September is a month of change for many of us. Students and teachers return to school, the weather begins cooling, and in the Northern Hemisphere, our days noticeably tilt toward Autumn. This month’s painting is intended to offer peace in the midst of change.
“Let Nothing Disturb You” is a commissioned painting by a longtime friend of mine who wanted a piece for above his bed. This was the first time I had a custom canvas made that was so long. We decided on a 67″x15″ canvas to match the width of his bed and it turned out beautifully.
For the subject of this painting, he sent me some photos he had taken of the view from Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver. It’s a beach that held special significance for him and he wanted the mountain line from that view. He also sent me a colour palette that he was drawn to. I then combined these two elements with a cloud formation from a stock photo to create a custom piece that was part imagination, part reality.
For a touch of whimsy, my friend asked if I could include a few hidden “Easter Eggs” for him to find. Knowing that he was a fan of Pokemon and Star Wars, I asked my kids for character suggestions and snuck in Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and BB8 among the clouds. The section of this painting that made it into the calendar does not include any characters, unfortunately.
Early in the process of creating this piece, I had asked my friend one of my favourite questions when customizing a painting: What do you want to feel when you look at your painting? His answer: peace, calm, and gratitude. With this in mind, I titled the piece, “Let Nothing Disturb You,” based on a poem by St. Teresa of Avila. Here is her poem:
Let nothing disturb you,
– St. Teresa of Avila
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
My prayer is that whenever he sees this painting, he would be reminded of the steady presence of God. And now that you have read the story, I pray the same would be true for you, too.
I paired this painting with the verse from Hebrews 11:1, which says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” I hope that this verse, along with this painting, can serve to ground us in the midst of the changes and uncertainties of life.
Questions for reflection, if you want to go deeper: What is shifting in your life? What remains the same? How does hearing the words, “Let nothing disturb you,” affect you?
I’m Looking for Sky Photos!
I am preparing for my first solo art show (sometime next Spring – I’ll keep you posted!) and am looking for inspiration and reference images! If you or someone you know has pretty sky photos, please email them to me at hello@olivechanart.com with the subject line, “Sky Photos”. I will be sure to give proper attribution to the photographer if I post anything with your reference photo. Thank you for participating in reflecting beauty in the world!
If you enjoyed this post and want to read about the stories behind all the paintings in this year’s 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!