Do you have times when you look at your past decisions and feel like you live among the ruins of your past? That is exactly why I chose this painting, Among the Ruins, to represent the second chapter of Created For So Much More. You will find it at the end of the video (watch here) and as the cover page for Lesson 2 in my upcoming A Guided Journal to Soaring With God. Chapter 2 is titled Created For So Much More FREEDOM: Inspecting Your Instruments.
The main point of the chapter is that we must leave our past in the past in order to fully embrace who God created us to be. This painting has always been about the foreground for me—the lush verdant greenery that grows in front of the ruins. I imagine a path among those trees and undergrowth. A path that is meant to be explored with an adventurous spirit.
The buildings, the ruins, are simply a back drop to the adventure of the day. Your past is what brought you to today, to this adventure. Don’t let it overshadow your present.
This painting was created entirely with palette knife in my distinctive layer-upon-layer technique. In the end any given inch has about ten layers of paint. It exemplifies my love of color and light combining to form a piece that draws the viewer in.
About the sky: I often say that if you ask me to paint a sunny day, I will paint a sky that is gold and yellow. I am all about the warmth of the sun and my artist eye interprets that with warm hues. I have to make a conscious decision to paint a clear day with blue skies.
What about you? If I asked you to paint a sky on a clear day, how would you paint it?
“Among the Ruins”
Acrylic on Canvas
36” x 24”
©2011
Email me at [email protected] if you are interested in “Among the Ruins” or similar paintings.