Art & Soul post #17 by guest author Tracey White-
As a Christian prophetic artist, I am often asked to explain prophetic art. Prophetic art is about hearing and expressing God’s voice in a visual way to bring glory to Him. It is different from secular art in that the artist is trying to portray God’s meaning, His love, and His encouragement, rather than his or her own. The artist doesn’t assume what the pictures or symbols mean; he or she is seeking what the Lord has to say about them. Sometimes prophetic artists know the exact interpretation and message the Father is giving them in an artwork and sometimes it is a mystery, but as soon as the one it was created for sees it, they most often know the exact message from the Lord to their heart. Often it is an expression of love from the Lord, but it can also bring healing, be a form of worship, be a method of spiritual warfare, or bring prophetic declarations to an individual, church, or ministry. Prophetic art may be created in the traditional studio, but it can also be created live during corporate worship. I have had the honor to create in both manners.
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy…” 1 Corinthians 12:4-10 (NLT)
I was recently asked by a friend, who was organizing a weekend women’s retreat based on the bible book Song of Songs, if I could paint a picture for her to use as a visual aid during worship at the retreat. After studying the Passion translation of this book, the Lord gave me the Beloved painting shown below. It is based primarily on Song of Songs 2:16 (ESV), “My beloved is mine, and I am his…”
“I am truly his rose, the very theme of his song. I’m overshadowed by his love, like a lily growing in the valley…he looked upon me with his unrelenting love divine…I am at rest in his love…I hear the cooing of doves in our land, filling the air with songs to awaken you and guide you forth…The budding vines of new life are now blooming everywhere. The fragrance of their flowers whispers…How beautiful your eyes of worship and lovely your voice in prayer. I know my lover is mine and I have everything in you, for we delight ourselves in each other.” -Song of Songs 2:1-16 (Passion translation)
As I have done in Beloved, I often use mixed media so that there are many layers to beautifully correlate to our journey in Christ. He heals and sees the many layers of our journey. The deeper you look into the painting, the more elements and tiny, unnoticed details you will see revealed by the light. For instance, sheet music and bible pages from Song of Songs are found in the background of this particular work. When we go deeper into the Word and the gifts of God, we experience the same discovery of ever greater detail exposed by His light!
The painting represents many elements written in the book of Song of Songs. You see the Shulamite Bride, the archway of trust, and the bride’s hair which represents devotion to Christ. In the garden, you discover lilies representing pure devotion, pomegranates representing human emotion and passion, Rose of Sharon representing His song, and trees representing our humanity. You find musical symbols representing both our worship and His song that He sings over us. You see doves representing the time of harvest. You also see gold, the veil, the flower crown, and the list goes on.
Prophetic art can be personal art that is just between you and God or, like Beloved, it can be public, created to be seen by a community. Both kinds are inspired by the Holy Spirit, but the depth of His given message can be very unique. To me, that is the most important element of prophetic artwork: that each person can be given an entirely different Godly message from the same image viewed. As this painting has now been used for several different retreats, many people have said how God has spoken to them through Beloved. I have loved hearing some of the interpretations and revelations hidden within my own artwork!
I am often asked to paint a prophetic painting to be gifted to someone. When I complete the request, I always include a prophetic word to go with the painting. Most times, I have never met the person that is receiving the gift. The miracle of God is that, every time I have done this, either the recipient of the painting or an unbelieving family member has said, “How did she know?” in reference to the subject and/or details of the painting. It’s not me that knows…it’s Jesus! He knows what each heart needs to see and hear.
Tracey White
I am a Christian prophetic artist from Queensland, Australia. For 30 years I have been growing as an art teacher involved in inner healing. I started teaching prophetic art workshops 10 years ago. Most who come to the workshops have never painted and it is okay! Prophetic art is about hearing and expressing His voice! It is about healing and beautifying His living sanctuary in each of us!
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4 thoughts on “His Beloved”
Tracey, thank you so much for sharing your absolutely lovely artwork and helpful information about prophetic art! I pray it inspires many to listen more to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to them when they are creating artwork. Your story is a beautiful testimony of how God uses all of us in the Body of Christ in different ways to bring edification, help, and healing to those around us!
Tracey-
Your art and your verbal testimony inspire me to reflect on how I am drawn to colors, shapes, symbols. Thank you for sharing Christ’s love and messages through your lens and heart and hands. God bless you!
So interesting! I like her art and knowing how God uses her to share His love makes it more special!
I love this ! So good to read this and so blessed to be part of your art classes 💗