Painted Prayers for Haiti

Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010

Thank you for reading my blog! I am in the midst of a project to paint as many prayers for Haiti as I can and write a blog about it. Many of you I are devastated by the news from Haiti and I share your grief, which makes me want to do more than simply sending my money, although that is an important part of the Haitian recovery. (I give through UMCOR, United Methodist Committe on Relief, because 100% of the money goes to the needy because our denomination covers the administrative costs. Their address is UMCOR, PO Box 9068, NY, NY 10087, or www.umcorhaiti.org.)
In addition, I believe in the power of God through prayer and creative prayers satisfy the soul of the one praying, plus they seem to connect us strongly to the Great Creator. In fact I feel that these creative prayers are a collaboration with the the One who created the world and all of the natural beauty that surrounds us. By working with God, we discover more than we would on our own and the communion with the Holy is wonderful! It's also a way of sustaining a prayer for hours over the course of a day.
I am missing my artist friends with whom I paint every Thursday in Craig Bishop's class at the Art Center in Battle Creek. We have been painting together for well over a decade and are a committed group of friends. The reason I'm not with them today is because I have a cold that I do not want to share with them.
Today I am working on my first two painted prayers for Haiti. Yesterday I loved the first and was unsure of the second. Now both are showing promise and I am off the the races with a new series. I had started painting backgrounds for a series called, "Windows of the Spirit" at the first of the year and now I am adding in the prayers for Haiti to that series, which will change some of the images. That's okay with me, because I love to allow my thoughts and plans to evolve as the paintings progress. The art seems to take on a life of its own and I feel like I am the first to discover what will emerge on the canvas. Perhaps that comes from collaborating with God. I have to let go of a strong sense of control over the piece and open myself to the leadings of the Holy Spirit in order to allow this teamwork to occur.
Sometimes I argue with my co-creator, being the fundamentally rebellious person that I am (just ask my husband!) For instance, I wanted to call the show "Windows of the Soul," but the thought came to me (in the shower) to call it "Windows of the Spirit." I knew that this thought was from God, partly because it occured to me when I was immersed in water. (Water is very spiritual!) I resisted for about 2 hours and then reasoned, "If I ignore this thought, I may not keep getting them." I surrendered and am glad I did, because all kinds of "God moments" have been coming my way and I feel blessed.
Well, back to Haiti. I went on a second trip to Haiti in 1989 with a United Methodist group led by another pastor whose name slips my memory at this time. We stayed in the United Methodist guest house in Port-au-Prince and worked at the Grace Children' International Hospital. Dulavalier had been overthrown which was a blessing, but the government was not stable and there had been violence during the elections. Baby Doc's army, which the U.S. had armed, because the Duvaliers were not Communist and Cuba was, created havoc during the elections in an effort to hold onto their power. Duvalier's army was feared among the people, not only because of their weapons, but also because of their connections to the Voodoo priests, according to our Haitian aquaintances at that time.
We visited the markets where the art work was incredible!!! Being an artist, I was fascinated by the artwork of the Haitian people. It seemed that many of the artists were men, probably because of the gender roles at that time. Most of the women were busy carrying water on their heads, washing clothes by hand in the streams, cooking on small charcoal fires or selling food. Some of the artists painted in oils on canvas made of cotton flour sacks, some carved figures or animals out of wood and some painted in water colors on paper. There was an identifiable Haitian style, but most artists had their own way of working that was distinguishable from the others. They sold their artwork for about $30 for a 16 x 20" oil, which meant they made very little money per hour, but they were thrilled to get that much. The tourists were often the ones to buy their work or Americans and Europeans who lived and worked in Haiti.
We met an American nurse who had a fabulous collection of Haitian art. This was the good stuff, from the galleries, not the street vendors. When I inquired about it, she told me that whenever she got angry at someone, she bought herself a new piece of art in lieu of losing her temper at the person who was the target if her anger and telling them off!!! What a great idea! Perhaps all artists could earn a living if the whole world subsribed to that practice!!!