase called Grace, all his many years:
I’ve always knew I was that little boy Lord,
Who’s dreams have all come true;
For all my many journey’s have led me home,
To the shadow of your cross,
There comes a time in the life of every artist that he or she will paint a self-portrait. Call it a right of passage but it is in our artist DNA. What makes it even more challenging for the artist to paint himself is we don’t see ourselves as others do. We see ourselves honestly for who we really are and that sometimes can be a very scary thing. And sometimes it means we see ourselves as we once were in the past. I remember a scared little boy who felt at times that his journey was a lonely one. Since I have grown older I have discovered the power of the cross of Jesus Christ. It has shown and taught me differently about this journey I call my life. I was never alone because it has always been a covenant walk with my savior and He had never forgotten me.
Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
The " Journey of James" is the testimony of my life put on a canvas. As I thought about my personal sojourn, I saw myself back in the first grade as a lost, lonely little boy. A little boy who never really connected with anyone because of my own insecurities. A little boy unsure of himself but also a little boy who was full of many hope’s and dream’s. Yet, I realized as I thought about my self-portrait that I was really never alone in all my travel's because there was a sovereign God who never left me unguarded nor ever feeling unloved in my journey.
Isa 41:10 Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
Before I go any further, art isn’t about theological debate or proving anything of eternal significance. Art is simply pure expression that access’s my spirit or the portal that allows me to express my vision. If I was going to paint a self-portrait then it was going to be about my own personal journey with Almighty God. It's just that my journey was one that was chaperoned until this very day.
God was with me all of the time and the "Journey of James" was uniquely mine.
JAMES 2009
