Friday, March 16, 2012

Transformation not restoration

I review books as one of my hobbies,
the most recent book to arrive in the mailbox has been
a treat.
What grabbed my heart last night,
"In his book Becoming Human, Brian Taylor describes
how often we want restoration rather than transformation.
We want God to simply tweak our lives, make us into a new and improved
version of the woman we already know,nothing too dramatic.
Yet we serve a God who is all about transformation:
turning caterpillars into butterflies,
making the new pretty unrecognizable to the old.
God tells us not to stop in the plains,
but go all the way to the mountains,
the land of the unknown."

Remember the Story of Lots wife?
that is what she references here......


"we are not called to settle for simply living a good life, we are called to shine.
The real irony for us as Christians is that this kind of leap into the unknown
is the very nature of the life of faith we are called to live as our NORM.
Faith moves us to that which we cannot see.

She mistook her past for her Life.

"Remember Lots wife! WHoever ties to keep their life will lose it,
and whoever loses their life will preserve it. (Luke 17:32-33)


I found this reading to be so applicable to where I am right now.
You can read that I was rummaging through boxes of artwork yesterday.
If we care called to shine.
How can this gift,
this talent,
this blessing be used
if its in a box? Portfolio??




remember as little kids singing,
"This little light of mine,
Im gonna let it shine......
Hide it under a bush?
Oh NO!!!
Im gonna let it shine."




I found a painting that I really really disliked,
and thought,I surely cant ruin it.
Im gonna put some different color in it and see if its fixable.
So I started playing in paint.



By the time I sat back and took a new look.
it took my breath away.
I had mentioned to my daughter
that parts made me think of some images Id seen of outer space
then you add the butterfly
in brilliant white contrast
with an image- barely visible
of a realisitic butterfly.
The word transformation came to mind,
how wed lost a dear friend this week to ALS,
how hospice uses a butterfly to convey their message,
and how we believe when we die
we are instantly swept up to heaven
our souls are gone.
Leaving behind the shell of the earthly body we no longer need.
This painting will be called,
"Going home."

(mixed media- ink pouring, acrylic, watercolor)

I remain,
Under His wings,
Anna

Linking up today : Studio JRU


StudioJRU


16 comments:

  1. Oh this is beautiful Anna! That is so neat that you went back to a piece that you did not like and turned it into a wonderful piece! I am so sorry to hear of the loss of this friend. This is a special piece of art in their memory!

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    1. yes. It thrills me that something I really thought was horrid could be transformed into something that even tho isnt my style is ver moving nonetheless.

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  2. absolutely wonderful...thank you for your uplifting words All that is not given is lost !

    I love your style ! wonderful wonderful

    -KAT-

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  3. Let all those paintings 'out of the box' and Shine ~ lovely looking creations ~ great art style ~~ thanks namaste, Carol ^_^

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  4. Oh how I would have loved to watch you make this piece, Anna! Looks like so much fun, and turned out beautifully. I love those lessons about "transformation" when you have faith to keep working on something you thought was all but lost, and He works through you to finally "take your breath away."

    I would LOVE to see that painting up close--the one on top of your stack of watercolors? The one that looks like a stack of watercolors itself??? You are sooo gifted!

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    1. Hi Sadee! That one I call a Humm-dinger of a job. In watercolor class we were told to rip a piece of scrap paper and use the torn edge to draw layers. then paint it in. I thought it ended up looking like a mess from a wall paper job. I need to figure out how to do a watermark again. The site I used isnt functioning anymore. I will post photos of these paintings on my tab once I figure that out. ;)

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  5. Beautiful work. Happy PPF and enjoy the weekend, Annette x

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  6. Beautiful post & some wonderful art, tfs much love Jennibellie xxx

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  7. You really did transform this painting beautifully!
    ♥♥♥
    Happy PPF!!
    Mary
    Mixed-Media Map Art

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  8. Beautiful words & art, thank-you! Glad to have found you through PPF!

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  9. Awesome! How cool that you added to a piece and gave it such meaning. Beautiful!

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  10. Wonderful post and creation! Happy PPF !

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  11. what a lovely post!
    Your table looks wonderful with all of your paintings spread out!
    good for you!

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  12. Look at all your wonderful art on that table. Painting feels very transformative to me.

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    1. I agree. So glad to be in a good plae with my art. There was a time all I could do was knit to use up my creative energy. It was a safe way to create. Knitting still has its place in my heart but it really isnt the same as painting. Art Journaling has been so good for me.

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  13. Just Beautiful! Isn't is such a good feeling to take something we may not have liked so much and turn it into a piece we adore? Beautiful words too!

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