More Better

More Better

The other day I started a post about this painting thinking it was finished. But after looking quite a bit more, I knew it was not, in fact, finished. NOW, (I think) it is finished! This is one of those paintings that has so much texture, and so much iridescence that I wish you were seeing it in person. 

$1350.00 plus shipping and handling

30" x 30"

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

Edges painted black

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This is the verse from the New Testament that grounded this painting, by which I mean the words of the verse were part of the first layers of paint on the canvas. 

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."

My original direction for the painting was to paint borders around most of the words and fill each area with different color and texture and glimmer. But I felt that it expressed "troubled" pretty well, but not peace. So next I chose to add the thick blue line toward the top, and I planned to tone everything else down with a thin coat of a blended light color. I got quite a ways through when the painting said, "STOP", and I stepped back to examine the progress.

It became quite obvious to me that the colored areas (now at the TOP of the painting) were some of my favorite part of the work and should not be tamed! So, I started to work toward making each part of the painting work together "more better". I put more interruptions in and on the blue line, and added more color to it. At that point, I was still turning the painting around and around to determine the best direction for the composition. And all along, I still was focused on the concept of let not your heart be troubled. (By the way, on my iPod there is a song with these lyrics that is sung in a slightly metal style, with a very gritty, bass-y sound to neither let it be afraid. This song has been going through my mind as I worked!)

Last year sometime, I went to visit my dear Mom in Minnesota (God's country), and while I was there, I focused my Bible reading on John 14 every day. I read different versions of the chapter, and sometimes I listened to my Bible app reading the chapter to me as I read. I found a lot of inspiration from soaking in that chapter at the time. So why should I be surprised to see that the verses that come right before John 14:27 would show up in this work? 

John 14:25-26 “I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit—the Father will send Him in My name—will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

Now I think this painting suggests the Helper, the Holy Spirit, coming to help, teach, and remind me not to let my heart be troubled. (In John 16, Jesus said that it would be "more better" for us to have the Holy Spirit, too!) Do the metallic gold shapes that go from the bright colors to the bottom of the painting help you think about that too?