Lately Holy Spirit has done something twice, so that I noticed it was a new thing. It can't be called a pattern, because then I'd get hold of it and try to make it happen again! So, I'll share these two things one at a time. The first new thing came about as a response to someone's random act of kindness toward me. One of the lovely older women at our church asked if she could give me all of her art supplies, since she'll never use them again. I received bags filled with paints and medium and canvas boards and brushes, etc. She knew that a lot of it wasn't good any more, but her generosity touched my heart. To thank her, I committed to do a painting for her, and asked her to tell me about her home and colors. The painting below is what came from her description and the Spirit's leading.
Peony for Ernestine
oil on canvas
All she had told me is she likes pink and purple, and that she has Duncan Phyfe furniture. As it turned out, the colors I used in this painting are the exact colors in her living room! It's as if I'd had pictures of her upholstery and pillows to match to my palette!!!
This God-incidence might have gone by with just smiles and soft chuckles except that He did something like it again! In between my more exacting angel paintings, I took a break and only prayed and painted from my imagination. I envisioned a group of more abstract angels worshipping God together, en masse and without faces or much to identify them except slight variations in color. I also was excited about using some of the gold foil I've had for a while, and used it for the entire background, painting some darker hues into it for interest. This is what came about as I prayed and painted:
Worship
oil and gold foil on canvas
The evening I decided I thought possibly perhaps it might be finished and ready to sign, I took it off the easel. I intended to look at it afresh the next day and then sign it if I still thought it really was done. Within an hour of leaving the studio, I got a phone call asking how much it was, that someone wanted to buy it. I honestly thought it was a joke! It wasn't. The woman who bought this painting told me that these colors are the exact colors in her master bedroom, including the gold and the slightly more copper color I used on the edges of the gallery wrapped canvas; and right down to the few dark blue dots in one of the angel wings, which is the color of her accent pillows!!! Are you surprised yet? I was! I don't ever paint with this pallette. This entire composition came about through listening prayer and staying "in the zone" with Holy Spirit, all the way through to completion. The dark blue dots and the coppery edging were the last touches, just for her! Only I didn't know it was for her at all! It's as if the Lord gave me a commission to paint this for her without telling me it was for her. Now I think that's just too cool. Don't you?
Who knows what He's going to do next with my painting? I surely don't. But I hope I notice, because Holy Spirit is always up to something wonderful!!!
