Let It Rain!

Before I went into the studio, I was hoping for a small, well-behaved thunderstorm. I really wanted to watch and listen to the rain and the thunder and lightning, but only if it didn't cause damage, and didn't rain too much. (It is pretty wet here, and we really do not need the rain. I just kinda wanted it.) We didn't get a storm this afternoon, but I decided I wanted to paint rain, somehow or other. 

11" x 14"

Painted with the finest quality heavy-body acrylic paint on acid-free, heavy weight Fabriano watercolor paper

Ready to frame

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I want to use this time of doing daily paintings to brush up on skills and techniques along with sharing hope and beauty, so I chose to start out with a composition that I seldom work with. The composition in the background is sometimes called "overlapping squares" or "overlapping frames", and can be quite complex, but I have not played with it enough to get the most out of it. (Yet.) The focal point, or place that first draws attention, is made by making smaller, lighter shapes in this painting. 

I chose to go with a monochromatic color scheme in part because my soul is longing for quiet. To me,  using only variations on one main color feels peaceful. The rain drops, so to speak, are painted with a blue interference color, that shows up differently under different lighting, and is brighter when the background it is painted on is dark. You can almost get an inkling of that in the photo, but it can really only be fully appreciated in person. It has a hint of iridescence, which I like to use to remind myself (and you) of God. 

We are in hard times, aren't we? It has been difficult. Dark. The only place I am finding quiet and peace for my soul is the same place I can always go. I find it in God's word, the Bible. Today, I think maybe my desire for a thunderstorm was a subconscious longing to see my God; for Him to appear brighter against this darkness. Here is a section of a Psalm that poetically describes Him in a thunderstorm. Let it rain!

Psalm 77:16-19 The waters saw You, God. 

The waters saw You; they trembled.

Even the depths shook.

The clouds poured down water.

The storm clouds thundered;

Your arrows flashed back and forth.

The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;

lightning lit up the world.

The earth shook and quaked.

Your way went through the sea

and Your path through the great waters,

but Your footprints were unseen.