The Practice of Prophetic Art: Insights from an Artist

In this final article on the topic of prophetic art, I share a portion of my actual conversation with Jennifer Koch. We are discussing how Jenny has personally experienced the process of prophetic art, the types of prophetic paintings she does, and who she paints for. [1]

This process will be different for each prophetic artist, depending on how you are wired and what God has called you to do.

Note also that this article should be read in conjunction with the post, ‘What Is Prophetic Art?’ [2]

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Helen:

Sometimes you don’t know yourself how what you are painting could have significance to a person viewing it.

Jenny:

No, no idea!

Helen:

Which is so much like how prophecy can be, you get a revelation or picture or whatever and by faith, you are bringing this thing. [Rom 12:6] You have got no idea what it means to the person who is on the receiving end.

Jenny:

That’s happened a lot where I’m thinking of a meaning that it has to me, and then 5 different people come and speak to me later and say that it impacted them in 5 different ways. I love it, because it takes the pressure off me, too!

Helen:

Anything of the Holy Spirit should be easy like that, and I love that about Him, that He can just use something and bring revelation to people at their point of need, in several different ways, He’s so creative.

Jenny:

It should be easy and that’s something that I think that as time has gone on, I’m just resting more and more. Sometimes some ideas for paintings come… you just get a snippet of an idea or you just glance at something and you could so easily have missed it, and then think, ‘I’ll go with that.’ And it ends up being something really significant to somebody.

There was another time that I was involved at an outreach night. And we had to set up, half dark, a banana-shaped theatre, with no room whatsoever, and painting and playing [worship] in the half-dark.

During one meeting, I was doing a painting about the anointing oil. I couldn’t get there to the prayer meeting the night before, and that [picture] was exactly what they had been praying! And a lady who had been praying had this picture. She didn’t know what I was painting because she was singing, and she came over and said, ‘That is exactly what we had prayed about!’

Helen:

In what arenas do you [personally] do prophetic painting?

Jenny:

A lot in church, but I prefer the marketplace.

I use a lot of symbolism and metaphors when painting, which means that sometimes, but not always, it needs interpretation. Water has been a recurrent symbol.

If you do something that is more symbolic or is a metaphor, then you might get an opportunity to explain it and it might be more relevant to someone than a painting that is religious in nature. That’s not the way I work. Some people do lots of paintings, and they directly translate [i.e. are overtly religious or depict a story from scripture].

There have been a few times I have translated something from the Bible, for example, I did a painting of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. Because it was meaningful to me at the time and it was an Easter thing we were doing. That painting has been sold—I could have sold it five times over.

So it’s Christians that can relate to it—but what I’m really more about, and where my heart is, is communicating to the unchurched. That’s why I like the symbolism.

Helen:

When I receive a prophecy, I often get a picture of something, and so really, prophecy for me starts in art form. I get a picture and it’s a symbolic picture, and what I’m doing verbally is explaining that picture that I see, whereas you’re painting the picture, and the Holy Spirit is explaining the picture individually to people.

But you might also then get the opportunity to the meaning that you sense. I can see very much how that is another form of prophecy.

Helen:

How do you receive inspiration for your prophetic paintings?

Jenny:

• From the word [Bible]
• From life itself
• The Bible is full of stories and symbolism. I love symbols and stories
• Music, lyrics to songs
• Everything around me

I’m like a sponge, taking in the everyday things and things I see, hear, even smell! Sometimes I have just followed on an idea. However, it’s not an airy-fairy thing; ­often it is researching and sometimes ideas flow, and other times it is hard work.

Helen:

Are there any other things that we haven’t discussed that are on your heart?

Jenny:

We’ve been talking about art prophetically, but something that I’ve been mulling about recently is art as prayer.

Helen:

Prophecy is God communicating to us; prayer is us communicating to Him… you could go further and include art as worship, too.

Jenny:

It’s a little bit hard for me to separate prophetic and worship.

Helen:

That’s not surprising, is it? It’s as we’re in worship that we see Him and receive a revelation of Him, and there’s that intimate connection from which we can receive revelation for others and ourselves.

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Notes:
[1]  Jenny describes the above painting, called ‘Deep Springs’ as follows:

It’s about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which is poured out from above and also as Jesus said; “will become within him a  spring of living water” from the woman at the well story [John 4]. Often people don’t see the figure in the background and when they do it’s a bit of an ‘aha’ moment.

You can find Jennifer Koch’s website and view more of her artwork at: www.jenniferkoch.webs.com

[2] This post comprises part of an interview I had with Jennifer Koch and should be read in conjunction with the post: ‘What Is Prophetic Art?’

See also the other articles collaborated with Jennifer Koch on this topic:

Art That Reflects The Heart Of God
Journey Of A Prophetic Artist

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© Helen Calder 2011 Enliven Blog

Enliven Ministries: in the David McCracken Ministries family