Art- Isaiah 55:12

At some point I decided to start being honest with myself in my art.  It was somewhere between trying SO hard to please God, and trying SO hard to please people that I decided maybe the best way for me to help others and truly connect with God was to just be honest about... me.



After I realized this I started painting free hand.  Meaning, I don't plan ahead what the finished product will look like, or how it will all come together in the end.  I just grab my brush and go!


Sometimes I might have an idea to start with- such as a color scheme, or a particular fabric I'd like to use.  Other times I start with a concept such as "snowy trees," or "yellow ribbon."  Often, I am inspired with a verse, and such was the case for one of my first projects "Isaiah 55:12."


The very end of Isaiah 55:12 has an amazing little phrase that always stands out to me whenever I read it.  It says, "...and the tress of the field will clap their hands."  I love the symbolism of this phrase and it reminds me of a similar verse in Luke where Jesus says "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."  He is saying that if people don't worship Him then the stones would open up in worship!  I love the idea that nature comes alive to worship God!  I love the imagery in that- although I get the feeling that if we could see with spiritual eyes- we might actually find more truth than imagery.


When I sat down at my easel to work on Isaiah 55:12, I had inspiration, but I didn't know where I was going until I had arrived.  I actually laughed out loud at the finished product.


It was so .... WHIMSICAL!?  Who would have though that I would ever have that aspect of creativity inside of me?  I generally don't write sweet, romantic music with sappy lyrics, and I tend toward creative non-fiction reading and writing, as opposed to romantic fiction.  So where is this whimsy coming from?


Who knows.  But at any rate- so far- it's what has come out of me whenever I am unleashed on an empty canvas.  Maybe it's the daydreams of my inner little girl- still dancing around the living room in her mom's old ballet slippers.  Maybe it's the unfettered fringes of my imagination coming loose.  Or just maybe it's my spirit man longing for home- my real home in heaven- where colors are bright and trees really do clap their hands in worship.


Isaiah 55:12-