Last month, I wrote about our family’s trip to Kamloops in 2020. This month’s painting is from the same trip. It is an 8″x8″ acrylic painting on a canvas that my kids had previously played around on and that I repurposed. I had brought a pad of canvas paper with me (which I used to create my Kamloops Sky Trio) but I knew I wanted one nicer painting on canvas that I could keep as a souvenir. So I tucked the solitary canvas into my luggage and on the last full day of our vacation, took it out to create a keepsake.
The photo I worked off of was from the very first evening when we arrived in Kamloops. There was a spectacular cloud formation in the sky, glowing orange just above our view of the mountains and the North Thompson river. I had attempted to paint it earlier in the week in what became the first piece in my Kamloops Sky Trio (see last photo) and I wanted to try it again, making changes to the sky colour as well as the cloud texture.
If you look closely at the painting, you will see some texture underneath. These are the remnants of my kids’ forays into painting when they were toddlers. They would glop the paint on really thick in some places so when I re-primed the canvases to make them usable again, the texture remained. I am glad for these irregularities. Every time I see them, I am reminded of redemptive work – how God doesn’t erase our past experiences but incorporates them into something even more beautiful.
I wanted this piece to help me remember our trip. Not only as a memento of our pandemic year, but also because I had been struggling with some health issues going into the vacation and had experienced the healing power of rest during that week. That week away was one of the ways God met me where I needed to be met.
Not coincidentally, I paired this painting with a verse about rest. “Come to me… I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28) are Jesus’ words inviting us to rest. For me, part of the appeal of skies is that when I am harried and anxious, looking up reminds me of Someone much bigger than me, and I can remember that I don’t have to hold it all, know it all, or be it all. I am small in this world, and that is a good thing; because I am held.
Questions for reflection, if you want to go deeper: What emotions does this painting evoke for you? Where does God speak to you in this image (eg, the sky, the mountains, the river, somewhere else)? In what area(s) of your life is God inviting you into rest?
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As always, I love to hear from you! If something in this story resonated with you, if you’re interested in commissioning a painting, or if you have other thoughts, feel free to email, or connect with me on Facebook or Instagram. Thanks for being part of my journey and for letting me be a part of yours!