Today only...

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that not only is my store fully open for business on etsy.com (just search for Pure Devotion Studios or go to www.etsy.com/shop/PureDevotionStudios) BUT my art is also being featured on the Painting Showcase all day today!! To check it out, go to www.etsy.com/category/art/painting ... more art posts to come!

Art for sale...Anyone?

Everyone bear with me as I get used to blogging. I have discovered this amazing new world of free backgrounds, layouts, fonts, and many other free features that personalize your blog. And why not? I mean there are so many out there that you have to make yours stand out or it will just get lost in the shuffle. So, I am still playing with backgrounds and pictures and probably will for a while, so don't be suprised if the look of the blog keeps changing.

I think that it is ironic that they are flying in snow for the opening weekend of the Vancover Olympics, but a majority of the state of Georgia gets covered in several inches of the stuff the same weekend. Guess you can never be guaranteed that the weather will participate with your plans. I found though that the snow provided some awesome opportunities for snowball fights, the creation of snowmen and the chance to continue practicing my photography skills or lack there of. I have this secret desire to not only be trendy, like Gina and Leah (2 of my favorite people) but also to be able to take really cool pictures, like Kathryn and Heather (2 more pretty amazing people). SO, here are a few pictures for you viewing pleasure...

Yes, those are pictures of my engagement ring in the snow, but don't worry, Kirk drove up in the middle of me hanging it from a frozen tree branch so that I could take a picture of it. It then became his job to make sure that it didn't fall and get lost in the snow covered bushes underneath the tree. I am happy to report that the ring is still intact and currently on my finger.

Now, I promised that this blog would be about my artwork and I will make good on that promise. Below is a picture of not one, but TWO pieces of art that are actually for sale on etsy.com. That's right, I am now a store owner on etsy! Just search for Pure Devotion Studios at etsy.com and you will find all the art that I currently have for sale. You can also contact me either through this blog or the etsy store if you are interested in doing a custom order. If you see a piece that you like, but would prefer different colors or a different size, please let me know and I would be more that happy to paint something according to your specifications.

Both of these paintings are oil on canvas and I am not exactly sure the stories behind them except that I was learning how to use oil paints and these are what came out. A little anti-climactic I know...but if I were to attach a description, I would simply quote two verses out of Isaiah. For the one on the left, Isaiah 60:1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you" and for the one on the right, Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint."

Check it out on etsy.com!!

New to Blogging...

I started this blog in order to put my artwork out there for the world to see (cheesy, I know). I have loved painting for a long time and though I am not professional trained, I have been challenged many times, especially of late, to start selling my work. Mind you, I have never blogged before (is that even a verb?) so, bear with me as I learn and grow in this process. I am working on creating a store on etsy.com for people to buy my art (more to come on in later posts), but I also want to not only display my art on this blog, but describe it as well. So, I came up with the idea of posting a new piece of art each week along with the story behind the creation of it.

This piece I actually created last year and sold in an auction that raised money for organizations committed to helping rescue girls from sex trafficking. I painted this during a worship service and it depicts a process of refinement, how the Holy Spirit comes and purifies our hearts and minds with His love. You know, God is so much more than the things you learned about in Sunday School. He is radical and passionate and loves with an everlasting love. He crys when we cry and He rejoices when we rejoice. The purpose of refinement is to bring us closer to Jesus, that we would walk out of the desert leaning on the arm of our Beloved, that after we go through refinement, we are forever changed and forever marked by His love.

The process is hard, but it is redemptive as well as life changing and brings healing with every step that we take in it. Embrace the process, even through brokenness and tears, and trust the your Beloved is crying with you and will soon rejoice with you as well.