Pride

Colored pencil in sketchbook

"God shows us our poverty of spirit when we try, in our own strength, to walk in a way pleasing to God...and yet continually fail. This is the testimony the Apostle Paul gives of his own experience in Romans 7. Humility came only when the once-proud Pharisee fell on his face and cried out, "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of his death?" (Rom. 7:24)

Kay Arthur, Lord, Only You Can Change Me

Hello 2012

"Translucence" Final Painting of 2011

Time to let go and allow change.

I'm a control freak, you may not know it, but I am. I like everything to go my way and done quickly right when I ask. Unfortunately I hear that the world does not revolve around me. Bummer.

My challenge this year is the same as last year, to constantly give up the control I strive so hard to have, and surrender it to God. What a relief!!! Now, if I can just see it that way on a regular basis I think all would be good. This totally applies to my business and how I run my studio. I want to do everything myself and have a very hard time trusting others with my "baby". But thanks to God, I do have help and step one is allowing that help to well......help.

Brian and I sat down a week ago and organized my thoughts, to-do lists, and business plans on note cards, then on a calendar. I don't have to think about what to do, and my second challenge this year is to stick to the schedule.

But there's something else that has changed, and it's been working in my heart for a few months now. It's the question of "What is my purpose?" A question I'm sure most if not all of us have asked ourselves. I've been praying, talking, and pondering this. And even more so, how does this involve my natural gifts as an artist? I ask myself this question almost every six months, and it's a cycle, but I feel it's necessary if I am to grow.

He laid it on my heart.

The answer lies within my every day and the people I am in constant contact with.

On the side I privately tutor and advise teenagers/college students. We talk about more than just art and drawing, we talk about life. This in turn makes me reflect on my life, which then leads me to what inspires me to be who I want to be. The answer I keep going back to is a handful of men and women who have struggled and messed up, but were created and intended for GREAT things! They were special through their purpose.

These people were Rahab, Tamar, Ruth, Esther, Mary, Jacob, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, David, etc. These are familiar names to so many, and their stories truly are powerful and relatable.

Okay, so how does this relate to my business? I want to use these stories to help people learn, to retell their stories in a new way, to inspire and motivate, to show everyone that they have a purpose and story of their own! They're so amazing it's hard to believe they're truth. To me, the Bible is the ultimate fairytale....but one that DID and IS happening!

I was thinking of doing the fairytales I so adore and love this year as my personal project, but it just never settled well on my heart. I then had the question pop up in my head:

"Well if I'm going to illustrate the fairytales and stories of the world, why not do the stories that are fantastical but true?"

I am terrified of this project because it's huge and demanding. A bit out of my comfort zone, and after organizing my business on paper....where am I going to get the time?! BUT I have had this longing and find a desire laid on my heart, and most importantly...a need.

Rahab sketch

The Project

I want to paint the women and men of the Bible, but in a fresh way. I'm not sure how to describe it, so you will need to bare with me and I will show as much as I can through sketches. The pieces "Midnight Warrior" and "Sienna" (yes, her name had to be changed) are great examples of the direction I want to go. Mix those with "Translucence" and you may get the vision.

I am not going to do a lot of environment and costume research, nor am I going to worry about how accurate the piece is to the time it was written. My focus on this project is to convey the person, their experience or emotion, and try to visually allow the viewer to rest in the person/character's shoes. I admire all of the classical paintings telling the stories of the Bible, but why mimic and copy what has already been done? I don't believe they connect as richly with the people of today, especially the younger crowd.

I am not going in any order, I am just going to go. I am going to follow the light that is leading me in this and work/draw/paint on this project in His timing. No deadlines, no pressure, just to keep working at it.

The Flowers of the Month series is still going (February is in the works right now), and I hope to get the Three Pillars finished as well. My goal though, in the end, is to have a body of work that can coincide with the stories we all know so well, the stories of the Bible.

What does 2012 look like?

This year I hope to focus heavily on painting. I feel the need to really paint. And to draw or sketch more regularly. I pray that with this new project I will be sketching upon impulse, not when I just "have the time". To always carry a sketchbook with me. The visions I get for these characters rarely happen in the studio....but as I'm sitting and waiting, or teaching, or driving (don't worry, I'm not going to drive and draw).

I also plan on being more involved with my Bible. I will read each story before I paint it to make sure it is playing in my head, to be there with the characters.

And to be more in connection with you. My hope with the new blog and website layouts, that we are in more of a conversation and that I can show you more of my world and studio. Thursdays are going to be my blog days (hold me to that will ya?). So nonetheless, there should always be something here on the blog every Thursday!

Happy New Year and I pray that it is as much of a blessing for you as I know it will be for me.
-sara

Next Post: I will be sharing my Rahab sketches and progress, and why she is the first.