{"id":6012,"date":"2019-05-27T12:00:38","date_gmt":"2019-05-27T18:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.navigators.org\/?p=6012"},"modified":"2021-08-03T12:43:41","modified_gmt":"2021-08-03T18:43:41","slug":"donuts-art-brooklyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.navigators.org\/blog\/donuts-art-brooklyn\/","title":{"rendered":"Donuts and Art in Brooklyn"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rex Hausmann<\/em><\/p>\n

When I visit Brooklyn, I usually end up at a wonderful donut shop with my friend Don, an artist who lives in the neighborhood. One morning, while enjoying a cup of coffee there (not<\/em>\u00a0a donut, as I am trying to watch what I eat), I remembered an idea that had come to me as I prayed:\u00a0Give thanks with art and help someone. Paint every day that you are in New York.<\/em><\/p>\n

It was Easter Sunday. In the display case I saw the most beautiful tray of donuts I\u2019ve ever seen. It even featured donuts decorated with miniature Peeps.<\/p>\n

\"Donuts<\/p>\n

I began sketching. The owner\u2019s daughter saw me and asked if I was an artist. Don replied, \u201cOf course he is. You should see his paintings!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you like my artwork?\u201d I asked. She said she liked it very much. I thought,\u00a0why not paint their front window to say thank you to the community?<\/em>\u00a0Besides, as an artist who specializes in fine art, the opportunities to show my work are somewhat narrow. Painting a window sounded like fun.<\/p>\n

The owner asked how much I would charge to do a mural on the front windows. I knew my regular prices would be way out of range, so I just said, \u201cAs long as you provide the paint, I\u2019ll come and paint.\u201d I promised to come back the next day around 2:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

The family wasn\u2019t sure if I was going to show up. I showed them a little concept sketch for the window. I could tell they were worried\u2014they had never dealt with me before, and they didn\u2019t know what I wanted other than to paint.<\/p>\n

I showed up at 2:30 p.m. sharp and started to work. I saw the owner watching me on the security monitor as I painted. He was smiling. When I was about halfway through the mural, he brought out his iPad. He was FaceTiming with his family: his wife, son, and daughter were on the screen. They loved the mural! \u201cHe paints so fast!\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

Later in the day his six-year-old son and teenage daughter came and helped at their dad\u2019s shop. The little boy helped me paint sprinkles on the donuts. He declared, \u201cI\u2019m artist number one and you\u2019re artist number two. I\u2019m the master artist!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"mural<\/p>\n

I responded, \u201cWell, you\u2019re the boss!\u201d<\/p>\n

When I was done they asked for one more favor: Would I paint a DNA molecule on the board for the daughter\u2019s science fair project? It was the end of the day and I was tired, but I did, and I enjoyed it very much.<\/p>\n

When I was done, the donut shop owner, smiling ear-to-ear, asked, \u201cHow much do I owe you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t owe me anything,\u201d I said. \u201cI wanted to paint and that\u2019s exactly what I did. Consider this an Easter gift to you and your family. I\u2019m visiting from Texas, and I just wanted to paint every day I was in New York. You helped me do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He responded, \u201cI\u2019m a Muslim\u2014I must pay you. It\u2019s part of who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a gift,\u201d I said. \u201cGod is good and I love painting every day. A doctor in Texas just bought a very large painting of mine, and a few friends have bought smaller works recently, so this is my gift to you. If you\u2019d like to thank anybody, thank them, because that\u2019s why I can do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was beyond excited. His daughter gave me the biggest box of donuts I\u2019d ever seen. I took them back to Don\u2019s apartment and shared them with Don and his roommates. It was a great day in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

Painting for this family was a random act of service. Since then I\u2019ve gone on to paint three more windows for this donut shop, and another one is in the works. It\u2019s not something I can do very often. But I\u2019m so thankful for this opportunity to be generous\u2014to do what I can when I can.<\/p>\n

Rex Hausmann is a San Antonio artist involved in\u00a0Via Affirmativa<\/a>, a Navigator ministry that celebrates beauty, affirms artists, and engages communities for the sake of the gospel of the Kingdom.<\/em><\/p>\n

What ways can you give it forward?<\/strong>\u00a0Whether it is through art, words of affirmation, or acts of service, you can show God\u2019s love in a tangible way to those in your sphere of influence.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\t