Archive for FeaturedArtist
FeaturedArtist Finale: Jason Tockey…
Posted by: | CommentsThanks again to Jason for being featured on WOP… Here’s that slideshow again…
Be sure to check out Jason’s photostream on Flickr and his blog…
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What the heck is “vocation”…
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Once upon a time, I had an office with “Pastor” emblazoned on the door… Not that there’s anything wrong with that… But I was under the mistaken impression that the only true Christian “vocation” was being on-staff in a traditional church setting…
Forgive me for being a bit obvious, but that’s simply not the case… In fact, it never was. A few weeks ago, I had a long talk with my own pastor about my heart for ministry. I told him that while I would never discount the possibility of serving on a church staff, I am absolutely convinced that my ministry will not be one of a traditional pastor…
I see my own calling as a “pastor” to artists in the sheer numerical response to the content here on WOP… There is a hunger among artists to discover ways that their talents and gifts can translate into something transcendent: calling and vocation.
While I was interviewing Jason Tockey for the FeaturedArtist post, he talked a lot about this idea of calling and vocation. He believes that the main Biblical emphasis “in understanding what it means to be a Christian, stems from our creation as image-bearers of God.” In other words, the big epiphany is that we should and CAN reflect what Jesus is like in everything that we do… We were literally created for that and then REcreated for it when we started following Jesus…
And by everything, I mean by my relationships, my speech, my ethics, my morals, my work, my play… my artistic pursuits… everything.
So, it’s not just the Pastors and the church-staff that surrender their “vocation” to Jesus… It’s the ditch-diggers, the daycare teachers, the bus drivers… Yeah, it’s the painters and dancers and filmmakers and writers…
Which is not to say that a Christian who is a filmmaker should only make “Christian films”… But shouldn’t her films reveal something of the nature and truth of Jesus? Not in a trite or canned way, but in a truly artistic and authentic way…
For Jason, that means that finding his identity in Jesus’ kingdom is centered, at least in some measure, on discovering what it means to be “a photographer who is a Christian.”
What does it mean for you?
Psst... Pass it on...FeaturedArtist: Jason Tockey…
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Many of Jason's images capture the local beauty of his home in Huntington Beach, CA.
A few months back, Jason Tockey joined our Flickr group and started submitting these really inspiring images of sunsets off of the California coast… Of course, I didn’t know then that this self-taught, amateur photographer would be thoughtful, wise and personally inspiring as well…
Jason has developed a significant talent in photography in just over 2 years… Beginning in August 2008 with the camera on his phone, Jason was quickly hooked and began creating projects for himself… By January 2009, he picked up a Nikon DSLR and never looked back…
Picking up tips from friends on Flickr, other online resources and a few good books, Jason continues to explore different styles and creative artistry. He sometimes shoots 3 or 4 times in a week, taking an average of 150 images in each shoot… Then evaluates his work based on technique and his own artistic criteria…
“After I’m done, I go over the photos and (keep) the ones that capture 4 things that I want to characterize my images…
Beauty, Unity, Transcendence and Iconic-ness.”
Jason talks about his art being central to his Christian walk… What started as a quest for an interesting hobby, quickly transformed into a focus of his identity:
“I started to see photography and being a Christian who is a photographer as a core part of my identity as a Christian.”
Realizing that this was true, his goals changed. While he continues to enjoy shooting images (in fact, I would go so far as to say his images express a deep sense of joy), he has cultivated vision and purpose in finding opportunites to use his gifts and in “improving (his) ability to reflect God’s goodness and faithfulness through His created world.”
“I find that in photography, the hope of God’s goodness, faithfulness, greatness and abundant redemption are the focus of my work. I feel ministered to and blessed by God as I photograph the beauty of His creation.”
Like many of the artists that I talk to, Jason finds that his gifts “don’t fit the mold” of art in the Church at-large. While his own church-family has been very encouraging, Jason doesn’t envision his photography being used in church primarily…
“I prefer to think of myself as a Christian who is a photographer and the audience for my work being people in general…. I hope the images speak truths about God to everyone who looks at them…. I see my ministry as one of creating excellent images that reveal God to everyone.”
As we spoke, I got curious about what would prompt a guy in his mid-30′s to suddenly start looking for an artistic hobby… He explained that his grandfather had recently died, leaving his reputation for hard work as his legacy… Seeing the same characteristic in his own life, and wanting to pass along more to his own children, Jason decided that it was time to do something different…
It’s a decision that has changed Jason’s understanding of his place in God’s Kingdom…
Can you start something new today?
You can read and subscribe to Just Images, Jason’s blog, or add jstimages as a contact on Flickr.
Psst... Pass it on...Upcoming FeaturedArtists…
Posted by: | CommentsI’m really geeked about the lineup of new FeaturedArtists that are coming up on WOP… Here’s a sneak peek:
Jason Tockey is an amateur photographer who’s gorgeous sunsets first caught my eye back in the spring. I’ll be talking with Jason about his art and a vision he has to connect artists in an online community… August 23.
Mary Freeman is a mixed-medium artist who created striking collage work for visual journaling. She also does seminars to teach her techniques to other artists and hobbyists in her community… September 6.
Troy Rowe is a professional portrait and event photographer who is using his considerable gifts to serve children at a local foster-care home. I’ll be talking with Troy about this unique ministry and other ways he uses his gifts… September 20.
Hannah Krohn is a dancer and dance teacher. I’ve worked with Hannah in some of my own projects at LVC. She has a great gift and heart and we’ll be talking together about unique ministry and missions opportunities that dance has opened up for her… October 4.
Jim Holt is sketching his way through the Bible… I found his pen and ink sketches on Tumbler.com. I’ll be talking with Jim about this project and his insightful visual blog… October 18.
Philip Davis is a graphic artist and photographer. We’ll be talking about an interesting project that he’s working on as he designs through the book of Psalms… November 1.
FeaturedArtist Encore: Moyra Blayney…
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Moyra's latest work shows some experimentation and the influence of her favorite artist, Van Gogh.
It’s been almost a year since we featured Moyra, a painter living in Belfast, Northern Ireland, who had received a link to WOP from a friend. After an exchange of emails, she attached a few photos of her work and I was hooked.
Moyra’s medium of choice is acrylic paint and her work, inspired by her love of the Irish countryside, is full of color and movement. I never get tired of looking at her work. There is a noteworthy sense of peace in her paintings and Moyra’s warm and humble attitude has been a blessing as well. My interview with her was encouraging and exciting, since she had just rebooted her work as an artist as an adult…
Moyra started out like many artists, doodling cartoons with felt-tip pen in sketchbooks and journals. Encouraged by her family, she pursued art as a way of dealing with the stress of growing up in Belfast in the 70′s. She loved the paint-by-number kits that her parents inevitably presented her with each Christmas and buying new colored pencils for school each year was a treat that she remembers.
Through secondary school (that’s like high school in the US, but I only know that from reading CS Lewis books) and into adulthood, Moyra enjoyed reading art history and technique. Her artistic pursuits were derailed as she grew up and got a “real life,” but her passion for art hung on and she continued to read and study; trading tenacity for formal art education to become a self-taught artist.
Like many of us, Moyra filled her life with a “day job” but a desire to return to the art that she loved gnawed at her. In her own words:
I didn’t ‘do art’ for about 15 years… I always meant to… thought about it… read art books … dreamt of completing a canvas – but never, ever did anything about it. I guess I was busy with life…working hard and busy around home!
But a friend named Mark, thought that all she needed was a little push. Taking the initiative, Mark booked space for Moyra at Common Grounds, a christian coffee-house in Belfast, and informed her that there was space for 15 pieces… On opening night, about 50 of her family and friends turned up to support and encourage her… She sold 10 of the original 15 paintings… Part of the proceeds from the show went to support a local mission.
Moyra now has paintings for sale in a local art shop and has had two more successful coffeehouse shows at Common Grounds. She’s immersed herself in some additional training and her passion serves to encourage her 15-year-old niece to pursue showing and selling her photographic work.
One of the things that we love about Moyra’s story is that she made a “come-back” after years of wishing for an opportunity, she was finally able to make the time to paint and to see the ways that God can work through her gifts. She describes it as a “second chance to be creative” and many of us know what that’s like. For Moyra, each new day is an adventure as she explores the possibilities for using her art to serve and bless others…
I wrote another post with a few tips that I gleaned from Moyra on being a successful, part-time artist and making a come-back after years out of the game…
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