Volume 32

It was a 1950s fad that gave millions a brush with creativity. This is the colourful story of the paint-by-numbers craze.

Conceived by artist Dan Robbins, kits were first sold by the Palmer Paint Company of Detroit. Each included two brushes, up to 90 numbered paints, and a canvas stamped with the outline of a picture. Each section of the picture was assigned the number of one of the paints and all aspiring artists had to do was fill in the blanks.

Sold under the Master Craft label, the kits were the very picture of commercial success when they hit the market in 1951. Each bore the slogan “Every man a Rembrandt” and, within three years, 12 million had been sold. Subjects ranged from pets to prints of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, which was only fitting. “I recalled reading about da Vinci,” said Dan Robbins, “and when he got large and complicated commissions, he’d give numbered patterns to his apprentices to block in areas for him that he’d go back and finish himself.”

At the height of the fad, Master Craft was selling 50,000 kits a day and delighting people like multimillionaire Nelson Rockefeller, artist Andy Warhol and F.B.I. Director Edgar J. Hoover. American homes had more paint-by-number pictures than original works of art and the critics who saw the kits as mindless conformity were seeing only one colour: red. “I don’t know what America is coming to,” wrote one.

But others welcomed the fad, which gave many people their first, tantalising taste of artistic expression. In fact, thousands and thousands of “filler inners” went on to buy traditional art supplies for their own compositions. Many began that evolution by adding personal flourishes to the outline by changing the colour scheme or painting out certain details to add original ones. One such painter said, “A tree used to be just a tree to me. Now I see as many as ten different colours in a single tree.”

By the late 50s, “paint by numbers” became a catch-phrase for anything cliched or unoriginal and the kits fell out of fashion. But today, some of the early paintings are collected as genuine works of art. In 2001, the National Museum of American History held a major exhibition to recognise their cultural contribution.

In the eyes of many critics, Christians go through life in a meaningless paint-by-number mindset that makes a mockery of originality and creativity. And some of us do. But that was never the design of the Master’s craft.

When God gave us his Word with boundaries and clear lines for life, it was to show us the Big Picture and bring colour, clarity and connection to our lives and relationships. If He really is God, He knows what’s best for us. He’s the artistic Genius and we’re the apprentices who learn about life while following his instructions. Even when He has to go back and finish what we do for him, we benefit from experiencing his love and guidance.

Where our critics see only morons who need rescuing from cliched conformity, we see evolving artists who are using the security and serenity of God’s grand outline to find joy, satisfaction and a growing awareness of their own unique creativity. Yes, it’s true. There are some lines, some universal truths, that our Master won’t allow us to compromise, for our own good. But in every other area, He expects us to use our individuality and spirituality to colour life with our own customized combination of tints, tones and textures.

With his guidance, every one of us can successfully complete life, regardless of our limitations. And we are what we paint. “For we are God’s masterpiece,” writes Paul. “He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.” (Eph. 2:10) Colour your world.

By Rick Gamble. Published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the followers of Christ congregation in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications. To subscribe to this free weekly article, send a note to Rick at sgamble@bfree.on.ca