I like these new pictures.  They seem sort of ritualistic and mysterious.  What comes first for you the picture or the story behind the picture?

That’s a great question.  Probably the best you’ve ever asked. (Eric mumbles under his breath…. “Not that you don’t ask good questions…”…) For me the picture comes first.  Sometimes it is not the whole picture; it may just be a part of a picture, an idea.  Sometimes, I will do a sketch, other times I just jump right in to the creation process. Usually, when the picture is done or nearly done I understand the story that is behind the picture.

Recently, I came to the realization that I am doing pictures for the digital format.  I started as a very traditional wet media painter. As I moved to the digital world, I still wanted to create pictures that would be printed and framed.  However, now I create pictures with the thought that the preferred viewing medium is a monitor.   This creates many issues.

However, there is a key benefit.  I do not have to keep the printed image in mind when I produce.  The printed image will never be the same as the digital image, that is viewed on the monitor. For example, recently, I have been captivated by bringing light into my pictures, bright light that years ago most photographers would have called burnt out.  Now, I am trying to bring these burnt out areas into my pictures. They look great on a monitor.

The larger question for me is how big is the market for strictly digital art?  I think that it is growing, especially when you see that books are moving from a printed format to things like iPads.

As we were talking earlier, you mentioned a quote by Michelle Obama.

“It means all the world to us to know that there are prayer circles out there and people who are keeping the spirits clean around us,” First Lady Michelle Obama, “Tom Joyner Morning Show” , 10/13/2010.

What are these clean spirits?  I see that you have introduced “spirits” into this picture.

I heard that quote along with many other people.  Most people were confused and had no sense of what she was talking about.  However, based on the theology of her last church and some of the people who are publically associated with the Obama’s, I think I have an idea.

Let me tell you about the Emergent Church.  Old things have become new once again.  I first heard about the Emergent Church movement when I attended a pastor’s conference several years ago even though I am not a pastor.  As I listened, I dismissed the presentation as someone, who I greatly respected, crying wolf.

However, several years later, I was at the same pastor’s conference and I encountered another speaker, Warren B. Smith who spoke about this same topic.  This time, he got my attention because he traced the movement to a book called A Course In Miracles. As he talked, I immediately understood that the New Age movement was alive and well with a different name, The Emergent or Emerging Church..

What does this have to do with Spirits?

Finding and consulting a “sprit guide” is a part of the Emergent Church movement just as it was part of the New Age Movement.  In the Emergent Church, the process of finding your spirit guide is called Contemplative Prayer, Centering Prayer or Christian Meditation.

What is Contemplative Prayer and how does Michelle Obama fit into this?

Contemplative Prayer is the process of communicating with sprit guides.  It requires that you totally quite your mind until you can hear your spirit guide.  However, when engaged in this practice it is not uncommon to come into contact with unwanted spirits

Richard Forter in his book, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, (San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1992) says, “I also want to give a word of precaution. In the silent contemplation of God we are entering deeply into the spiritual realm, and there is such a thing as supernatural guidance that is not divine guidance. While the Bible does not give us a lot of information on the nature of the spiritual world, we do know… there are various orders of spiritual beings, and some of them are definitely not in cooperation with God and his way! … But for now I want to encourage you to learn and practice prayers of protection… ‘All dark and evil spirits must now leave.’” (pg.157)

From my perspective, not having talked to Obama, She was maybe referring to these unclean or “evil spirits” that are encountered in Contemplative Prayer.  She wanted them to stay away so that only the “clean spirits” were able to break through.

This does not sound like traditional Christianity.  Is this Christian?

In my pictures, I show a man engaged in contemplative prayer, encountering a spirit guide.  In the pictures, there is a traditional cross and Bible because the Emergent Church and the Contemplative Prayer movement are built on the foundation of the ancient Christian church and monastic practices.  However, the Bible says:

Deut 18:10-12

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.

No, this is not traditional Christianity.  This is actually something that every Christian should avoid.

I like those birds in the picture.

Yea, I wanted to show some exotic pet birds.  These birds seemed to have little to no respect for this ritual.  They seemed more concerned with eating.

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This picture was made of several different parts.

www.EricTakesPictures.com
Parts

1. Bird – browse.deviantart.com/resources/stockart/?qh=§ion…
2. Table – browse.deviantart.com/resources/?q=table&order=9&…
3. Cross – browse.deviantart.com/resources/?qh=§ion=&q=J…
4. Texture – browse.deviantart.com/resources/?q=texture&order=9&am…
5. Spirit – fav.me/d1g5vgl
6. Wizard – browse.deviantart.com/resources/?q=wizard&order=9&…