Staring at a crisp white sheet of paper or canvas can feel more like a confrontation than an invitation. We often wait for the perfect idea to strike before we dare to wet the brush or glue that first piece, fearing we might ruin or waste your chosen base. This paralysis comes from a misunderstanding that art is about the final frame, when it is actually about the bravery of the first messy mark. So start!
The Starting Place
Often times you may be given a thought, a creative vision. Or maybe just a word or phrase. In my case, it was a reality in my life that became a poem, than became a wedding gift to my grandson and his wife. The question became "How do I translate that into a creation that would honor the message."
The Process
Pondering, questioning, how can I make this personal to my grandson? He loves music and he loves the Lord so I began tearing pages of hymnal and pieces of scripture to cover the canvas. Color was added, mores pieces of paper and scrapes of painted paper cut into hearts. But the most important piece to me was the scarlet thread. That's what told my store.
The Story
The Scarlet thread has been an image and even a reality in my life over the years a reoccurring theme if you will. It was a thought I have held onto for almost 50 years. It was a reminder that no matter what, that Scarlet thread was there. Sometimes it was hard to find. Sometimes it seemed so thin that I thought it would break. Sometimes it would wrap around me and keep me secure. And then that Scarlet thread would stretch out before me so I could follow the path that it kept me on. You see, that Scarlet thread was attached to the cross of my savior. For me, that Scarlet thread, waving in and through my life created a beautiful tapestry of his love that has guided my way.
