47. The Coffee Painting

Theme: Godšs Grace

What you need to do this project

Easel
Canvas
Acrylic paint and brushes
Cup with a small amount of coffee in it
Drop cloth

This piece was inspired by Max Lucadošs book Come Thirsty. In reading chapter three about Godšs grace, Max tells a story of an unfortunate incident where tea was spilled on the wall of a restaurant. The owner thought he would have to completely repaint the wall because of the stain left. Unbeknownst to him there is a famous artist there who asks if he can help with the stain. The artist takes the stain and turns it into a masterpiece. The connection is that God can take the marks and stains in our lives and turn them into something useful in His kingdom through His grace.

This painting is fun though a little difficult to do because you can neither prepare nor practice. You simply set up your easel and at the start of your painting session you throw the cup of coffee onto the canvas and paint whatever the resulting splash looks like to you. (Mine became this huge tree.) When I finished, I read the story to the congregation from the book and explained what I had done. It made a great lead in to a sermon on grace.