I recently created two different pieces of art that had incredibly similar insights. Let me take you on my journey of discovery. A journey that had similarities that I didn’t even realize until after they were completed. It’s really uncanny how that happens! Lol!
Art Challenge
I am in an online group of other artists. We’re from all different countries and practice a variety of “creating”. There are musicians, dancers, writers, and artists of every medium imaginable.
Within this group we were challenged to create something that portrayed the “essence” of our life, no matter what that looked like. This stumped me at first. Then after thinking, and praying, on it for a while an image began to take shape in my mind.
I usually paint with acrylic paints. When I went to create this piece, I couldn’t quite figure out how to accomplish the piece I was envisioning in my mind. Then colored pencils came to mind and I decided to give the pencils a try. (It’s a little on the “soft” side in the color boldness arena. But, that’s what I get for using an old pack of Crayola colored pencils. New ones may have worked better. Although Prismacolor pencils would have been awesome! Just sayin’.) Nevertheless, here is my first attempt at colored pencil artwork.
Horizontal pencil art pic..
Here is my Art Challenge project (pic 1). This was my original vision for this project, a timeline of sorts. I couldn’t settle on the canvas or the paint colors to get started. Then, as mentioned, I decided to try colored pencils for the first time in a creative artistic capacity. So, I grabbed a piece of printer paper and this is what I created.
I feel my life started out with bright possibilities, as we all do at birth (yellow – at far left). Then early childhood trauma (darkness/grey), and perfectionist upbringing (yep – we’re a family of OCD freaks – lol), led me in a “straight and narrow” path for most of my life, with periodic highlights and “off shoots” from time to time (other colors after the grey though not as bright as the yellow).
Then, a couple of years ago, it’s like God himself brought all the light, purpose, and brightness back into my life (the return of the yellow). From here, I can sense that my future will be overlaid with many complimenting colors teaming with life giving aspects. At 52, my life may have “crested the hill” so to speak, but my future is still lengthy and will be full of color and reaching others in ways I have never before imagined. This is what the “essence” of my timeline currently feels like.
Vertical pencil art pic…
This is a vertical view of my Art Challenge (pic 2). Though I originally envisioned the horizontal “timeline” view, after completion it struck me that my “timeline” also looks like a tree.
Using a tree analogy, it still makes sense. I have spent years in the growth process. Yet, like a tree, the full canopy grows even broader and stronger in maturity. And my “maturity” is just beginning in several areas. My reach and influence will only grow broader and stronger from here.
Now that is really amazing to me. Although, as in most art, you can perceive different meanings at different times. Likewise, in this case. but, the similarities didn’t stop there. I was in for even more insight, and a confirmation to boot!
My Resonance painting
The pic to the right (pic 3) is an acrylic painting on stretched canvas I did four days after the pencil drawing.
I met in person with a local group of fellow artists. As I started, I had a visual of a painting I had done last fall. That painting, similar to this one, I named Resonance. Then gifted it to a friend with a personal meaning for her of what the painting meant. I told her that within her was a vibrancy that God had placed there. And through her art, and through her teaching/gathering/mentoring other artists, God was going to grasp and increase that vibrancy to resonate outward from her and impact multitudes for the Kingdom of God.
As that painting resonated in my mind, I decided to create one for myself. This painting I called “My Resonance”.
After our painting session, we each shared the story of our painting with each other in attendance. THEN… Someone spoke a personal meaning for me based on this new painting. This explanation was pretty much a mirror of what my Essence Art Challenge was based off of. (The essence challenge art meaning went right to left; the Resonance meaning went top to bottom.) From bright early beginnings, followed quickly by dark trauma, years of struggles to find my way, midway renews with brightness, and on towards birthing/newness and flourishing of my purpose for the future.
Confirmation!
I’m humbled and in awe. God is so amazing in how He brings insights and revelation, then confirms those very words. Thank you, Jesus!
What has been confirmed for you lately?
Need confirmation? Ask God for it. Then sit back and prepare to be amazed.
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