I've thought a lot about this messy palette.
My life is a lot like it. Used, with some interesting color combinations, not neat and orderly, but fun and fascinating. I wash it off once in a while so I can lay out fresh colors and be inspired anew.
That's fairly typical of my life, too.
My story is too long to detail. Let's just hit the highlights. I'm over 60 and spent a lot of my life building a career in art. I painted in pastels for over 25 years and had a pretty well established reputation, due in large part to my longtime affiliation with a little magazine two good friends started back in 1999, The Pastel Journal.
But the art career never really satisfied me, any more than anything else in my life did, except maybe being a mom--and even that I wanted to do better. Most of the time I felt frustrated on the inside, even though on the outside I maintained a facade of success and happiness.
Have you ever noticed how reaching a goal is anticlimactic, and you just have to set another goal once you get there? Usually it’s higher, harder, more consuming and expensive, and when you reach it the cycle pretty much just starts again.
That's why in 1998, when my husband made a vital connection and committed his life to Christ, I found myself fascinated. It didn't take long to see that this had changed him in some incredibly significant and wonderful ways. One evening I said a pathetic prayer, all alone, tacking on the name of the Lord at the end. It seems the Lord has a knack for sticking His foot in the door and my prayer was enough. (I can give you the chapter and verse for that now: Romans 8:38-39.)
My life palette was suddenly glowing with brilliant new colors, and filled with authentic, long lasting delight that wasn’t dependent on my efforts. But the Lord washes off the colors from time to time, and currently He's changing the palette of my life again.
Painting and writing and selling and teaching are ebbing, and I wait patiently to see what He has planned. I have many desires. Primarily I hope that He’ll allow my husband, Dan, and I to begin to serve our family in Christ together in some more significant ways. Right now we have some wonderful opportunities. Our emphasis is on prayer (let me know if we can pray for you). My husband and I each lead a weekly Bible study at the Albuquerque Rescue Mission for homeless men and women. We continue to study the Bible every day, and it’s a constant topic in our discussions, as we try to follow our Lord in everything.
I paint for fun. I love gouache. It’s a delight to use: clean, colorful, and easily done at my dining room table. It’s a lot like the watercolor version of pastel. It’s nice to have something that isn’t wildly important, or considered terribly valuable, that can be tucked in pocket or purse and viewed on the desktop or dresser, given away or traded with distant artist friends...
I'll keep you posted as the life palette is changed. I look forward every day to being of use to the Lord in some small fashion. I'm His and I love it.
Deborah
My life is a lot like it. Used, with some interesting color combinations, not neat and orderly, but fun and fascinating. I wash it off once in a while so I can lay out fresh colors and be inspired anew.
That's fairly typical of my life, too.
My story is too long to detail. Let's just hit the highlights. I'm over 60 and spent a lot of my life building a career in art. I painted in pastels for over 25 years and had a pretty well established reputation, due in large part to my longtime affiliation with a little magazine two good friends started back in 1999, The Pastel Journal.
But the art career never really satisfied me, any more than anything else in my life did, except maybe being a mom--and even that I wanted to do better. Most of the time I felt frustrated on the inside, even though on the outside I maintained a facade of success and happiness.
Have you ever noticed how reaching a goal is anticlimactic, and you just have to set another goal once you get there? Usually it’s higher, harder, more consuming and expensive, and when you reach it the cycle pretty much just starts again.
That's why in 1998, when my husband made a vital connection and committed his life to Christ, I found myself fascinated. It didn't take long to see that this had changed him in some incredibly significant and wonderful ways. One evening I said a pathetic prayer, all alone, tacking on the name of the Lord at the end. It seems the Lord has a knack for sticking His foot in the door and my prayer was enough. (I can give you the chapter and verse for that now: Romans 8:38-39.)
My life palette was suddenly glowing with brilliant new colors, and filled with authentic, long lasting delight that wasn’t dependent on my efforts. But the Lord washes off the colors from time to time, and currently He's changing the palette of my life again.
Painting and writing and selling and teaching are ebbing, and I wait patiently to see what He has planned. I have many desires. Primarily I hope that He’ll allow my husband, Dan, and I to begin to serve our family in Christ together in some more significant ways. Right now we have some wonderful opportunities. Our emphasis is on prayer (let me know if we can pray for you). My husband and I each lead a weekly Bible study at the Albuquerque Rescue Mission for homeless men and women. We continue to study the Bible every day, and it’s a constant topic in our discussions, as we try to follow our Lord in everything.
I paint for fun. I love gouache. It’s a delight to use: clean, colorful, and easily done at my dining room table. It’s a lot like the watercolor version of pastel. It’s nice to have something that isn’t wildly important, or considered terribly valuable, that can be tucked in pocket or purse and viewed on the desktop or dresser, given away or traded with distant artist friends...
I'll keep you posted as the life palette is changed. I look forward every day to being of use to the Lord in some small fashion. I'm His and I love it.
Deborah