A Passion for Painting and for God: Ronald McDowell
By Janine C. Hagan
This is our first feature article and honors the artist and the art of Ronald McDowell. Even as a child, Ron was appointed as the art director for an elementary school. As a self-taught artist, Ron is famous for his commissioned works, portraits of famous individuals, special work for the film and TV industry, and his sculptures and statues of the civil rights movement. Ron is the designated Artist for the state of Alabama. Ron lives and works/consults out of Birmingham and Tuskeegee, AL, USA.

Artist Ron McDowell Janine: EcuMiniNet™ Online! talks about faith with teenagers, young adults and adults about their faith in God; how they understand God, understand what faith is and how it shapes their lives.

Ronald: I think that if we develop a connection to God and to Christ, a close relationship with Him, to where if we know anything about the scriptures and if we believe anything in the Bible we have to believe all of it. Things that are unseen, we have to believe in them. Just because you can't see them, can't touch them, can't feel them we know because Christ allows us to know. All these have to be accepted by Him. He calls us the "sheep" as He is the "Shepherd."

All people who have faith in God, whether they are Protestants or Catholics, they have faith In Him being above all and being exalted. He is the one who we look up to as our God; the final, the ultimate, the Alpha and the Omega.This helps me to keep things in the proper perspective. We believe in that faith, the faith that we have even if we cannot "see" God. That which is around me makes me believe that God is real.

Ron's Story
As we listened to Ron tell about his journey with his art, it is obvious that he considers his artistic gift as a blessing from God. "No one taught me how to sculpt or to paint", he says with a laugh. Ron tells that his mother has told him that he began drawing and sculpting when he was just one year old.

Evidently others have been properly impressed with Ron's gift, for the performer Michael Jackson took drawing lessons from Ron.

Ron says that his purpose is to help people become aware of black art as well as honoring people involved in the civil rights movement. The art that Ron creates is something that he considers to be a legacy that tells the story which will outlive him. He shares his thoughts that through his art, even one hundred years from now, people will know about us and our lives.

Ron is a deeply religious/spiritual person. Over and over again he quotes scripture and talks about all of the in-depth study of the Bible that he pursues in order to get a "feel" for a particular subject. Characters of biblical stories often are the basis for a particular work, even if the nature of the art is not faith-related. Ron states that he feels that Christ is "universal" and a "man of sorrows". Ron does not view Christ as older, more traditional art portrays Him.

When asked about how he feels when he is painting, Ron likens it to being in a spiritual realm. There is a sense of becoming one with God, with the process of creating. To my understanding, Ron is so attuned to his purpose in life, his own unique calling that joy is produced and he is continually fueled for the many expressions of his artistic gifts. The act of creating gives him life and joy and we are the beneficiaries of the focus of his passion!

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