THE ULTIMATE REWARD IS NOT RECOGNITION

 (Notes by Dale Russell)

“For we are God’s handiwork,

created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

A steady flow of awesome art continues from prison. Along with it are stories of the how’s and whys. Mastering the tools and strategies to flourish with art provides a solid foundation that can last a lifetime. The artists don’t want to become great artists. Their effectiveness is mastering all of the information, supplies and being able to then respond. That response is a treat for us on the outside as we get a more intimate look inside the walls, and inside the person.

MASTERING THE USE OF OIL PASTELS

By AIC artist C. Mitts   

“As I teach myself this very challenging medium, I wanted to see how well oil pastels worked on various papers. I found some challenges in the saturation on the paper, but the overall result rendered out well enough. I’m beginning to see why many artists use this medium.”

FIRST ATTEMPT

“To my surprise, I was asked to teach a pastel art class, since I’ve been doing chalk pastel pieces for about four years.  I was introduced to the class and found all they had was oil pastels. So, I spent a week teaching myself a new medium! Being a bit overly critical of myself the whole way, this is my very first completed piece. I was pleasantly surprised with the end result.”

SECOND ATTEMPT

“My second piece rendered even better. Wow, mixing colors is a challenge. I learned a lot from this piece. The texture on the paper presented challenges, so I think I’ll have to try smoother paper next time. I used colored pencil to place the whiskers and ear hair. This piece gives me confidence to teach the medium now.”

THIRD ATTEMPT

“As the class started, I felt I should be working on something along with the few students who, somehow, trusted the teacher. I tried hard not to show my anxiety, but perspiration displays quickly on the light blue prison shirts.

Cheetahs are one of my favorite wild cats. I expressed to the class to take their time and practice patience. The results come out. I tried to show the fuzziness of the spots on the cubs and how they became more bold on the adults.

That first class is a blur in my mind, but I know I cannot only look for the end result. I must take time to delve deeply into the purpose of it. To help the kids of Otino Waa AND enjoy what I am doing is such a joy and a win in my life. I’ll never know how far I can go, how much I can truly achieve, until I realize that the ultimate reward is not recognition, but the joyful purpose in helping Otino Waa.”

As you have become familiar with these stories you probably know what the next ask is.

Wouldn’t it be great if you were part of these stories? Let’s determine that we don’t want to live in the kind of world where we ignore or forget those in prison. It’s a great practice to engage with people that are close to us, but are we imitating what Jesus did for anyone He encountered?  

I can’t change the way others think, or what they choose to do, but I can certainly lead by example.

To be included in the above story here’s what you do:

• Contribute to art supplies for the art groups. Our promise (and yours?) is to provide this for all art groups. GO HERE.
• Browse the art store and find the perfect fit in your home/office.
• Go with us on a prison visit to meet those who you have heard about.  GO HERE.

“Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity,

because if you’re passionate about something,

then you’re more willing to take risks.”  

Yo-Yo Ma