"Works of the Spirit" Artist statement.

WORKS OF THE SPIRIT

A collection of collaborative works led by pivotal artist Paul Messenger

Artist Statement:

As you meander through this collection of paintings, allow yourself to be removed from constraints of critical, cognitive thought and let your heart, spirit, soul, minds-eye, (or whatever you chose to call it) interact with these images. These paintings have been created in the realm of the Spirit through creativity as individuals collaborated to develop a myriad of expressions in a blend of color and movement through a variety of media.

A burning passion that I have is to see the individuals, especially the youth, in my community equipped with the tools to pursue their callings and build bridges to reach their goals. I enjoy providing new and original ways for people to express their personal creativity and develop as individuals. I believe that art, in this form and through this process, has the potential to be an agent for release: releasing creative problem solving, releasing a connection to the true identity of an individual, a releasing of the passions within that are often blocked by left-brained reasoning, and a releasing of what is inside us that cannot be reduced to words or numbers.

There are many influences for my work: all erupt from life itself; joy, water, community, cosmos, love, animals, dance, clouds, song, flight, rest, growth, strength, color, light, form, peace, family, freedom etc... I rejoice in the ambiguity of the unknown, the mystery of the unexplainable and the glorious unseen. There is a capturing of life that occurs, and that is what I strive to achieve with my work.

 The collaborative process -coming together and letting our personal expressions be intermingled- is in itself sometimes more of the purpose than the final product. Ultimately, it is this connection to each other that releases a transformative power. There is an amazing potential in this power to create a synergy that intertwines the artists and the viewers, creating a web of unity through which we can find that we are indeed connected to something greater than ourselves. And what we can create when we come together are the works of the Spirit.  

Youth Mentoring, a visual journal.

A burning passion that I have, is to see the youth of this generation equipped with the tools to pursue their callings and to help build bridges to reach their goals. I also enjoy providing new and creative ways for youth to express their creativity and develop as individuals who are involved in their community. One of these opportunities is in the form of collaborative artwork. Above are some examples of works of art that were created in the mode of collaboration with either myself or other youth. The byproduct of these experiences is always impactful for the individual youth and works of art never cease to amaze me. Another aspect of these experiences that I particularly enjoy, is that the culminating product is a form of documentation for the experience itself. These are in a sense snapshots of time where the youth were interacting not only with the paint medium but also with the creative process and its ability to connect us to each other as well as to something greater than ourselves.