Every morning in her Bronx, New York, home, artist Laura James begins her day with prayer.
“When I think of prayer, I think of meditation. That is what I call prayer,” Laura explains. “I ask for things, but I also say thank you. I think, and I listen. Every morning when I get up it is the first thing that I do. I say thank you for waking up, and the day starts there.”
Laura maintains her meditative focus by listening.
“One thing that I do is listen to sounds—to nature sounds or singing bowls,” shares Laura. “The sound helps me to focus, the singing bowls in particular.”
Discovering the Power of Meditation
Although her current meditation practice is relatively recent, Laura has embraced prayer throughout her life.
“I have always prayed and had conversations with God, but I think I really discovered the power of prayer when I started to focus on things I wanted to happen in my life, and began to intentionally talk to God about it,” explains Laura. “I remember always wanting to meditate, but it was a year before Covid that I started doing it every day and making it part of my everyday life. Having that regular connection every day for a year really got me ready for Covid. You can be more steady when you pray regularly. You are not doing it yourself. I am protected, I am carried, and having that feeling is something I need to connect with a lot.”
“Every morning when I get up it is the first thing that I do. I say thank you for waking up, and the day starts there.”
Laura James
Bringing Prayer Into Her Art
Many people have told Laura that her religious artwork carries a unique spiritual energy.
“They say Jesus always looks like He is with the people, and that is appropriate because His message was for the people,” says Laura. “It is a human story. It is not just a religious story.”
Prayer is an essential part of Laura’s creative process.
“I will say a prayer before I start painting and ask that the image comes out the way it is supposed to,” Laura shares. “I follow the Scripture text when I paint. I am not revising the text of the Bible, and I am not putting any spin on it. It is important that people are affected by the imagery. That is what I want, and it is for everyone. There are many people who appreciate the art and say they have nothing to do with religion. It can be universally appreciated.”
Trusting God’s Guidance
Laura recently completed a series of paintings of Mary Magdalene. During their creation, she experienced God’s presence in unexpected ways.
“We are souls that are connected to God’s energy, and we need that energy. That is nothing to be ashamed of. Embrace it!”
Laura James
“I was struggling at some points and working on a deadline, and I remember praying while I was painting,” explains Laura. “I remember distinctly a few times when the brush went in a random direction, and instead of having to wipe it off, there were good lines. It happened several times, and this is a new thing. My brush is doing something different, and I said, ‘Thank you very much.’”
Learning to Be Still
God often surprises Laura by answering her prayers with peace rather than immediate solutions.
“Many times, prayer has guided me to say, ‘Stop thinking about this. Do something else because this is going to be OK,’” she says. “It happens more and more now, that the ‘problem’ is answered by being still and going out into nature, rather than with the elaborate ‘solutions’ I conjure up. After feeling anxiety about something, it is still a bit amazing that the message from a prayerful meditation is to relax and trust that things are OK. That is not always an easy thing to do. It takes practice.”
Laura painting her vision into reality.
Inviting Others to Embrace God’s Love
One of Laura’s deepest prayers is that more people will connect with God through prayer and intuition.
“We are souls that are connected to God’s energy, and we need that energy. That is nothing to be ashamed of. Embrace it!” shares Laura. “We need to be the peace and love people, as God is love.”
Learn More
To see Laura’s artwork, visit www.laurajamesart.com.
