Art major says painting pictures of Christ on her mission strengthened her testimony and taught her about arts ability to heal
After discovering the healing power and testimony of Christ through painting, Macey Cobabe, a senior from California, said she chose to study visual arts as her major. Unlike other visual arts students who may have prepared to be artists since an early age, Cobabe said her decision to focus on art came later in her second year of college. She said her confidence in her art grew after she got accepted into the visual arts program through her portfolio of artwork.
Cobabe said she began to recognize her painting abilities while she was serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She explained she had a hard time on her mission because she was still expecting to gain personal spiritual experiences with God when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. As a way to deal with isolation and the feeling of lacking of testimony, Cobabe said she took a little time at night before bed to meditate and paint Jesus Christ with watercolors. “The only thing that helped me grow closer to Him was having a visual picture of Him. By seeing Him, [my testimony in Christ] was more permanent, like he was actually with me,” said Cobabe.
“I always thought in order to be a painter, you need to be talented, but I realized that it’s a learned talent. … Everyone can do it,” said Cobabe as she shared her experience. She explained in her effort to develop her painting skills, she does not always like to look back at her final result, but she loves how the painting process always validates to her that art can heal and cure. Cobabe said whenever she loses her passion in some of her classes, she knows everything will be okay as soon as she goes to the art studio.
“Because art could heal me, I know that it can heal others. So, I think that’s where my purpose lies,” Cobabe said.
After she graduates, Cobabe said she wants to move out of her comfort zone by providing healing therapy through art, especially for emigrants or refugees who struggle to adjust to new, extreme environments.
Addison Allred, a senior from Virginia majoring in social work, said, “When I see Macey in the studio, I feel like she is in her element, like it is her place. You can just see it from how she is focused.” Allred said after being friends with Cobabe from her freshman year, she has noticed how canvas is the medium for Cobabe to pour out her emotion. Allred continued, “She is one of the most genuine and authentic people that you could meet, and I think that comes through her artwork. She expresses her feelings and emotions through her artwork. When you see her artwork, it’s pretty much like meeting her.”