by James Love
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Ipaintforgod was the very first name I knew to give to what I was doing with art when I rediscovered it for myself in Asheville around 2016–2017. I registered the domain, made some cards, and just thought my whole life was about to take off.
I was exploring creating these expressive, abstract, collage paintings—sometimes I used text with them. I thought I was creating art that was just the most honest and real work, and it was not coming from a traditionally trained artist, which made it more intriguing. I was prolific during this time. I treated any opportunity as a chance to produce artwork—and I imagined what I could do with any medium to create art.
I didn’t have a message. I thought Basquiat was just throwing paint like Pollock. I thought that’s all I needed—no message, no story.
I was able to be part of some group shows and host my own solo exhibitions. In two of my solo exhibitions, I was interviewed. You can see one here and the other here. For my first digital solo exhibition, it was covered here.
When it came to interviews, I said things that I hoped someone years later would find. I wanted to be an inspiration the way other artists were inspirations to me.
“I really hope some artist who deals with insecurity because of race comes along and hears this,” or, “I really hope some Christian artist comes and sees this. I’m pushing the envelope,” were some of the things I was telling myself.
I certainly was, in my own neck of the woods—but not globally.
I sometimes think about producing a documentary that covered that time—no words from me—just video and photos. Audio from the interviews. Because that’s honestly what I was doing everything for. I wanted to be made into a star. I wanted the coffee books, the magazine coverage, the documentaries, the million-dollar sales.
It soon became apparent to me that nothing I was pursuing was about God, but totally about myself.
That’s when I ditched the ipaintforgod site and recreated it as History Is Art. I wanted to do something different—something relevant. Ipaintforgod felt distant. It felt like a name that was left in Asheville.
I left Asheville under less than ideal circumstances. I hadn’t shared any meaningful art since I moved. I immediately went into caretaking mode, grad-student mode, and get-a-job mode. I have struggled to maintain my artistic practice in the way I once did.
But ipaintforgod.com is back now, and it will be a website that I treat as an online gallery space. This resurrected container is what I—and my artist friends—need right now. And I am going to make sure it doesn’t become another trend or fad, because it’s not for those audiences.
It’s for people who really appreciate slowing their minds down, looking a little closer. They don’t have to be filthy rich to enjoy the experience—although the rich, as well as the poor, are welcome to participate.
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