“I know that my work is a natural extension of my experiences and my spirituality. I am a spiritual being with the gift of noticing patterns and details.”
Jen Watson is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Art at BYU. In her Faith + Works Lecture, Watson shared how art can shape perspective and invite spiritual insight. Art, she said, can be inspired by personal experiences and challenge us to think in new ways.
For Watson, rather than being separate pursuits, art and faith work in tandem to create meaning and flexibility.
“I've learned that in our creative actions, through art processes and viewing art, we can stumble onto important insights and significant feelings,” Watson said. “There exists unseen energies that hold power, substance and sight.”
As a printmaker, Watson spoke about the unique qualities of her artistic medium. Printmaking, she explained, has historically expanded access to visual expression, inviting broader participation in the arts.
“One historical aspect of printmaking is that it puts machines that make multiples into the hands of regular people,” Watson said.
Printmaking’s use of layering particularly resonates with Watson. Watson described the process as a multiverse, where layers can be rearranged, reversed or reordered. What is placed down first can also be placed down last.
Watson shared Midnight, a series of screen prints by artist Sarah Sze. The piece features newspapers printed on New Year’s Day from around the world, overlaid with images of the night sky at midnight.
“Midnight is highlighting the effect of New Year's Day when you're most aware of the asynchronicity of time,” Watson said. “I also love the ideas of stars here because we are not seeing them in time. They are actually an echo, which also reminds me of the printmaking processes; it's like an impression.”
Art helps Watson grapple with the unknown, but she emphasizes that answers can come from God.
“Our understanding of reality is limited and imperfect, much like trying to see through a cloudy glass. True clarity and understanding will come only when we are face to face with God.”
Along with artwork, Watson draws inspiration from skiing, which she fell in love with at a young age. She often finds herself combining the two passions. Experiences such as imagining the inside of an avalanche cloud and experiencing the glittering realm of a sun dog have inspired two of her prints.
“From skiing, I know all about balancing while in motion,” Watson said. I learned about contradicting forces, about anticipation, edges, composition, nuance and compensation. I also learned that mindset can create limitations on ability, growth and speed.”
Watson also cited a study that demonstrated people tend to favor images that feel familiar due to repeated exposure.
For many, walking into an art gallery without background knowledge can be perplexing and intimidating. However, Watson believes that we can practice expanding our perspective with unfamiliar art and experiences.
“We can practice and expand our ability to be present and have significant experiences,” Watson said. “It can enlarge our senses, inspire our spirits and open us up to increased revelation. I have experienced this in my own work and in my own faith.”
Ultimately, Watson connected artistic growth with spiritual transformation as she quoted 2 Corinthians 5:17.
“I suspect that the Corinthians were artists,” Watson said, citing the 2 Corinthians teaching that “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’”
Developing the flexibility to appreciate new experiences requires effort, Watson said, but it can lead to powerful insights.
“I believe that you can learn a lot by looking at art and creating art, Watson said. “It can expand your perspective. It might even give you a sense of spiritual ideas and a new way to look at the world and the people in it.”