Painting By Faith Not Sight

The outsider Bahamian folk artist Amos Ferguson said, “I paint not by sight but by faith.  Faith gives you sight.”

Never one to mince words, Amos Ferguson always pointed out that God gave him the talent to paint, and that he painted only through God.  Amos didn’t paint what he saw, but what he dreamed.

So, what do I takeaway from Ferguson’s thinking on faith?  That faith doesn’t have to be safe, nor was it intended to be; instead it can and should have a sense of loving recklessness.  If we don’t leap – we don’t learn.

The artist’ job is to show up at the canvas and paint, to show up at the page and write, to eavesdrop on the conversation and create by faith – so ultimately, we can see.

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