Home Away From Home

Home Away From Home

  John 14 is a New Testament chapter that can almost always bring me hope. This painting started with me thinking about these verses:

John 14:1 - 3 “Your heart must not be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 

John 14:27  “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful. 

What would you start with if you were trying to imagine heavenly dwelling places, and you wanted to paint them? I started with iridescent gold paints. I have a couple of brands of paint, and a couple of colors of gold which I purchased in a paint/tool bundle from an artist who was giving up his acrylic painting practice, and so I had a mix of paint to start with. I tried to imagine a variety of dwelling places, while especially trying to not picture houses like I am used to seeing! 

6" x 6"

Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep gallery wrapped canvas

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Next I chose transparent colors in order to allow the gold to shine through, especially in proper light, and to try to express how color might be more complex than any we see here in our own homes. I also tried to find shapes that conveyed ideas, but not images. 

This little work looks very different in different lighting, as I can try to show you with photos. But of course, the photos cannot capture the painting well, and cannot capture how the gold shows through the transparent colors. You miss out on the interference paints which only show in certain light, too. I wish you could see it by the photos, but you will just have to see this one in person sometime!