About - “Beauty Found in Rest”

A peek inside the painting process of “Beauty Found in Rest.”

16x20 inch acrylic on stretched canvas.

Usually I stand when I paint, with some fun music on in the background (and there may or may not be some embarrassing dance moves…), but this one was painted sitting down in the silence. It was one of those days where the fatigue of the day hits hard, and I did NOT feel like painting.

I think I painted over this canvas 5 times in an hour, trying to force something within the very short amount of studio time I was allotted that day. Everything I tried seemed so hard. When I finally gave up the trying and surrendered to “whatever happens, happens”, this is what I ended up with - and I LOVE it. The brush strokes, the color palette, everything. More than anything I could've possibly “forced”. 

It brought me an unexpected joy and energy that day that I didn't know was left in me. It directly reminds of this verse from the book of Matthew:

“COME TO ME, ALL YOU WHO ARE WEARY AND BURDENED, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.” 

-Matthew 11:28 

MY HOPE IS THAT THIS PAINTING GIVES YOU THE SAME SENSE OF REST AND PEACE THAT IT ENDED UP (UNEXPECTEDLY) GIVING ME.

WHAT A JOY IT IS, TO BE ABLE TO REST, AND JUST BE.