“Space to Be” was one of my favourite paintings from 2020; partly because of the image, and partly because the creation of it was a joyful process. Since May is my birthday month, I decided to choose it as the painting for this month.
I created this painting as a restful Sabbath activity on a Sunday afternoon. I had just gotten a few new paints that I wanted to try. A new yellow and a new blue, as well as a more flowy white paint that I thought might work well for painting the main portion of sky. Playing around with the new paints was a lot of fun.
The image was from a photo I had taken en route to a church event in early March 2020, just before the lockdowns happened. To get to church from our house, we have to drive up a big hill. Along the way, there is a scenic spot that our family likes to take in the view from. This particular evening, the sky was full of lovely pastel colours. I pulled over to the side of the road so that I could get out of the car to snap some pictures.
Since the original photo had a rooftop in the foreground and I didn’t really want a painting with a house in it, I replaced it with some mountains and trees.
I titled this piece, “Space to Be” because the composition of it features a large empty space in the center of the canvas. I felt that in that space, there was an invitation for me to rest; to literally “stare into space,” and to welcome whatever I was feeling in the moment. It was the antithesis to busyness.
I paired this painting with the verse from Psalm 23:6 which says, “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” I love this idea that goodness and love follow us around. I think we often focus on what’s wrong or broken with the world, or what worries or concerns us, but this verse reminds us that goodness and love are our true companions. What we need to do is to shift our gaze to notice where goodness and love show up.
Questions for reflection, if you want to go deeper: What emotions does this painting evoke for you? In what ways do you feel God inviting you to “be”? Where do you see goodness and love present in your life?
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: In case you missed it, in celebration of turning 40 this month, I am offering prints for the very first time! They are 16″x20″ archival quality prints of my #40artsofgratitude project, in which I painted 40 small square paintings and gave them to 40 people who have played a significant role in shaping who I am today. The prints are $120 CAD each (plus shipping if outside of the Vancouver area). If you’re interested in having a print for yourself or to give as a gift to someone, you can reply to this email or fill out the form on my #40artsofgratitude Prints Order page before May 31, 2021. You can also visit that page for more details.
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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!