Mackenzie McCartney

University of Mount Union

I changed my major to Art in the middle of my Junior year. It was a challenging decision that I couldn’t have made on my own. I never considered myself an artist and I resisted God’s leading to pursue Art because of the social stigma many people have against the Arts as a career. I finally took the leap of faith and have been set free to dream and create. I created a painting business called Arts to You. It has evolved into a Creative Arts Ministry that will inspire others to creatively express God’s supernatural love and presence. I believe God uses the arts to reveal his love, power, and truth. That’s what he is using my art to do. I started out with vague images and ideas. Thinking how in the world am I going to create this? I would pray about it and God would give me another idea. Slowly pieces started to come together. I used different materials and techniques for most pieces, the texture on the wood panels were created with plaster. Working with the plaster took a lot of experimenting and time. It was messy and hands-on, which was fun. The large canvas paintings are oil I painted with one paintbrush in each hand. At one point, I even used my hands. This project has become an art installation as I added the bibles, lights and other materials. I wanted my art to teach that the key to building a relationship with Jesus is in reading and learning what the Bible says. All of the pieces were inspired by scriptures that reveal the power and freedom that is within the typically black leather book. My art attempts to break down the notion of the Bible being intimidating or boring and bring it to life with visual elements representing the scriptures. Working on this project has been an amazing experience. The Bible is where I encounter God and learn about his amazing love for me. I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to express His love through my creativity and artwork.
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