Arise, My Love

Arise, My Love

 You might have seen a few previews of this painting as I have worked on it. I posted some on social media, and used a photo of me working on it as a sort of announcement of my upcoming open house on April 22 & 23, 2022. It is on the new, fancy easel my Beloved Husband gave me for Christmas, and has been slowly progressing in the middle of our family room pretty much since Christmas! These bigger canvases don't quite fit in my studio for me to work on them without too much moaning and groaning on my part. 

48" x 48"

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

Edges painted black

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It has passed through quite a few points where I really liked it and wanted to stop. Some of them would have been lovely paintings, and maybe I will revisit the concepts behind them. One of the earliest steps was to paint the entire canvas purple. It was a brand of paint that was unfamiliar to me, and I used almost the entire tube to cover the white, textured surface. Next I interrupted the purple with white gesso to provide white areas to be overpainted with pure transparent color to make it sing against the darker background. 

Almost everyone who has seen this work-in-progress in real life has mentioned that it looks like flowers. Interestingly, when I sent photos to my Mom, she mentioned flowers too, and said to me, "Spring WILL come..." That captured me, because that little phrase summed up my emotion as I have been painting. There is hope based on certainty, but a feeling of not yet - a feeling of waiting to pass through the dark and cold to get to warmth and beauty. 

That feeling can be seen in the expression of bright beauty emerging through the dark background and also in the suggestion of rain or tears in the framework of the drips that traverse the canvas. There is a sense of peace, but also hope and waiting. I love how the bright focal area in the lower left of the painting is reflected in softer tones in the upper right. It makes me think of the sunrise reflecting on a bank of clouds. 

The title comes from a song that has played through my mind as I painted, especially in the last several weeks. It is an older Easter song called Arise, My Love. The thing I love about the song is the powerful reminder of Jesus' resurrection bursting through the darkness of death and the grave, which has been articulated through low, almost monotonous verses interrupted by a crashing, soaring chorus. 

I see peace and rest in this work, as well as a hint of power and hope. Do you see those things too? 

Matthew 28:5-7 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”