Many people has introduced me as a prophetic artist. I have been painting prophetically for many years yet I still cringed at the idea of being called that name. Lately I have received requests to teach ‘prophetic’ painting which I have turned down in the past. I guess I do not fit into the conventional way other prophetic artists are trained and painted in church. Spiritual painting during worship/sermon/conferences or card drawing are a common form of outreach/prayer/healing and blessings. As for me, I take weeks or even months to dwell on one single painting and most of all they are not free. I charged a fee for those who request for a personal prophetic painting (though there are times I painted for free). Theirs is a ministry, mine is a vocation.
I got to know about prophetic painting in the year 2009 when a team from Bethel Church : Kris Vallotton , Kevin & Theresa Dedmon had a conference in Singapore. They taught about prophetics and introduced prophetic art. I was greatly blessed. I got to explore drawings and create prophetic cards for outreach on the streets. Unfortunately that was as far as I could pursue at that time. That was something totally new to churches and I had yet to grow in confidence to boldly do it on my own. I eventually put my quest for ‘prophetic’ painting to sleep.
How and when did I ended up as a ‘prophetic’ artist? Looking back at those years of my art journey, I could only say God was the one who orchestrated this art journey.
I left my job in 2008 and started painting only in 2009. I had no prior art experience nor do I had any art education (except for the few months/once a week art class at NAFA). I practiced painting on my own and job hunt at the same time. I painted everyday and managed to complete about 60 pieces of artwork during the 1 year period with no job in sight. With God’s grace. I sold some paintings and eventually succumbed to the idea that my vocation has taken a change in its course.
I stumbled into ‘prophetic’ painting in late 2009 when a friend commissioned me to paint for her friend as a gift (I was only given her name and the rest was up to me to seek God for revelation). It was a challenge because I had never done it before and had no idea how to start except for the brief training I got from Theresa Dedmon’s conference.
I was desperate and pleaded with Him to reveal what to paint. NOTHING came for a month of seeking. I gave up waiting and turned to work on my daily chores ….. it was only then a vision came. I painted right away…and the rest was history. Requests for personal prophetic paintings started to come in and I have not stopped painting ever since.
Through the years of ‘prophetic’ painting, I have learned to identify the way He revealed to me : there were no dramatic signs and wonders but rather sparks of visions or sometimes a still small voice surfaced when I was attending to my daily chores. This does not mean we should stop waiting on Him to seek Him. What I have learned was that those times spent meditating on the word and praying in the ‘closet’ had actually positioned and paved my way to receive His revelations when I was not in a position to seek Him. All of us are wired in our own unique ways. It is crucial to know the unique way that He speaks to you.
‘Prophetic’ painting has grown and evolved through the years though I believed it could have grown faster and greater if not for the lack of exposure and understanding of art in church and the suspicions among
a) prophetic artists & church
b) prophetic artists & professional artists
c) spirit led/download & skills
These may seem irrelevant for those who paint prophetically within church context. But for those who paint prophetically as a vocation like me, we will need to identify our individual uniqueness and address our roles and responsibilities as ‘prophetic’ artists in order to walk this uncharted path. Indeed we have a long way to go……
Tirosh Journey 