"You Matter" 24 x 30" Acrylic on canvas $250 I was afraid to paint this, but I kept hearing in my spirit that this is, "important." That word wouldn't go away. As I have been praying through the issue of race this image came into my mind. So I thoughtfully and prayerfully painted it, and I am putting this out there for the world.
In my quest to understand the experiences of black Americans I looked up graffiti images online. Some look like vandalism and are just distasteful hate language; some, are done by artists and are very well planned out, beautifully crafted. I feel an artistic connection with these people who are trying to make their voices heard in public places. It was heart breaking to read what they wrote, I had to look beyond the swear words.... I was looking for their hearts.
The graffitti on this painting are some of the heart themes that I found in common. These are the feelings and experiences that shaped the outrage. I have painted a young black teen who is so frustrated and overwhelmed by the messeges he carries that he is scribbling them out in spray paint under the freeway overpass.
And there is Jesus, who meets him where he is at. Jesus present in the pain, acknowledging it and reaffirming to the boy that HE knows his name, that He sees what is going on. I believe that the only way to bring peace between races is to get to the heart of the issue, and let God work in the hearts of people to bring reconciliation.
This painting is a call for compassion and understanding. It is a challenge to take a look, to try to really SEE our fellow brothers and sisters who have no voice.
What did you see first in this painting? What words did you read first? Did you expect there to be vulgar language? What does this painting make you feel?
-Deborah King
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P.S. - I think it is important how artists choose to paint Jesus. This is not a Blonde haired, blue eyed man, and it is not a black man. I did my best to try to make him middle Eastern, with olive skin and curly black hair, because, well, he was Jewish!
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