Elizabeth Bowman
9 min read ⭑
“When I paint like this, I sense [God’s] pleasure. Painting has become my purest form of worship. During the creative process, I become self-forgetful and use my body and mind to imitate him.”
QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT
There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?
There's a place right outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, that serves the juiciest steaks—and what portions! The kids call it Abus’ (short for Abuelos’) and it's my parents’ place, the house where I grew up. My dad is a grill master and my mom makes a variety of colorful side dishes with ingredients from the local farmer’s market. Their large square table has become a central point for all the clan to gather—my two brothers and their growing families, my husband and two kids, and mom and dad.
We are originally from Argentina, and my parents’ home is one of the few places where I can blend Spanish and English, weave in and out of North American and South American cultures, tell stories of the past, and share hopes for the future. Along with the delicious steak comes lots of laughter, and the bright smile on my 4-year-old's face expresses what we all feel.
Cooper Baumgartner; Unsplash
QUESTION #2: REVEAL
We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?
A simple porch can quickly become a holy place when just beyond it lies the irresistible beauty and disquieting power of a storm.
My husband, Chris, and I will often call each other outside to our white front porch. We sit in our rocking chairs in silence. A grand show is on: thunder announces a tragedy, trees sway, and branches bend like mournful dancers while a curtain of rainfall keeps their secrets.
I love our porch. I've watched many comedies there, too, during the spring. And in the winter, I've seen a lullaby in the quiet twinkle of ice-covered branches in the moonlight. But a good summer thunderstorm is my favorite.
Such experiences can tell us something about what God is like. A thunderstorm tells me of his otherness. He is beyond what I can grasp. I feel awe. A mixture of joy and fear swells up inside. And perhaps for an unconscious minute, I realize my place before him.
QUESTION #3: CONFESS
Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We're just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?
I feel shame easily and have a difficult time recovering from it. I didn’t know this was something I particularly struggled with until a couple of years ago when I became the parent of a toddler. I was starting to learn about relational maturity skills at the time and noticed that whenever my toddler had a tantrum, I wanted to hide. Shame is feeling that someone is not glad to be with me—and whether it was at the grocery store or a restaurant, I felt that.
Of course, there are stronger moments of shame in my story. Such moments would trigger me in such a way that I would be inwardly stuck for hours, only to sweep it under a rug and add it to my pile of painful memories.
Not knowing how to deal with shame can affect my work by avoiding risk or potential shame. Thankfully, with the help of more mature believers who remain happy to be with me during failure (especially my husband, Chris), I'm creating new habits.
Smaller instances, like my littles having a meltdown, will only affect me during the moment but not significantly. I’m also taking more risks with my artwork. There’s still much inner work to do, but I’m committed to it.
QUESTION #4: FIRE UP
Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?
I can still hardly believe I get to be a painter! I'm on a constant chase after beauty, and I pour out the joy it brings me on the canvas. I paint in an impressionistic style with expressive, lively strokes in a moody palette that doesn't shy away from color. Right now, I'm giving myself permission to explore it all—from dramatic florals and emotive landscapes to story portraits.
Most of my work comes from a sense of joy and awe, but not all. One such portrait is titled "American Mother," a sorrow-stricken woman in the wake of the recent tragedy at a school in Texas. I was humbled that this piece resonated with many people and seemed to embody the grief many mothers felt.
On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, my self-portrait "Mother & Painter" celebrates the unprecedented rise in the vocational crossroads of motherhood and art-making. Currently, I'm working on a series of poetic flowers lit by moonlight from a nearby window—florals are a favorite of my collectors and a delight for me!
In the U.S., we have forgotten the intrinsic value of beauty and art in our homes. We surround ourselves with functionality and wonder why we lack a sense of wonder. I'm passionate about providing artwork that serves as a bridge to our secret longings. Even in this age of knowledge, there is much that is hidden, much that calls us to discover and delight. Art, although not a tool, is a means of grace to make such discoveries.
QUESTION #5: BOOST
Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it's God when it happens?
I'm keenly aware that all that is good comes from God. I know he cares that my work is good and beautiful. I ask for his help often. Good ideas come rushing like wind, and I'm caught up in them until they are completed.
After the recent shooting, I was in despair for our children. As I drove my 4-year-old to preschool, I went to God with my supplications for help, for protection, and for the consolation of those parents. I sensed that he saw me in my grief and was with me. And so the image of a mother being seen came to mind. To be seen—what a consolation.
When I paint like this, I sense his pleasure. Painting has become my purest form of worship. During the creative process, I become self-forgetful and use my body and mind to imitate him.
I'm a poor reflection of him who is pure light, and slowly, painting corrects the distortions. Who other than God can turn cloth and pigment into tools of transformation?
QUESTION #6: inspire
Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it, which spiritual practice is workin' best for you right now?
I'm surprised to say that I journal now. I was never drawn to the practice because untangling my inward life was such a daunting task. But I've learned a different kind of journaling.
I begin by writing down things I appreciate:
The sunshine coming through the window
The latte in my hands (made by my husband!)
The kids being super excited about their new dinosaur slippers
I read a portion of Scripture and write out a verse that stands out to me. I ask Jesus what he wants me to know about it and sit in silence for a while. I write down what comes to mind. Then, I may interact with him about whatever may be burdening me. I've received a lot of healing by doing this.
This two-way active interaction is fairly new to me. I don't easily assign the words "God told me" to any of my thoughts.
I have inwardly argued for and against the practice for years. So if anyone is uneasy about it, I understand. Here are a couple of ideas that won out for me:
1) The saints I so admire made this a regular practice. Is it okay for them because they are saints, or did they become saints with the help of such spiritual practices?
2) There’s no way for me to know for certain whether God speaks to me in this way. When I come to hear from God, it is by faith in certain non-negotiable truths: the reality of an immaterial God that has the power to make himself known to those who want to find him. Perhaps it’s foolish to expect him to speak often and consistently. From my journal: "I'd rather be foolish for pursuing you in foolish ways than foolish for not pursuing you. That is the most foolish thing of all. I have done enough of that."
This practice helps me begin my day and enter the studio in tune with him, grateful, with a sense of the wonderful and a desire to be generous through my work.
QUESTION #7: FOCUS
Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources—lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are three resources that have impacted you?
One of my favorite books is Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. I've read it a few times, and I get more spiritual insight from it each time. It has helped me see my present as it truly is—a mix of both the material and immaterial world. It has shaped my view of God and helped me better understand the importance of dying to self. It is also so beautiful! (The podcast Pints with Jack has an excellent commentary.)
Back in 2019, I listened to an inspiring lecture by Russ Ramsey titled “The Striving Artist” on the life of Vincent Van Gogh. At the time, I was waiting for my situation to change in order to paint. Well, it wasn't going to get easier anytime soon because I was about eight months pregnant with my second son.
This lecture gave me the push I needed to take my painting seriously and get started. I would recommend it to anyone with dreams that feel too out of reach.
I'm always on the hunt for creative spiritual music to feast on in the studio. Right now, I'm loving Josh Garrels’ album Chrysaline, Mark Barlow’s Soul Hymns, and John Van Deusen’s Every Power Wide Awake. I’m so thankful for music that makes me aware of God’s presence and, like him, is powerful and surprising.
We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season—and tell us what it’s done for you.
Earlier, I mentioned learning "relational skills." One of those skills is knowing how to recover from feeling shame, but there are many others! I’m currently in an interactive training that has given me practical tools for healthy relationships. It has had a huge impact! I'm beginning to understand how I can break out of certain patterns and take steps toward becoming the person God created me to be, including me as an artist.
The training is called Journey Groups and is based on materials written by Amy Brown. Chris Coursey has written several stand-alone books on these skills as well.
QUESTION #8: dream
God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?
Oh, man. What a question! It's scary to tell of dreams. What if they lie beyond my scope? Alas, Jesus is drawing me near and calling me for healing and restoration. I don't know why specifically, but I believe one of the many reasons he wants to strengthen my attachment to him is to prepare me emotionally for risk-taking in my artwork. There may be shame for me ahead—definite risk and possible rejection. I want to want it, and I've made myself available.
I'm trained in subjects that I hope will soon come forth in my paintings. But I'm not ready yet. While I feel very confident with the brush, I need God to grow my imagination and teach me how to communicate ideas visually. "Illuminate my unknowing" says a line by Deusen in the album I mentioned above. And that's where I am—seeking illumination for what I don't yet know.
We were made for beauty. All of us. God created each of us to delight in beauty—and to delight in making it, too.
Perhaps that’s why a study by the University of South Carolina Upstate found that one of the biggest reasons behind people’s happiness was that they were surrounded by beauty. Even simply living in an aesthetically beautiful city had a strong effect on whether people felt happy.
No wonder King David wrote, “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4, NIV).
And yet, sadly, as Elizabeth pointed out above, many of us tend to surround ourselves with what’s pragmatic. We fill our lives with tools to help get the job done but forget to fill our lives with beauty, too. Maybe it’s time we follow David’s example and simply “gaze on the beauty of the Lord.”
Elizabeth Bowman is an impressionist painter and entrepreneur based in Charlotte, North Carolina. In her upstairs home studio, she dreams up ideas and paints while her youngest son builds Lego towers. She’s passionate about providing artwork that will sometimes delight, sometimes hurt, but always bridge us to our shared, silent longings.
