Digital Signatures

I have a tendency to fail to sign my digital art work, and I must correct this shortcoming.  When I produce work for my parish I recognize it as a gift for God, so I always make an effort to keep my ego in check.  When I produced the bulletin I would credit the bulletin cover art on the inside to protect my copyright or the copyright of the artist whose work appeared on the cover (and to provide some education concerning the symbol or image used).  But if an artist does not create the inside of the bulletin, I have found that the art is seldom credited or copyright protected.  For postcards I credit the art in small letters on the address side (which is sometimes accidentally covered by the mailing label), and newspaper ads are not credited at all.  This used to be ok, but it is not ok anymore.  So a digital signature on artwork is a must.  

For years I have made excuses for the church's overall lack of appreciation of art.   As an artist I have had trouble understanding this; aren't most of us worshiping in beauty that was crafted years ago by hands now inhabiting the grave?  As people enter and stutter at the beauty of Episcopal churches, we cannot fail to see beauty's impact.   Progress is being made through organizations like ECVA and CIVA, yet still many local churches do not see it as a ministry, much less a bridge to God.  

I think that some churches do not appreciate art because the local nature of the institution is highly protestant and anti-image.  Others are just missing the heart and head to comprehend that beauty is the direct reflection of God and that art is a ministry.   This selfishness or carelessness is akin to that of gardeners who do not plant oak trees after the age of 50 because they will not be around to see them in their glory.  It doesn't particularly matter if this tradition of beauty ends because they won't be around to see it anyway.  And some churches are just filled with dark energy rather than light, and demons hide from light because, afterall, isn't Christ "Light from Light"?  Is the glorious body of Christ paraplegic, distorted or crippled?   Sometimes the mouth keeps working when the rest of the body fails.

Percy Dearmer was right when he predicted that if unencouraged, artists would take their talents elsewhere besides the church.  I won't go so far as to say that The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost, as revealed in my art for my parish, just caught the last train for the coast....I will say that I now approach it differently. 

Which leads me back to why digital signatures are important.  Yes, we produce our gifts for God.  But we also produce them for each other in the form of the body of Christ.  Let those who have ears hear; let those who have eyes see.  But just because some are blind, it does not mean that it should be free of copyright protection unless the artist chooses.  

A wise friend once told me, move where the waters part, to which I add, move with a signature.