May is my birthday month so of course I had to choose one of my favourite paintings to put in the calendar for this month. “Mercy” was one of two pieces commissioned by a friend for their home. The sister piece, “Goodness,” will be featured later this year in November.
When my client contacted me initially, she was wondering if I had extra copies of my calendar because she wanted to frame some pages to hang up in the house. When she found out I took commissions, she was excited to know about an even better option. We chatted on the phone and she told me how she had been wanting some calming artwork for their home for a while. Being a mother to two children, she longed for some nice skies to look at throughout the day to remind her of God’s presence and peace. She always enjoyed watching sunrises and sunsets, but they were so fleeting. If she could get some paintings of those moments, they could last a lot longer!
Another element she wanted to include was local mountains, because they reminded her of God’s faithfulness. There was a particular range she enjoyed looking at on her walks and she asked if I could incorporate those mountains into her pieces.
I searched for some sky inspiration from local photographers on Instagram and sent my client a number of ideas. We decided on two that could represent a sunrise and a sunset; different enough from each other but still complementary. I contacted the photographers to get permission to reference their photos and went to take some of my own photos of the mountains.
My client had a specific spot in her house where she was hoping to put these paintings and we decided that 12″x24″ for each piece would be the best size. Being a high-traffic area of the house, we went with a slim canvas so that it would not jut out from the wall as much.
The gentle light in this painting made me think of God’s mercy, which is why I named the piece, “Mercy.” Meant to reflect the end of the day, I wanted it to be a reminder of the mercy of God that awaits us after a day is done. Mercy that covers all the ways we have failed, mercy that covers our disappointments. Mercy that allows us to rest.
I paired this painting with Isaiah 30:18, which says, “The Lord longs to be gracious to you.” I’m not sure about you, but I grew up with the impression that God was strict and demanding, that God was mostly displeased with me. I no longer believe this, but sometimes I still operate out of that perception. Here, scripture tells us God longs to be gracious to us. God offers kindness to us. How amazing is that!
Questions for reflection, if you want to go deeper: Where in your life do you long for God’s mercy? How does knowing that God longs to be gracious to you affect your perspective on life? Where do you notice God’s graciousness and kindness today?
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!