Discover How Passion & Patience Help You Create Art that Connects: An Interview with Denis Mayer Jr.
September 26, 2025 • 37 mins
In this captivating episode of The Thriving Christian Artist Podcast, I sit down with internationally recognized wildlife artist Denis Mayer Jr. to hear the story behind his incredible mastery of realism and the journey that led him from a teenage sign painter in Montreal to one of Canada’s most respected fine artists.
Denis shares how early influences from his father, architectural rendering skills, and years in commercial art all shaped his signature style. We talk about the discipline required to reach mastery, how to adapt when the industry changes, and the enduring power of creating from passion and love for your subject. His story is one of resilience, adaptability, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence in art.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- How Denis transitioned from commercial art to fine art wildlife painting
- The importance of technical skill and discipline in achieving realism
- Lessons learned from decades of navigating the changing art industry
- Finding your unique voice as an artist through life experience
- The role of passion and patience in creating art that connects deeply with viewers
🌟 Favorite Quotes from This Episode:
“My passion as a young kid was already seen as an artist.” — Denis Mayer Jr.
“When one door closes in your art career, it’s often God opening another — the key is to keep creating.” — Matt Tommey
“Mastery doesn’t happen overnight. It’s thousands of hours, one brushstroke at a time.” — Denis Mayer Jr.
🌐 Connect with Denis Mayer Jr.: http://www.denismayerjr.com
✅ Stay Connected & Grow as a Thriving Christian Artist:
- 📬 Subscribe to The Thriving Christian Artist Weekly: https://thrive.matttommeymentoring.com/tca-weekly
- 📚 Find My Best-Selling Books: https://www.matttommeymentoring.com/resources
- 🎓 Explore Artist Mentoring Programs: https://www.matttommeymentoring.com/mentoring
Find out more about The Created to Thrive Foundations Course
Fuel Your Creative Calling with Weekly Encouragement
Join thousands of Christian artists who are growing in faith, creativity, and purpose.
Subscribe to The Thriving Christian Artist Weekly and receive powerful, faith-filled content every week—designed to encourage your heart, spark your creativity, and equip you to walk boldly in your God-given calling as an artist.
👉 Click here. It’s free. It’s faith-filled. And it’s just for you.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All of the world, artists are awakening.
Painters and potters, writersand weavers, poets and dancers
not chasing followers or fame,but sons and daughters called
for such a time as this,transformed from the inside out,
creating with purpose,releasing the glory of God and
living in the power of thekingdom.
Right now, this is the ThrivingChristian Artist.
(00:21):
Well, hey, friends, welcomeback to the podcast.
This is Matt Tommey, your host.
Super glad that you are here.
I've got a great new friendthat I'm just getting to know,
but love his work and love hisstory.
Dennis Mayer is an artist fromup in British Columbia, but, man
, what a body of work and what ahistory you have.
(00:41):
So, dennis, so glad you're here.
Man, welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yeah, thank you for having me on your podcast.
That's an honor.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Absolutely, absolutely.
For those folks that are justkind of getting to know you
maybe they know your work, Iwouldn't be surprised.
But for folks that are justgetting to know you, kind of,
let us know what you docreatively and where you are in
the world, and then we'll jumpinto a little bit of your
backstory.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, I live in British Columbia with my wife
and kids.
Now they're three kids.
Wow, yeah, one of my daughtersjust got married last summer.
Come on, and time goes by fast.
But having said that, I've beenin British Columbia since 1992.
And originally from Montrealback east, 1992, and originally
(01:32):
from Montreal back east and Istarted out at a very young age
working with my dad in the signpainting.
My dad was a sign painter bytrade oh cool.
And back then was all all doneby hand, so there was no vinyl
and all this decos that we seetoday.
So I started at 14 years old.
I quit school and I mean it'sthe actually what you call the
(01:54):
director, the principal of theschool, send a special letter to
my dad and say we thought aboutit to the school board and this
kid is wasting his time inschool so he might go and work
with you.
Because my passion as a youngkid was already seen as an
artist, right.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
So anyway.
So we went into sign painting,but I didn't like it.
That was not my thing, it wasmy dad's stuff, right.
But I wanted to be an artist,and only to find out that I
ended up, I quit school and thenI'm into sign business and it's
like I'm still doing lettersfrom A to Z.
It's like another form of beingin school type of thing.
So finally, anyway, so we quitthis and then we went into
(02:40):
architectural renderings and Ihave a very deep background in
in the drafting.
So basically, people would sendme a set of blueprint and, uh,
back then again, it was not donethrough autocad, it was all
done what you call perspectivevanishing point and it would end
up with the house in perfectscale and you went back to
(03:03):
school for that then, or what?
no, my dad learned how to do thebox, the renderings, the, the
what from the, what you call theperspective, and through him,
and, uh, he did a lot.
My dad was more into the penand ink.
I was in full color.
I don't know if you've seen sonof mine, but I've done it for
years and I work for a companyin missouri, st louis, and for a
(03:27):
home planner, and until theycall me and they say, thanks a
lot for your service, it wasawesome.
But now we can have it donehalf price and half the amount
of time in in india, mexico, whoknows where.
Yeah, so that was that's afield that slid under my feet.
And then I went into commercialart and I did a lot of food
(03:48):
packaging, airbrush,illustration.
I never worked digitally.
I have no formation on computeroutside of putting little
photos together for my concept,but it's nothing.
You can't use that for anythingreally.
And then I went into commercialart for quite some time and
then disappeared too.
It went digitally.
(04:08):
So I've always loved wildlifesince I'm a kid and I remember
my first artist that Idiscovered was Glenn Lotz.
I think he's in Ontario, lotz,I think he's in Ontario, and
then he would have those littleadvertising of his chickadee and
(04:30):
of collectible plate that youwould see in the tissue paper
the white swan tissue and hewould have this little paper to
promote his collectible platewith his image.
And that's when the wildlifeart in my head just went on.
And then from there I startedto you know, I mean, it's a long
(04:51):
process.
Years went on.
So in 2008, right where therecession started to be a little
bit hard, I had a guy come tome and he was into the oil
business in Alberta and he saidDennis, I believe in your work.
And he said I'm ready to helpyou to make a transition from
commercial art to fine art.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
How huge is that, right?
Yeah, so I mean, he was acousin of an art gallery owner
that I knew here already, butnevertheless he trusted me
enough to give me that jump.
And then he started to buy someupfront purchase of originals
and then eventually I went on myown and that's what I do now
(05:39):
and I do commissions foranywhere in the world, like you
know I've done for Sydney,australia, switzerland.
There's a guy in Switzerland heowns a lot of my pieces and you
never know, it's a funny thing.
Like you know, sometimes Idon't personally into this
(06:00):
because I heard it, but you knowthey say when you have a tattoo
done, it's an addiction.
You want two, three, which Idon't know.
I'm not, I don't know, I'm nota tattoo guy, right?
No?
But I'm just saying thatsometimes I see as a joke art.
It's a bit like that If peoplelove your art, it's like you,
right, you do basket orsomething like that.
(06:21):
Well, if people love it, it'slike okay, this is too beautiful
, it can't just stand on its own.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I've got to have a second one.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I've got to have a third and a fourth, so that's
why I always try to put you knowall my best and you never know
where it goes right.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
I'm amazed at how seamlessly it seems that you've
been able to make a move fromthe sign shop and then
architectural renderings, thencommercial art and then into
this.
So many artists if we talkabout this all the time on the
podcast and in our mentoringprogram, you know have these
huge mental blocks, it seems,from being able.
(06:58):
You know, maybe God is tryingto lead them in a certain
direction, but they've not everdone it before.
They feel all these feelings ofinadequacy or not qualified.
I didn't go to school for thator I'd never done it that way
before.
Am I reading this right thatyou just kind of stepped from
one thing to the other prettyeasily?
Or were there some strugglesalong the way that were really a
(07:19):
challenge for you that kind ofkept you from doing it as
quickly or as easily as youmight want to do?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Yeah, I mean, let's keep this very real.
I mean, it's like what you said, it's basically as you know
well as well.
It's like I had to reinventmyself many times, and yet it's
all different field.
Mind you, in architecturalrenderings, a person would do
this in their early 20 and dothis all the way.
(07:46):
A full career, that's yeahright career, sure, and then um
commercial art, that's anotherfull career, you know.
So I've done all this verycompetitively, like very
professionally in a compressedtime frame too well, that's it.
a lot of people think I'mprobably like 90 years old, if
they don't know who I am, likeyou know.
But what happened is back toyour question is because when I
(08:08):
worked for my dad and when heowned the sign painting, my dad
did a bit of everything.
We did the signs.
He was doing architecturalrenderings, we would install the
signs.
So I'm also a very physical guy, like I don't mind heavy stuff
and work hard.
So all this was combined as ayoung person already and it's
(08:31):
not like my dad would go, I'massigned train to.
Oh my God, I can't go to plan B, that's it, I have to.
He was very handyman by himself, so he would end up in engaging
in a lot of different thingsall combined.
I've been raised this way, yeah, yeah.
So having up and engaging in alot of different things all
combined have been raised thisway, yeah, yeah.
So, um, having said that it'snot easy, I mean it hasn't been
(08:51):
that easy, not so much in theability part, but is where's the
market for it?
Yeah, I could sit here rightnow and I think and I'm sure
you're you're the same as anartist.
It's like we can do so muchmore than what we can do.
If you really be real withyourself, you know you have the
ability to do this, but it'slike, okay, am I gonna go back
(09:14):
to zero?
And trying to find out wherethe market is, and all over
again.
That part was a struggle yeah,yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
It's interesting, though, I think, hearing your
story with the guy who kind ofhelped to open up this wildlife
market for you and all that.
I think back in my own journeyof when I moved to the mountains
from I had been living inGeorgia, then moved to the
mountains, and it was like Godbrought me the right people at
the right time to open a door,to meet people I never should
(09:44):
have met before, or to see anidea or maybe somebody.
I always say my commissionswere some of my best ideas were
ideas from my clients, notnecessarily my ideas, but they
saw my work in a different wayand talk to us about the whole
God thing.
Because I know your faith isstrong.
You're somebody that believesin you know being led by the
Lord and what you're doing.
Faith is strong.
You're somebody that thatbelieves in you know being being
(10:05):
led by the Lord and in whatyou're doing in your life.
When did you start to kind ofsense that maybe God's leading
me on my path here, even insituations that would maybe
freak everybody else out or ormaybe even cause people to give
up like too much change, like Ican't even.
I can't even do this?
Speaker 2 (10:26):
When did you start to understand that maybe God had a
plan for you.
And all this, well, you know,for me is my faith.
I like to make it as real aspossible, not that I make it,
but you know what I mean.
Yeah, I don't like to live in amirage Like, if it happens, it
(10:49):
happens.
If it doesn't, I'm not going tocome up with some kind of a
bedtime story to make it lookSure.
So for me is um, which a lot ofpeople don't't don't understand
up to today, is I don't givebusiness card to anyone.
(11:10):
I'm in one or two gallery,maybe two galleries.
I am terrible in marketing withvideo technology, youtube,
youtube and all the stuffTerrible, and if you look, I
really don't have that muchstuff on YouTube.
As far as my art, there's a lotmore about my singing because I
sing opera on the side.
(11:31):
I'm a dramatic tenor, I singItalian opera, so you probably
see more of that on YouTube thanart.
But for me is is is how god,and I actually wrote an article
on facebook about that and Isaid look, if you don't want to
believe me, it's your problem.
But I said I'm telling you isthat it's almost like god knows
(11:55):
each and everyone's pace ofworking.
One works fast, the other one.
So as much I'm being real here,as much as I would like god to
give me 20 originals, uh,commissions, right now, and I
would make a ton of money andthis, and that I'm not the kind
of a guy to produce that fast.
(12:15):
So as much as I I to have it.
It's not my personality toundertake so much at once
because my kind of work takes alot of time.
So I could tell you stories.
Each painting, honestly, that'son my website there's a story
behind it.
(12:36):
Every time and I'm not tryingto be overholey I'm being real
with you here.
Almost every time that there isan interest, commissioner, it
happens quick.
The process is quick.
It's like I'm interested, boom.
Okay, here's the deposit.
(12:57):
You can tell as soon as thingsstarted to drag.
For instance, there's a guylast November, before Christmas.
He said Dennis, I want tocommission two paintings.
It was a total of $70,000.
Everything was fine and dandyup to now.
(13:18):
I'm still be waiting.
And then eventually I had totell him.
I said look, are you justdreaming or it's real, or am I
not awake?
So I said to my wife.
I said that doesn't look likeit's God's plan.
There's a weird delay.
I'm not saying things have tohappen for me all the time.
Yeah, but you can just sensesomething's up For me, my normal
way of seeing how God is in itis when things goes smoothly and
(13:42):
it's real and it happens.
So, um, a lot of people say youdon't advertise, you don't do
this, and how do you like?
What do you get your work from?
You know, and I I don't haveenough time on this podcast, but
I mean I could tell you storiesover and over again, but I'm
going to tell you one just toincrease some of people's faith,
(14:03):
yeah, and also increase mineagain while I'm talking about it
I'm the same way.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
The more you tell it, the more excited you get.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
I get it, I get it one day I was in my studio.
That's like what?
Maybe a a year, a year ago,something that I was in my
studio, and if you look on mywebsite, there's only one
painting of a rhino that I did.
It's a white rhino.
It was in memory of the oneleft, northern rhino in Sudan,
(14:31):
who died 2018, I think.
So anyways.
So finally, not in Sudan, but Ishould say his name of the
writing was Sudan.
So I'm in my studio and I saidLord, I've never been so real
with God.
(14:51):
I had my hand on my drawingboard and I said, lord, that
time I really focused, not justwith my mouth, but I focused
that there's an actual God upthere who gave me the talent,
who hears me.
I really made myself.
I know he hears me, we knowthat part, but the question is
(15:15):
how real and focused on my sideI am.
We tend to always wonder howcome God doesn't answer.
We wonder about his way ofdoing things, but how about my
way of asking things?
Am I sincere?
Am I real?
So I was on the drawing boardand I said God, you hear me, you
give me the talent.
I said I need a commission, I'mabout to finish this one, and I
(15:40):
said I don't know where to go.
God knows, I'm telling you thetruth.
I haven't finished my prayer.
I have my iPad beside me.
I hear ding.
It gets better.
I'm looking at the iPad andit's a message from this guy in
(16:04):
what do you call that?
In Sydney, australia?
Wow, he goes.
Dennis, yes, I would like to goahead with the white rhino
painting.
I'm looking at this and I saidwhat said?
What does he mean?
Like I'm ready to go.
It's an email that he sent in2017 or something that?
(16:31):
wow that I never replied becausehis name is luke and my local
framer is also luke, so I wouldassume I assume that every time
I saw something that was fromhim, that was the message from
my framer called Luke, and Ithought I don't need to look at
it.
I'm updated, I already know.
(16:52):
Yeah, I'm updated with Luke allthe time and I'm like he wanted
to commission it in 2017.
And I never read this.
I skipped that.
As soon as I'm finished praying,I'm like what I have to tell
you, matt, it's almost freaky.
(17:12):
Yeah, sure, sure, it's like.
Someone is like what's going on?
This actually works.
This is incredible.
And then, two seconds after, Igot another ding of someone
wanted to purchase a smalloriginal canvas that I put on my
Facebook.
Come on, come on, so it doesn'thappen all the time this way,
(17:34):
but I have doubts on differentthings as a Christian.
It's a journey.
It's not always easy, but asfar as this one, it's a journey.
It's not always easy, but asfar as this one, there's no
doubt.
I mean it's.
It's kind of be more real thanthat.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
So I just think I always tell people, being an
artist is the ultimate walk offaith.
I mean, right, we go into ourstudios, we create what God puts
on our heart and we do.
We trust that that he's sendingthe buyers, that he's in the
collectors or the galleries orwhatever.
And I think so many times Godis, is waiting for us to to just
ask, because I just found somany things in the kingdom like
(18:10):
God will, god will let you, youknow, go, try to figure it out
your own self.
Or until such a time, right asyou come, come on back and say,
well, lord, I need you, I wantyour answer, I want your way.
I'm asking you for thecommission and I think more and
more the Lord is teaching all ofus, especially in these crazy
(18:30):
economic times and all that'sgoing on in the world.
It's like, lord, we don't wantto do this without you.
It's like Moses said, like Idon't want to go from here
unless you're with me and I justI hear that in your story and I
feel the same thing in my life,like there's a whole lot of
things I can do by my own talentor marketing abilities or
networking or whatever, but man,when God shows up and does it,
(18:52):
just like that.
How much more incredible is thestory and is the fulfillment
and it builds my faith andconnection with him, and that I
mean that's what it's all about.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yeah, and I have.
I have something here.
Allow me to just pull over herefor a second.
I'll show you.
This is something that I justprinted, but I added that word
and I put that in my in mystudio.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Nobody paints like God.
I love it.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
I love it, but it's interesting because I've been
raised in church all my life anda lot of people say or even the
nonbelievers God-given talent.
We hear this all the time.
It's a God-given thing.
So I thought, okay, is it aChristian expression or it's
(19:38):
real?
I'm starting to look in theBible if it's really a God-given
thing or is just a DNA thing,right, right.
And then I started I think it'sin where is that?
In Jeremiah, when God cared somuch about arts and craft that
he took one of the best artisansto build the sculptor, whatever
(20:03):
, in the temple.
I'm not sure if I have the….
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Well, in Exodus 31, bezalel I mean he and Aholiab
built the Tabernacle of Mosesand all the stories God chose
some specific craftsman toactually embellish the building,
and God does care about beautyBig time.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
We just have to look at his creation, right?
Yeah, hello, yeah.
So then I thought, okay, we dohave a place as an artist, we're
not just some kind of a hazard.
And years ago I had a printthat was for an auction through
Dachshund Limited in what do youcall that?
(20:45):
A dealership garage.
Yeah, today this guy who used towork there is one of my closest
friends and we're going backall the way years back.
He calls me.
He said Mr Mayor.
I said yes.
He said I work for a dealershipand he said in the shop.
He said I saw this print and Iwant it.
(21:07):
I bid and I want it.
And he said I would like tomeet you, for you to autograph
the glass.
Wow.
I said sure, come in my house.
The guy like outdoors, we'relike two brothers within 30
minutes, and the guy is aChristian too, with his wife.
And as soon as we started totalk, I didn't know if he was
(21:32):
Christian and vice versa.
His wife tells me, I told myhusband, I knew this guy was a
Christian before I even askedhim.
I didn't paint Jesus, I didn'tpaint a holy scene it was a
lioness with cubs.
Then I started to realize whenGod puts his anointing, the
(21:58):
lioness is there, but there'ssomething that comes out of this
image.
Come on, another lioness that'sbeen painted without anointing.
Same thing with the voice.
Like a lot of people say, whenyou sing, dennis, I have chills.
I have this anointing.
I'm no Pavarotti.
Yet One thing is I've seen in alot of places with professional
(22:23):
tenors and everything like thatand it took me a while to
understand what is the anointing.
It's a bit like the story ofthe master starch, you know, for
the violin.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Yeah, sure, sure, sure.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
So I sent a text to I won't name it, but to a very
world-famous Western artist andI said man, I said you paint
cowboys with guns and shoot eachother.
And I said you're Christian.
And I said I don't want to putyou on the spot, but I said I'm
really trying to find out howcan we make our work more for
(23:03):
the glory of God.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
I like to draw chief Indians and the old chief A lot
of them, man.
They're like, they're rough onthe edge, they're not that holy
at all and I'm like, how can Itake a subject that is not like
painting Jesus or the 12disciples or none of this stuff?
How can this bring glory to God?
(23:29):
Sure, at one point I almostthought should I just paint
Jesus?
Seen, I mean I'll be right onthe target, right, Right, right.
But then I started to realizeit's not so much about the
subject, because we just can'tpaint Jesus.
You know what I mean.
But what I'm saying is it's ifGod anoints what we do.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Yeah, it's what your art carries, it's what your life
carries.
Yeah, come on.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
And if we are aligned in our life, personal life, in
order to receive the blessing,the anointing, and all this so
that when people look at the artsome people, they had teary
eyes looking at my painting evenit's a moose, since when you
teared up looking at a moose, Inever, I never did myself.
(24:17):
I do the painting myself forthree months.
I never teared up, right, right, you look at it.
So that's the difference.
It speaks something, yeah, andeven at one point I stopped
doing it.
I have no reason why, but Ishouldn't, I should have kept
going and maybe I should getback at him every time.
I would ship an order thatneeds to be rolled and ship in a
(24:39):
tube just to print.
I had it at eight and a half byeleven and I wrote biblically
how heaven came to be and Godcreated beautiful nature, kind
of my art, God's creation nature, yeah, yeah.
And I wrote something like thatand I would roll it along with
the print to kind of ministerGod's glory, along with my image
(25:02):
, right, my image right.
But you know, recently, uh,recently, I would say two days
ago I've been wanting to dowildlife, uh, western art, so
badly, but storyteller pieces, Idon't know if you know the
artist, howard turpening I'veheard the name, yeah, oh he's.
(25:23):
He's like, he's not detailed,detailed, but he's this kind of
brushstroke.
I mean, no one paints Indianslike he does.
But anyways, as an artist, youenvy different styles and I
could do this, but I wouldprobably really be good at it in
30 years from now.
(25:43):
So it takes a lifetime.
So that's how he thinks.
I think detail and photorealismmaybe he doesn't.
So I came to god a couple daysago and I said god.
I said, could it be that I'mstarting slowly because I feel
agitated, my spirit I'm not.
I'm not so at peace like I usedto when I would do only
(26:07):
wildlife yeah, and now he'sdrawing you into the next thing
right, sure, yeah.
So now I'm starting to combinewestern art and I'm in british
columbia and I have to hiremodels and I don't have the
accessibility so easy as intexas horses ranches and all the
cowboy stuff In BC.
(26:27):
I would have to travel, spend afortune and all the modeling
and everything.
It's a long, expensive processthat is not easy for me being in
British Columbia, canada.
So I thought, okay, maybe Godcould it be that I'm slowly
starting to go away from theoriginal call for me Not that I
will not keep doing portrait,but as far as creating a whole
(26:50):
scenery, that it takes me weeksto do the concept until I don't
even feel peace about it.
It's literally a burden.
God needs your talent for youto be able to do the work in a
certain ease.
Mind you, we work at it and allthis.
But you know what I mean.
Right, there's a grace to it.
(27:11):
I get that.
Yeah, I mean, if I'm going tosit and do your basket, whatever
you do, I'm sure there will beno grace that you have with me,
because it's not my call.
No, but I'm just saying Right,right, it's like, okay, this guy
, pretend he's anointed,anointed, but I mean he's going
through a lot of headache andafter a while it's like, okay,
am I going off track here?
So I said god, I said, could itbe that my call was really,
(27:33):
really wildlife?
And again I'm not saying Iwon't do, but it's like.
And then this morning, out ofthe blue, I'm listening at don
swaggered because pastorevangelist jim Swaggard passed
away a couple of years ago andI'm just looking at it and they
make this Bible study and I kindof like it, because people ask
(27:54):
questions and the answer is not.
And Don goes.
He said we have to make surethat we don't step into
something that God has notcalled us.
Sometimes we tend to envysomething else and we we thrive
to do it, but it's not who we'remeant to be or to do.
I'm like, well, this, this islike yeah, of connect our
(28:15):
confirmation right.
So I'm in a point right nowthat there are times you just
have to sit and envy and enjoythe guy's work.
Yeah, yeah, but not going.
I think I'm going to roll up mysleeve and let's see if I can
do the same.
You're going to go crazy.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Yeah, I get it, but it's like trusting the unique
voice of the Holy Spirit throughyour work and trusting that
that's where the grace is,that's where the provision is,
that's where the open doors are.
Yeah, I mean, I think we canall recognize that, that you
know we see something else and,oh, I'm going to go try that.
And as soon as you do, it'slike the creek dries up,
everything dries up, the gracedries up.
(28:52):
It's like what happened.
It's like you got off the pathRight, and so we.
Just the Holy Spirit is sogentle to lead us back into what
he's called us to do, and Ithink I'm just hearing so much
in your story, man, about justtrusting God's faithfulness,
trusting your relationship withHim, realizing that it's Him
that brings the work, it's Himthat brings the provision, it's
(29:14):
Him that continues to breatheHis life and anointing through
you to do the thing that he'scalled you to do.
And when you stay there, there'sabundance, there's joy, there's
peace, even in a place thatdoesn't make sense to everybody
else.
And what would you just say?
You know, as we kind of bringit in for a close, what would
you say to somebody that'sthat's out there right now and
(29:35):
maybe they're feeling that pullto go in all these different
directions or, you know, they'refeeling the the Instagram
temptation to I want to be likethat artist or this artist or I
want to build my business likethat artist did, because they
said that's the successful wayto do it.
How would you encourage them tojust kind of stay on this
really authentic path of beingled by the Spirit and being
(29:56):
really authentic to who God'scalled you to be?
Speaker 2 (30:00):
I'm going to link my answer a little bit to what I
heard from you already, becausethat's how I think and I agree
with, so probably you're goingto find out.
There's a few words that youalready said, but not that I
want to be pretentious orpretend that I have some kind of
a.
(30:20):
I'm a super special person, butwhen you put your faith in God
special person.
But when you put your faith ingod, it doesn't mean that our
way of proceeding has somethingto do with the norm that goes
out there with the non-believers, right.
Right, I I'm not on tiktoks, Idon't know how to do all this
(30:41):
little thing, but if I start tolook at this as a template for
my life, I heard a pastortelling me one time he said be
careful, who you envy.
Yeah, maybe that person goes tostruggle and has a certain path
or spirit in them that you wouldnever want to have, along with
(31:04):
what they have.
So I would encourage to and I'mstill working on it myself is
there's nothing wrong inthinking, especially artists
being innovative.
We like to go outside the boxbig time.
That's how we progress, that'strue.
But I think when you arebeliever and mix with an artist,
(31:32):
um, we have to be careful tonot make the move before we go
to prayer first yeah yeah, sogood.
I've done it a million times.
Many times I haven't lived whatI'm telling you right now.
I went out of an excitement.
It doesn't mean that becauseI'm a Christian, every move that
(31:52):
I'm going to do is going to beholy.
No, I could have followed notintentionally the wrong voice.
So how about if I would havegone in prayer first?
This would have avoided me fromhearing the wrong voice, and
that's a bit where we're, whereI'm trying to be right now.
So each of us, just like asignature or a look who, the
(32:17):
height, whoever we are as aperson, we're all different
fingerprints, whatever, and andart is the same thing.
Something is in store for us asan individual artist.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
And sometimes you look on the other side and it's
like why can't I be that person?
Maybe the other guy also looksat you and says why can't I be
that?
Right, right, we always thinkwe envy them, but sometimes you
could envy us.
That may be you, right?
Yeah, Trust, we envy them, butsometimes you could envy us.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
That may be you right .
Yeah, Trust the fingerprint ofGod in your life.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Yeah, not to say that I'm trying to get some
self-therapy to put myself onthe crown to make me feel better
.
But if you start to think thereverse way, that means God also
has a plan for him and for me,oh yeah.
But we're just different right.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
And, man, when you get that and you start
understanding that's where thegrace is, that's where the
provision is, that's where theflow is, all the resources and
relationships and opportunityGod has for you, that and the
more you say yes to it, justlike you're saying you know the
iPad dings, the opportunitiescome, the relationships you
should have never had happen,and that you know the iPad dings
, the opportunities come, therelationships you should have
(33:30):
never had happen, and that'sjust, that's walking in the
kingdom.
And man, it's been such a joyto have you on the podcast and
just hear your story and allthat.
I know that people are going towant to see your work because
guys listen.
If you're watching on YouTube,you're listening on the podcast.
It's incredible.
You need to go check out hiswork.
So, dennis, where can they gosee your work?
And we'll be sure to put a linkin the show notes so people can
get to it easily.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
All right.
Well, thank you very much forhaving me on your podcast.
It was awesome.
It was awesome.
I've heard a lot of yourstories and it's very inspiring,
and I've heard recently a lotof your personal podcasts that
you've put on how God worksthrough confirmations and
whatnot, and being led in God'sblueprint and, yeah, so it's
(34:16):
like a house.
Right, we have the blueprint,we just need to build the walls
Floored by four.
That's right.
That's basically like us.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
So what is your website address and what is your
Instagram handle, so we can getpeople to follow?
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Well, Instagram is under my own name, dennis Mayer
Jr Great, and so is my Facebook,and my website is Dennis Mayer
Jr Dot com, so it's all the samename.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
So is YouTube Good stuff Good stuff.
Well, dennis, thanks again, man, great to have you on the
podcast.
Guys be sure to visit thosewebsites, connect with him on
social media so that you cancontinue to follow uh who, not
only somebody that's a greatartist and musician, now I know,
but just somebody that'swalking in the kingdom that can
encourage you in your journey.
so, dennis, thanks so much thankyou, god bless hey, my friend,
(35:03):
before you go, make sure thatyou're signed up for the
thriving christian artist weekly.
It's my free newsletter, fullof spiritual encouragement,
creative inspiration.
Hey, my friend, before you go,make sure that you're signed up
for the Thriving ChristianArtist Weekly.
It's my free newsletter, fullof spiritual encouragement,
creative inspiration andpractical tips to help you
thrive in everything that God'scalled you to do as an artist in
His kingdom.
No-transcript, and it's a greatway to stay connected.
(35:37):
All right, love you, bye.
All of the world, artists are awakening.
Painters and potters, writersand weavers, poets and dancers
not chasing followers or fame,but sons and daughters called
for such a time as this,transformed from the inside out,
creating with purpose,releasing the glory of God and
living in the power of thekingdom.
Right now, this is the ThrivingChristian Artist.
(00:21):
Well, hey, friends, welcomeback to the podcast.
This is Matt Tommey, your host.
Super glad that you are here.
I've got a great new friendthat I'm just getting to know,
but love his work and love hisstory.
Dennis Mayer is an artist fromup in British Columbia, but, man
, what a body of work and what ahistory you have.
(00:41):
So, dennis, so glad you're here.
Man, welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Yeah, thank you for having me on your podcast.
That's an honor.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Absolutely, absolutely.
For those folks that are justkind of getting to know you
maybe they know your work, Iwouldn't be surprised.
But for folks that are justgetting to know you, kind of,
let us know what you docreatively and where you are in
the world, and then we'll jumpinto a little bit of your
backstory.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, I live in British Columbia with my wife
and kids.
Now they're three kids.
Wow, yeah, one of my daughtersjust got married last summer.
Come on, and time goes by fast.
But having said that, I've beenin British Columbia since 1992.
And originally from Montrealback east, 1992, and originally
(01:32):
from Montreal back east and Istarted out at a very young age
working with my dad in the signpainting.
My dad was a sign painter bytrade oh cool.
And back then was all all doneby hand, so there was no vinyl
and all this decos that we seetoday.
So I started at 14 years old.
I quit school and I mean it'sthe actually what you call the
(01:54):
director, the principal of theschool, send a special letter to
my dad and say we thought aboutit to the school board and this
kid is wasting his time inschool so he might go and work
with you.
Because my passion as a youngkid was already seen as an
artist, right.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
So anyway.
So we went into sign painting,but I didn't like it.
That was not my thing, it wasmy dad's stuff, right.
But I wanted to be an artist,and only to find out that I
ended up, I quit school and thenI'm into sign business and it's
like I'm still doing lettersfrom A to Z.
It's like another form of beingin school type of thing.
So finally, anyway, so we quitthis and then we went into
(02:40):
architectural renderings and Ihave a very deep background in
in the drafting.
So basically, people would sendme a set of blueprint and, uh,
back then again, it was not donethrough autocad, it was all
done what you call perspectivevanishing point and it would end
up with the house in perfectscale and you went back to
(03:03):
school for that then, or what?
no, my dad learned how to do thebox, the renderings, the, the
what from the, what you call theperspective, and through him,
and, uh, he did a lot.
My dad was more into the penand ink.
I was in full color.
I don't know if you've seen sonof mine, but I've done it for
years and I work for a companyin missouri, st louis, and for a
(03:27):
home planner, and until theycall me and they say, thanks a
lot for your service, it wasawesome.
But now we can have it donehalf price and half the amount
of time in in india, mexico, whoknows where.
Yeah, so that was that's afield that slid under my feet.
And then I went into commercialart and I did a lot of food
(03:48):
packaging, airbrush,illustration.
I never worked digitally.
I have no formation on computeroutside of putting little
photos together for my concept,but it's nothing.
You can't use that for anythingreally.
And then I went into commercialart for quite some time and
then disappeared too.
It went digitally.
(04:08):
So I've always loved wildlifesince I'm a kid and I remember
my first artist that Idiscovered was Glenn Lotz.
I think he's in Ontario, lotz,I think he's in Ontario, and
then he would have those littleadvertising of his chickadee and
(04:30):
of collectible plate that youwould see in the tissue paper
the white swan tissue and hewould have this little paper to
promote his collectible platewith his image.
And that's when the wildlifeart in my head just went on.
And then from there I startedto you know, I mean, it's a long
(04:51):
process.
Years went on.
So in 2008, right where therecession started to be a little
bit hard, I had a guy come tome and he was into the oil
business in Alberta and he saidDennis, I believe in your work.
And he said I'm ready to helpyou to make a transition from
commercial art to fine art.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
How huge is that, right?
Yeah, so I mean, he was acousin of an art gallery owner
that I knew here already, butnevertheless he trusted me
enough to give me that jump.
And then he started to buy someupfront purchase of originals
and then eventually I went on myown and that's what I do now
(05:39):
and I do commissions foranywhere in the world, like you
know I've done for Sydney,australia, switzerland.
There's a guy in Switzerland heowns a lot of my pieces and you
never know, it's a funny thing.
Like you know, sometimes Idon't personally into this
(06:00):
because I heard it, but you knowthey say when you have a tattoo
done, it's an addiction.
You want two, three, which Idon't know.
I'm not, I don't know, I'm nota tattoo guy, right?
No?
But I'm just saying thatsometimes I see as a joke art.
It's a bit like that If peoplelove your art, it's like you,
right, you do basket orsomething like that.
(06:21):
Well, if people love it, it'slike okay, this is too beautiful
, it can't just stand on its own.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
I've got to have a second one.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
I've got to have a third and a fourth, so that's
why I always try to put you knowall my best and you never know
where it goes right.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
I'm amazed at how seamlessly it seems that you've
been able to make a move fromthe sign shop and then
architectural renderings, thencommercial art and then into
this.
So many artists if we talkabout this all the time on the
podcast and in our mentoringprogram, you know have these
huge mental blocks, it seems,from being able.
(06:58):
You know, maybe God is tryingto lead them in a certain
direction, but they've not everdone it before.
They feel all these feelings ofinadequacy or not qualified.
I didn't go to school for thator I'd never done it that way
before.
Am I reading this right thatyou just kind of stepped from
one thing to the other prettyeasily?
Or were there some strugglesalong the way that were really a
(07:19):
challenge for you that kind ofkept you from doing it as
quickly or as easily as youmight want to do?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Yeah, I mean, let's keep this very real.
I mean, it's like what you said, it's basically as you know
well as well.
It's like I had to reinventmyself many times, and yet it's
all different field.
Mind you, in architecturalrenderings, a person would do
this in their early 20 and dothis all the way.
(07:46):
A full career, that's yeahright career, sure, and then um
commercial art, that's anotherfull career, you know.
So I've done all this verycompetitively, like very
professionally in a compressedtime frame too well, that's it.
a lot of people think I'mprobably like 90 years old, if
they don't know who I am, likeyou know.
But what happened is back toyour question is because when I
(08:08):
worked for my dad and when heowned the sign painting, my dad
did a bit of everything.
We did the signs.
He was doing architecturalrenderings, we would install the
signs.
So I'm also a very physical guy, like I don't mind heavy stuff
and work hard.
So all this was combined as ayoung person already and it's
(08:31):
not like my dad would go, I'massigned train to.
Oh my God, I can't go to plan B, that's it, I have to.
He was very handyman by himself, so he would end up in engaging
in a lot of different thingsall combined.
I've been raised this way, yeah, yeah.
So having up and engaging in alot of different things all
combined have been raised thisway, yeah, yeah.
So, um, having said that it'snot easy, I mean it hasn't been
(08:51):
that easy, not so much in theability part, but is where's the
market for it?
Yeah, I could sit here rightnow and I think and I'm sure
you're you're the same as anartist.
It's like we can do so muchmore than what we can do.
If you really be real withyourself, you know you have the
ability to do this, but it'slike, okay, am I gonna go back
(09:14):
to zero?
And trying to find out wherethe market is, and all over
again.
That part was a struggle yeah,yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
It's interesting, though, I think, hearing your
story with the guy who kind ofhelped to open up this wildlife
market for you and all that.
I think back in my own journeyof when I moved to the mountains
from I had been living inGeorgia, then moved to the
mountains, and it was like Godbrought me the right people at
the right time to open a door,to meet people I never should
(09:44):
have met before, or to see anidea or maybe somebody.
I always say my commissionswere some of my best ideas were
ideas from my clients, notnecessarily my ideas, but they
saw my work in a different wayand talk to us about the whole
God thing.
Because I know your faith isstrong.
You're somebody that believesin you know being led by the
Lord and what you're doing.
Faith is strong.
You're somebody that thatbelieves in you know being being
(10:05):
led by the Lord and in whatyou're doing in your life.
When did you start to kind ofsense that maybe God's leading
me on my path here, even insituations that would maybe
freak everybody else out or ormaybe even cause people to give
up like too much change, like Ican't even.
I can't even do this?
Speaker 2 (10:26):
When did you start to understand that maybe God had a
plan for you.
And all this, well, you know,for me is my faith.
I like to make it as real aspossible, not that I make it,
but you know what I mean.
Yeah, I don't like to live in amirage Like, if it happens, it
(10:49):
happens.
If it doesn't, I'm not going tocome up with some kind of a
bedtime story to make it lookSure.
So for me is um, which a lot ofpeople don't't don't understand
up to today, is I don't givebusiness card to anyone.
(11:10):
I'm in one or two gallery,maybe two galleries.
I am terrible in marketing withvideo technology, youtube,
youtube and all the stuffTerrible, and if you look, I
really don't have that muchstuff on YouTube.
As far as my art, there's a lotmore about my singing because I
sing opera on the side.
(11:31):
I'm a dramatic tenor, I singItalian opera, so you probably
see more of that on YouTube thanart.
But for me is is is how god,and I actually wrote an article
on facebook about that and Isaid look, if you don't want to
believe me, it's your problem.
But I said I'm telling you isthat it's almost like god knows
(11:55):
each and everyone's pace ofworking.
One works fast, the other one.
So as much I'm being real here,as much as I would like god to
give me 20 originals, uh,commissions, right now, and I
would make a ton of money andthis, and that I'm not the kind
of a guy to produce that fast.
(12:15):
So as much as I I to have it.
It's not my personality toundertake so much at once
because my kind of work takes alot of time.
So I could tell you stories.
Each painting, honestly, that'son my website there's a story
behind it.
(12:36):
Every time and I'm not tryingto be overholey I'm being real
with you here.
Almost every time that there isan interest, commissioner, it
happens quick.
The process is quick.
It's like I'm interested, boom.
Okay, here's the deposit.
(12:57):
You can tell as soon as thingsstarted to drag.
For instance, there's a guylast November, before Christmas.
He said Dennis, I want tocommission two paintings.
It was a total of $70,000.
Everything was fine and dandyup to now.
(13:18):
I'm still be waiting.
And then eventually I had totell him.
I said look, are you justdreaming or it's real, or am I
not awake?
So I said to my wife.
I said that doesn't look likeit's God's plan.
There's a weird delay.
I'm not saying things have tohappen for me all the time.
Yeah, but you can just sensesomething's up For me, my normal
way of seeing how God is in itis when things goes smoothly and
(13:42):
it's real and it happens.
So, um, a lot of people say youdon't advertise, you don't do
this, and how do you like?
What do you get your work from?
You know, and I I don't haveenough time on this podcast, but
I mean I could tell you storiesover and over again, but I'm
going to tell you one just toincrease some of people's faith,
(14:03):
yeah, and also increase mineagain while I'm talking about it
I'm the same way.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
The more you tell it, the more excited you get.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
I get it, I get it one day I was in my studio.
That's like what?
Maybe a a year, a year ago,something that I was in my
studio, and if you look on mywebsite, there's only one
painting of a rhino that I did.
It's a white rhino.
It was in memory of the oneleft, northern rhino in Sudan,
(14:31):
who died 2018, I think.
So anyways.
So finally, not in Sudan, but Ishould say his name of the
writing was Sudan.
So I'm in my studio and I saidLord, I've never been so real
with God.
(14:51):
I had my hand on my drawingboard and I said, lord, that
time I really focused, not justwith my mouth, but I focused
that there's an actual God upthere who gave me the talent,
who hears me.
I really made myself.
I know he hears me, we knowthat part, but the question is
(15:15):
how real and focused on my sideI am.
We tend to always wonder howcome God doesn't answer.
We wonder about his way ofdoing things, but how about my
way of asking things?
Am I sincere?
Am I real?
So I was on the drawing boardand I said God, you hear me, you
give me the talent.
I said I need a commission, I'mabout to finish this one, and I
(15:40):
said I don't know where to go.
God knows, I'm telling you thetruth.
I haven't finished my prayer.
I have my iPad beside me.
I hear ding.
It gets better.
I'm looking at the iPad andit's a message from this guy in
(16:04):
what do you call that?
In Sydney, australia?
Wow, he goes.
Dennis, yes, I would like to goahead with the white rhino
painting.
I'm looking at this and I saidwhat said?
What does he mean?
Like I'm ready to go.
It's an email that he sent in2017 or something that?
(16:31):
wow that I never replied becausehis name is luke and my local
framer is also luke, so I wouldassume I assume that every time
I saw something that was fromhim, that was the message from
my framer called Luke, and Ithought I don't need to look at
it.
I'm updated, I already know.
(16:52):
Yeah, I'm updated with Luke allthe time and I'm like he wanted
to commission it in 2017.
And I never read this.
I skipped that.
As soon as I'm finished praying,I'm like what I have to tell
you, matt, it's almost freaky.
(17:12):
Yeah, sure, sure, it's like.
Someone is like what's going on?
This actually works.
This is incredible.
And then, two seconds after, Igot another ding of someone
wanted to purchase a smalloriginal canvas that I put on my
Facebook.
Come on, come on, so it doesn'thappen all the time this way,
(17:34):
but I have doubts on differentthings as a Christian.
It's a journey.
It's not always easy, but asfar as this one, it's a journey.
It's not always easy, but asfar as this one, there's no
doubt.
I mean it's.
It's kind of be more real thanthat.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
So I just think I always tell people, being an
artist is the ultimate walk offaith.
I mean, right, we go into ourstudios, we create what God puts
on our heart and we do.
We trust that that he's sendingthe buyers, that he's in the
collectors or the galleries orwhatever.
And I think so many times Godis, is waiting for us to to just
ask, because I just found somany things in the kingdom like
(18:10):
God will, god will let you, youknow, go, try to figure it out
your own self.
Or until such a time, right asyou come, come on back and say,
well, lord, I need you, I wantyour answer, I want your way.
I'm asking you for thecommission and I think more and
more the Lord is teaching all ofus, especially in these crazy
(18:30):
economic times and all that'sgoing on in the world.
It's like, lord, we don't wantto do this without you.
It's like Moses said, like Idon't want to go from here
unless you're with me and I justI hear that in your story and I
feel the same thing in my life,like there's a whole lot of
things I can do by my own talentor marketing abilities or
networking or whatever, but man,when God shows up and does it,
(18:52):
just like that.
How much more incredible is thestory and is the fulfillment
and it builds my faith andconnection with him, and that I
mean that's what it's all about.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Yeah, and I have.
I have something here.
Allow me to just pull over herefor a second.
I'll show you.
This is something that I justprinted, but I added that word
and I put that in my in mystudio.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Nobody paints like God.
I love it.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
I love it, but it's interesting because I've been
raised in church all my life anda lot of people say or even the
nonbelievers God-given talent.
We hear this all the time.
It's a God-given thing.
So I thought, okay, is it aChristian expression or it's
(19:38):
real?
I'm starting to look in theBible if it's really a God-given
thing or is just a DNA thing,right, right.
And then I started I think it'sin where is that?
In Jeremiah, when God cared somuch about arts and craft that
he took one of the best artisansto build the sculptor, whatever
(20:03):
, in the temple.
I'm not sure if I have the….
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Well, in Exodus 31, bezalel I mean he and Aholiab
built the Tabernacle of Mosesand all the stories God chose
some specific craftsman toactually embellish the building,
and God does care about beautyBig time.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
We just have to look at his creation, right?
Yeah, hello, yeah.
So then I thought, okay, we dohave a place as an artist, we're
not just some kind of a hazard.
And years ago I had a printthat was for an auction through
Dachshund Limited in what do youcall that?
(20:45):
A dealership garage.
Yeah, today this guy who used towork there is one of my closest
friends and we're going backall the way years back.
He calls me.
He said Mr Mayor.
I said yes.
He said I work for a dealershipand he said in the shop.
He said I saw this print and Iwant it.
(21:07):
I bid and I want it.
And he said I would like tomeet you, for you to autograph
the glass.
Wow.
I said sure, come in my house.
The guy like outdoors, we'relike two brothers within 30
minutes, and the guy is aChristian too, with his wife.
And as soon as we started totalk, I didn't know if he was
(21:32):
Christian and vice versa.
His wife tells me, I told myhusband, I knew this guy was a
Christian before I even askedhim.
I didn't paint Jesus, I didn'tpaint a holy scene it was a
lioness with cubs.
Then I started to realize whenGod puts his anointing, the
(21:58):
lioness is there, but there'ssomething that comes out of this
image.
Come on, another lioness that'sbeen painted without anointing.
Same thing with the voice.
Like a lot of people say, whenyou sing, dennis, I have chills.
I have this anointing.
I'm no Pavarotti.
Yet One thing is I've seen in alot of places with professional
(22:23):
tenors and everything like thatand it took me a while to
understand what is the anointing.
It's a bit like the story ofthe master starch, you know, for
the violin.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Yeah, sure, sure, sure.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
So I sent a text to I won't name it, but to a very
world-famous Western artist andI said man, I said you paint
cowboys with guns and shoot eachother.
And I said you're Christian.
And I said I don't want to putyou on the spot, but I said I'm
really trying to find out howcan we make our work more for
(23:03):
the glory of God.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
I like to draw chief Indians and the old chief A lot
of them, man.
They're like, they're rough onthe edge, they're not that holy
at all and I'm like, how can Itake a subject that is not like
painting Jesus or the 12disciples or none of this stuff?
How can this bring glory to God?
(23:29):
Sure, at one point I almostthought should I just paint
Jesus?
Seen, I mean I'll be right onthe target, right, Right, right.
But then I started to realizeit's not so much about the
subject, because we just can'tpaint Jesus.
You know what I mean.
But what I'm saying is it's ifGod anoints what we do.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Yeah, it's what your art carries, it's what your life
carries.
Yeah, come on.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
And if we are aligned in our life, personal life, in
order to receive the blessing,the anointing, and all this so
that when people look at the artsome people, they had teary
eyes looking at my painting evenit's a moose, since when you
teared up looking at a moose, Inever, I never did myself.
(24:17):
I do the painting myself forthree months.
I never teared up, right, right, you look at it.
So that's the difference.
It speaks something, yeah, andeven at one point I stopped
doing it.
I have no reason why, but Ishouldn't, I should have kept
going and maybe I should getback at him every time.
I would ship an order thatneeds to be rolled and ship in a
(24:39):
tube just to print.
I had it at eight and a half byeleven and I wrote biblically
how heaven came to be and Godcreated beautiful nature, kind
of my art, God's creation nature, yeah, yeah.
And I wrote something like thatand I would roll it along with
the print to kind of ministerGod's glory, along with my image
(25:02):
, right, my image right.
But you know, recently, uh,recently, I would say two days
ago I've been wanting to dowildlife, uh, western art, so
badly, but storyteller pieces, Idon't know if you know the
artist, howard turpening I'veheard the name, yeah, oh he's.
(25:23):
He's like, he's not detailed,detailed, but he's this kind of
brushstroke.
I mean, no one paints Indianslike he does.
But anyways, as an artist, youenvy different styles and I
could do this, but I wouldprobably really be good at it in
30 years from now.
(25:43):
So it takes a lifetime.
So that's how he thinks.
I think detail and photorealismmaybe he doesn't.
So I came to god a couple daysago and I said god.
I said, could it be that I'mstarting slowly because I feel
agitated, my spirit I'm not.
I'm not so at peace like I usedto when I would do only
(26:07):
wildlife yeah, and now he'sdrawing you into the next thing
right, sure, yeah.
So now I'm starting to combinewestern art and I'm in british
columbia and I have to hiremodels and I don't have the
accessibility so easy as intexas horses ranches and all the
cowboy stuff In BC.
(26:27):
I would have to travel, spend afortune and all the modeling
and everything.
It's a long, expensive processthat is not easy for me being in
British Columbia, canada.
So I thought, okay, maybe Godcould it be that I'm slowly
starting to go away from theoriginal call for me Not that I
will not keep doing portrait,but as far as creating a whole
(26:50):
scenery, that it takes me weeksto do the concept until I don't
even feel peace about it.
It's literally a burden.
God needs your talent for youto be able to do the work in a
certain ease.
Mind you, we work at it and allthis.
But you know what I mean.
Right, there's a grace to it.
(27:11):
I get that.
Yeah, I mean, if I'm going tosit and do your basket, whatever
you do, I'm sure there will beno grace that you have with me,
because it's not my call.
No, but I'm just saying Right,right, it's like, okay, this guy
, pretend he's anointed,anointed, but I mean he's going
through a lot of headache andafter a while it's like, okay,
am I going off track here?
So I said god, I said, could itbe that my call was really,
(27:33):
really wildlife?
And again I'm not saying Iwon't do, but it's like.
And then this morning, out ofthe blue, I'm listening at don
swaggered because pastorevangelist jim Swaggard passed
away a couple of years ago andI'm just looking at it and they
make this Bible study and I kindof like it, because people ask
(27:54):
questions and the answer is not.
And Don goes.
He said we have to make surethat we don't step into
something that God has notcalled us.
Sometimes we tend to envysomething else and we we thrive
to do it, but it's not who we'remeant to be or to do.
I'm like, well, this, this islike yeah, of connect our
(28:15):
confirmation right.
So I'm in a point right nowthat there are times you just
have to sit and envy and enjoythe guy's work.
Yeah, yeah, but not going.
I think I'm going to roll up mysleeve and let's see if I can
do the same.
You're going to go crazy.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Yeah, I get it, but it's like trusting the unique
voice of the Holy Spirit throughyour work and trusting that
that's where the grace is,that's where the provision is,
that's where the open doors are.
Yeah, I mean, I think we canall recognize that, that you
know we see something else and,oh, I'm going to go try that.
And as soon as you do, it'slike the creek dries up,
everything dries up, the gracedries up.
(28:52):
It's like what happened.
It's like you got off the pathRight, and so we.
Just the Holy Spirit is sogentle to lead us back into what
he's called us to do, and Ithink I'm just hearing so much
in your story, man, about justtrusting God's faithfulness,
trusting your relationship withHim, realizing that it's Him
that brings the work, it's Himthat brings the provision, it's
(29:14):
Him that continues to breatheHis life and anointing through
you to do the thing that he'scalled you to do.
And when you stay there, there'sabundance, there's joy, there's
peace, even in a place thatdoesn't make sense to everybody
else.
And what would you just say?
You know, as we kind of bringit in for a close, what would
you say to somebody that'sthat's out there right now and
(29:35):
maybe they're feeling that pullto go in all these different
directions or, you know, they'refeeling the the Instagram
temptation to I want to be likethat artist or this artist or I
want to build my business likethat artist did, because they
said that's the successful wayto do it.
How would you encourage them tojust kind of stay on this
really authentic path of beingled by the Spirit and being
(29:56):
really authentic to who God'scalled you to be?
Speaker 2 (30:00):
I'm going to link my answer a little bit to what I
heard from you already, becausethat's how I think and I agree
with, so probably you're goingto find out.
There's a few words that youalready said, but not that I
want to be pretentious orpretend that I have some kind of
a.
(30:20):
I'm a super special person, butwhen you put your faith in God
special person.
But when you put your faith ingod, it doesn't mean that our
way of proceeding has somethingto do with the norm that goes
out there with the non-believers, right.
Right, I I'm not on tiktoks, Idon't know how to do all this
(30:41):
little thing, but if I start tolook at this as a template for
my life, I heard a pastortelling me one time he said be
careful, who you envy.
Yeah, maybe that person goes tostruggle and has a certain path
or spirit in them that you wouldnever want to have, along with
(31:04):
what they have.
So I would encourage to and I'mstill working on it myself is
there's nothing wrong inthinking, especially artists
being innovative.
We like to go outside the boxbig time.
That's how we progress, that'strue.
But I think when you arebeliever and mix with an artist,
(31:32):
um, we have to be careful tonot make the move before we go
to prayer first yeah yeah, sogood.
I've done it a million times.
Many times I haven't lived whatI'm telling you right now.
I went out of an excitement.
It doesn't mean that becauseI'm a Christian, every move that
(31:52):
I'm going to do is going to beholy.
No, I could have followed notintentionally the wrong voice.
So how about if I would havegone in prayer first?
This would have avoided me fromhearing the wrong voice, and
that's a bit where we're, whereI'm trying to be right now.
So each of us, just like asignature or a look who, the
(32:17):
height, whoever we are as aperson, we're all different
fingerprints, whatever, and andart is the same thing.
Something is in store for us asan individual artist.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
And sometimes you look on the other side and it's
like why can't I be that person?
Maybe the other guy also looksat you and says why can't I be
that?
Right, right, we always thinkwe envy them, but sometimes you
could envy us.
That may be you, right?
Yeah, Trust, we envy them, butsometimes you could envy us.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
That may be you right .
Yeah, Trust the fingerprint ofGod in your life.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Yeah, not to say that I'm trying to get some
self-therapy to put myself onthe crown to make me feel better
.
But if you start to think thereverse way, that means God also
has a plan for him and for me,oh yeah.
But we're just different right.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
And, man, when you get that and you start
understanding that's where thegrace is, that's where the
provision is, that's where theflow is, all the resources and
relationships and opportunityGod has for you, that and the
more you say yes to it, justlike you're saying you know the
iPad dings, the opportunitiescome, the relationships you
should have never had happen,and that you know the iPad dings
, the opportunities come, therelationships you should have
(33:30):
never had happen, and that'sjust, that's walking in the
kingdom.
And man, it's been such a joyto have you on the podcast and
just hear your story and allthat.
I know that people are going towant to see your work because
guys listen.
If you're watching on YouTube,you're listening on the podcast.
It's incredible.
You need to go check out hiswork.
So, dennis, where can they gosee your work?
And we'll be sure to put a linkin the show notes so people can
get to it easily.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
All right.
Well, thank you very much forhaving me on your podcast.
It was awesome.
It was awesome.
I've heard a lot of yourstories and it's very inspiring,
and I've heard recently a lotof your personal podcasts that
you've put on how God worksthrough confirmations and
whatnot, and being led in God'sblueprint and, yeah, so it's
(34:16):
like a house.
Right, we have the blueprint,we just need to build the walls
Floored by four.
That's right.
That's basically like us.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
So what is your website address and what is your
Instagram handle, so we can getpeople to follow?
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Well, Instagram is under my own name, dennis Mayer
Jr Great, and so is my Facebook,and my website is Dennis Mayer
Jr Dot com, so it's all the samename.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
So is YouTube Good stuff Good stuff.
Well, dennis, thanks again, man, great to have you on the
podcast.
Guys be sure to visit thosewebsites, connect with him on
social media so that you cancontinue to follow uh who, not
only somebody that's a greatartist and musician, now I know,
but just somebody that'swalking in the kingdom that can
encourage you in your journey.
so, dennis, thanks so much thankyou, god bless hey, my friend,
(35:03):
before you go, make sure thatyou're signed up for the
thriving christian artist weekly.
It's my free newsletter, fullof spiritual encouragement,
creative inspiration.
Hey, my friend, before you go,make sure that you're signed up
for the Thriving ChristianArtist Weekly.
It's my free newsletter, fullof spiritual encouragement,
creative inspiration andpractical tips to help you
thrive in everything that God'scalled you to do as an artist in
His kingdom.
No-transcript, and it's a greatway to stay connected.
(35:37):
All right, love you, bye.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.