The painting featured for this month is rather special. It is the first panel of a three-part painting (known as a triptych in art lingo). I’m excited to tell you the story behind it!
In the spring of last year, just as I was putting my art out into the world, Tim’s cousins contacted me about commissioning me for a couple pieces for their home. They would each get a custom piece of art; the husband would choose something he wanted, and the wife would choose something she wanted. They figured that since they weren’t allowed to travel, they would use some of the money toward getting some art for their place and they wanted to support me in my art career. (I’m so fortunate to have such amazingly supportive family members!)
Come Away With Me was the husband’s piece. He had seen an idea where a panoramic image was split between three square panels and he asked if that was something I could do. I told him I’d never done it before but yes, it was doable. In fact, I would be quite elated to try it! We decided on three 16″x16″ deep canvases and then searched for the right image.
I asked him what kind of feeling he wanted to have when he looked at his piece and he told me he wanted to feel at ease at the end of the day, like sitting at a dock and watching a sunset. With this in mind, I researched some image options for docks, as well as sunsets, and let my client choose his favourites. I then put together some digital concepts for him to choose from. In the end, we added in the Rocky Mountains for the skyline because they live near that mountain range, as well as their silhouettes to make it personal.
I titled it “Come Away With Me” with a double meaning. The first was to reflect God’s invitation to come and rest. The second was to remind them to spend time enjoying each other’s company as a couple.
The panel featured in the calendar this month is the darkest of the three. Night is settling in already. I chose it for the month of June because it reminded me of dusk in the early summer. I paired it with Exodus 33:14 which says, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest,” as an invitation to both remember God’s presence and to relax into God’s rest. June can be quite hectic – especially for those where it’s the end of the school year – so I thought it would be good to have the reminder about rest.
Another feature of this panel is that the stars weren’t originally in the plan. They were, in fact, a happy accident. I had finished painting the dark blues and purples in the sky and was working on something else that needed white paint, but when I went to close the lid on the paint, it splattered all over this part of the painting. At first I was dismayed because I would have to re-mix the blues and purples to cover up the specks of white. But then I realized they could be stars! It felt like a beautiful analogy to how God can redeem our mistakes and turn them into bits of light.
Questions for reflection, if you want to go deeper: How do you sense God’s presence in the darkness? What emotions does this painting evoke for you? Where in your life can you notice redemption, where splattered paint has been turned into stars?
If you enjoyed this post and want to read about the stories behind all the rest of the paintings in the calendar, remember to sign up so future posts get delivered to your email! I am aiming to post them the second Friday of each month. (You might need to check your promotions or junk folders if you don’t see it.)
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!