By Sonja J. Keith

Caleb Baker has a unique and powerful way of sharing his faith with others – with a paint brush and a canvas.
While he has pursued art for a number of years, it is only recently that Caleb has begun combining painting with his faith to deliver messages of hope and inspiration. “Art has always kind of been my thing,” he said, adding that his parents have been supportive and he has taken advantage of art classes.

However, at the end of high school he found himself focusing more on the actual craft and less on the meaning of his art. In fact, art seemed to become mechanical. “It was more of a duty rather than a heart thing.”
The discouragement and disconnect were so intense that Caleb considered “no art.”
“I decided I was going to go a different route,” he said.
It was during a year spent in Italy through an exchange program that Caleb discovered the connection between art and faith. And there was meaning.
“It was really cool because art was central in the church, and artists felt that they could express that in the church.”
Inspired by what he experienced in Italy, Caleb was interested in pursuing a way to combine both his art and his faith when he was approached by Four Winds church in Conway. Members knew Caleb was an artist and suggested that he create a painting during a church service.
Caleb was intrigued yet nervous so he turned to prayer. “It was such a God thing. I was looking for this type of opportunity two and a half years ago,” he said. “God just opened the door.”
And so began what Caleb calls “Love’s Paint,” a group devoted to sharing God’s love through the arts. “It’s an idea. It’s a dream. It’s a hope that people will come to realize their gifts are unique and that our extremely creative Father loves our extremely creative worship,” his website – www.lovespaint.com – states.
While groups pay for the presentations and Caleb has been able to leave his full-time job to devote all his time to Love’s Paint, his work is not about the money. “I feel like I’m along for the ride. I’m honored to be able to do this. I don’t want it to become about money.
“I never imagined I would be doing something like this. I thought art for me was done. Looking back, I see that everything was a stepping stone.”
Word has spread and this summer Caleb will travel to Arizona, California, Montana, Texas and Mississippi to present Love’s Paint. Caleb works with those organizing the event to customize the presentation – from the format it is presented in to the painting that is created. Some are done with music, others are not. In some instances, particular words are painted on the blank canvas and then incorporated into the piece.
Still, there is an underlying focus on grace and on love. “That’s the message we’re all about,” he said. “God is love and we want to give him what we have.”