Behind the Quick Sketch
Behind the Quick Sketch
My art instructor, an excellent craftsman, told me a compelling story about the benefits of diligent work.
Many years ago there was a famous Japanese artist named Hokusai, whose paintings were coveted by royalty. One day a nobleman requested a special painting of his prized bird. He left the bird with Hokusai, and the artist told the nobleman to return in a week.
The master missed his beautiful bird, and was anxious to return at the end of the week not only to secure his favorite pet, but his painting as well. When the nobleman arrived, however, the artist humbly requested a two-week postponement.
The two-week delay stretched into two months—and then six.
A year later, the nobleman stormed into Hokusai’s studio. He refused to wait any longer and demanded both his bird and his painting. Hokusai, in the Japanese way, bowed to the nobleman, turned to his workshop table, and picked up a brush and a large sheet of rice paper. Within moments he had effortlessly painted an exact likeness of the lovely bird.
The bird’s owner was stunned by the painting.
And then he was angry. “Why did you keep me waiting for a year if you could have done the painting in such a short time?”
“You don’t understand,” Hokusai replied. Then he escorted the nobleman into a room where the walls were covered with paintings of the same bird. None of them, however, matched the grace and the beauty of the final rendering. Yet, out of such hard work and painstaking effort came the mastery of Hokusai’s art.
My art instructor’s point was clear. Nothing of real worth or lasting value comes easy.
That’s certainly true with my painting. As a Christian, I feel compelled to produce quality, the best I can do “as unto Him.” To others it may appear that I sit in front of an easel and with a bit of quick inspiration render an effortless drawing. Let me tell you, behind what looks like spontaneous creativity and raw talent are hours of research, experiments, sketches, and color tests.
This must also be true of the canvas of our lives. Behind every attractive Christian life are things like discipline, prayer in the secret place, diligent study of God’s Word, discreet acts of generosity, and obedience when nobody’s looking.
We can’t copy the world’s slipshod way of looking at art—or life. If we want to have something of real worth and lasting value in our character, it won’t come easy.
It never does.