March always comes with both a sense of hope mixed with some sadness for me. Hope, because in the area of the world I live in, we begin seeing signs of Spring. And sadness, because March contains the anniversary of my dad’s passing as well as his birthday. The piece I chose for this month is a reflection of hope – partly because I need the reminder, but also because everyone does at one point or another.
“La Joie de Vivre,” was a piece commissioned by my dear friend Kathleen last year as a surprise birthday gift for her husband, Jérome. His 40th birthday was coming up and they had originally planned to celebrate with his family in the south of France where his parents lived. But because of the pandemic, they weren’t able to travel. Since they could not go to their family home, she wanted to see if we could bring a piece of “home” to him!
Kathleen gave me some details about the location as well as some of her own photos of the beach. I also found some stock images of the same location and it turned out that one of the photos I found actually featured a rock that her father-in-law would turn around at when running with their dog! We tailored the image further to include clouds from an actual photo of a day they had been on that beach. We also included 10 small figures – and someone flying a kite – to represent the members of their family.
Since his family is French, I knew it had to have a French title. The phrase, “la joie de vivre,” translates literally as “the joy of life,” and expresses a cheerful enjoyment of life. I thought it was appropriate, considering this was a birthday gift, and I hoped that the painting would always remind him of the things that bring him joy. The title also seemed fitting with the animated spray of water in the foreground of the painting.
Kathleen and I were so excited to see how Jérome would respond to the gift. When he opened it, he recognized it right away. He also told her it was one of his all time favourite presents. It brought me so much joy to be able to bless their family in this way.
In the calendar, I paired this painting with the verse, “To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life” (Revelation 21:6). I love this promise from God – how it speaks of God’s generosity and ability to refresh us. My hope is that as you look at this image, you would sense the Water of Life quenching your thirst.
Questions for reflection, if you want to go deeper: How do you feel when you look at this image? In what areas of your life do you feel thirsty? How is God refreshing you?
Healing Gardens Exhibit – Open until March 31
My work is up at PoMoArts! I have the honour of exhibiting together with 8 other amazing ceramicists, painters, photographers and fibre artists in the Healing Gardens Exhibition. The exhibit is free and open to the public until March 31, 2022. My family and I were able to visit on the opening weekend and it was such a restful space. Given the current state of our world, having an exhibition like this is a much-needed solace.
I have 15 paintings in the show, most of which are for sale. Many of the other artists’ works are also for sale. A portion of all sales will go to support the gallery and local arts. If you visit, be sure to take some photos and tag me if you post it on social media. For those who aren’t able to attend in person, you can still see the work via the Healing Gardens Exhibit Virtual Gallery.
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!