When I pray with art I have several guidelines in mind:
1. This is art. There are no rules, anything goes.
2. I am praying. It is more about the process than the product.
3. Breathe. I begin by getting comfortable, putting on some music, centering my breath and asking God to be present as I pray. I am more open and aware of myself and the Spirit if my breathing is open.
4. Pay attention to what feels right. Praying by creating is about allowing my prayer and the Spirit to move from my imagination, through my body and into the piece I am creating. I notice what colors my eyes are drawn to, the movements that are in my hands, the images that come to mind, without judging. My body and imagination often know what I need to pray more than my mind does. Some of my most meaningful creations began with no intention or idea of what the piece would look like in the end.
Praying in Color
One of the simplest ways of praying with art is what I like to call "holy doodling". One way of doing this is to draw and doodle as you pray. Another method is to draw a shape as you pray for one person or situation, perhaps writing their name or a phrase inside. As you pray, add lines and colors to the shape, embellishing it until you are ready to move to another shape. Sybil MacBeth has written several books about praying in color, including one for children and one specifically for men. You can find more guidance and resources at her website- Praying in Color. This can also be done using paints.
Mandalas
Coloring mandalas was one of the first ways I began praying with art. A mandala is an intricate design within a circular (usually) pattern. They have been used in spiritual practices by many cultures and religions, and often the designs are symbolic. I like to think of them as a visual labyrinth. Mandalas can be used as a way to visually symbolize your prayer, or another way to engage your body and imagination in prayer like the praying in color practice. You can find hundreds of printable mandalas with a google search. This site has some of my favorite mandalas- mandala coloring sheets. I also have a mandala coloring book by Susanne Fincher that has become like a prayer journal. You can create your own mandala by filling a circle with shapes, images, or collage materials that are symbolic of your prayer.
Create a Prayer Altar
I have a small table in my art space that has a candle and some symbolic objects that help me enter into prayer. You can easily create a prayer altar at home by gathering objects that visually draw you to prayer- a candle, stones, flowers, cards with a special quote or picture, icons, objects that are symbolic of your relationship with God. This could be a meaningful practice to do as a family as well.
God Wall
Occasionally I have taped a large piece of paper on the wall, like project paper or I've used an old roll of wrapping paper that is blank on one side. At the top I write a soul question that I am praying with, a question that speaks to the deepest desires of my heart. Or, I've also used this as a tool for discernment. Then, as I pray with the question, each day I write a phrase, a word, draw an image, or another question that comes to mind on the paper. As the paper is filled, I pay attention to what connections and wisdom is being revealed through my prayer.
Painted Prayers
Divide your painting surface into blocks. On one block, write your prayer in pencil. Then paint over it, using an image that expresses your prayer or with colors and shapes your imagination is drawn to. Watch how your prayers come together over the days, weeks, or months that you pray. A banner or prayer shawl could be created by painting on fabric. It can also be done as a family or group. (Belmont folks- I am making plans to use this as a congregational practice during Advent this year.)
Praying with Imagery
Often in prayer an image comes to mind that expresses my prayer, or shows me how God is present. Sometimes I will pray with these images by drawing or painting them. They then become like icons that I can return to. However, I am also careful about outwardly expressing prayer images. I've found sometimes that painting can help me to pray more deeply with the image, interact with it and learn from it. And sometimes I need to get an image out and onto paper or canvas. I've also found that expressing an image outwardly usually releases the image from my mind. My painting never looks like what I visualize, and after it is painted, I can never return to the image in my mind in the same way. The images are still meaningful, but I no longer pray with them in the same way. So I try to be careful to not paint an image until I am ready to release it.
Collaging Wisdom Cards
Over the last few months I have been slowly working my way through Christine Valters Paintner's book The Artist's Rule: Nurturing your creative soul with monastic wisdom. The book is a twelve-week series of Christine's reflections on the connections between art and Benedictine spirituality, along with a written and visual practice for each session. So far, my favorite practice has been a collage. Here are the directions:
1. On three pieces of watercolor paper, write a soul question on each piece, a question that speaks to the deepest desires of your heart. One question for your inner artist, one for your inner monk, and one for both. (You can adapt to use any soul question that you need.) Mix up the cards, turn them over, and tape them to a table or easel board so that you can't see the questions.
2. Use watercolors to paint on each card, one at a time, exploring whatever colors and movements you are drawn to. Fill the background of the card.
3. Gather various inspiring images, quotes, objects that you can use for collaging. Notice which items create resonance or dissonance for you, without judging if they are the "right" images. Create a collage on the three cards using these images, working with one card at a time. Notice what happens internally during this process.
4. Before you turn the cards over, reflect on the process of creating each card. What did you notice in yourself? Which of the collages felt most freeing to create? Which one felt most challenging?
5. After exploring the process, turn over each image to see which question corresponds with the card. Notice the connections and synchronicity that is revealed.
When I did this project, I was fairly certain which question I was working with before I turned the card over. This was how I most learned that if I trust my intuition and my body, what I create will be what I need and will reveal wisdom that I might not have otherwise known. This practice could also be adapted by creating a collage of images and items that you are drawn to, then reflect on the creating process and the connections in the images.
As you pray, however you pray, may the creative force of transformation within you be awakened,
so that you may become who you truly are.
There is in us an instinct for newness, for renewal, for a liberation of creative power. We seek to awaken in ourselves a force which really changes our lives from within. And yet the same instinct tells us that this change is a recovery of that which is deepest, most original, most personal in ourselves. To be born again is not to become someone else, but to become ourselves.
~Thomas Merton
The heart of human identity is the capacity and desire for birthing. To be is to become creative and bring forth the beautiful.
~John O'Donohue
