“We are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream” C.S. Lewis
I have always loved color, texture and pattern. I have smocked, created classic children’s clothing, sewed curtains for people in the backyard storage unit of my family’s home, and appliqued for my grandchildren. A lifetime of experiences with fabrics and color culminated into a love for interior design, and I have loved creating beautiful, inviting spaces in my home and in the homes of others.
When my youngest daughter left for college, I decided to try my hand at painting as an effort to embrace the beginnings of becoming an "empty nester." I took a painting class with my mom, found I was no good at it, and opted to paint anyway. I convinced my husband to dedicate a space in our house to my new hobby and I went to work. I loved painting. I obsessed over it and spent hours studying artists and criticizing each painting I created. I would hang my work in my home for a few weeks, decide I loved it or hated it. Most of the time, I would take it down, paint over it, hang it again, and repeat again and again….for two full years.
These years were not just a creative journey for me, they were a spiritual journey. I can remember crying out the following verse to God one day:
2 Chronicles 15:7 “But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”
I asked Him to make something of my passion. I told Him I needed Him to make my mess beautiful. My personality loves rules and systems, but when I paint, I am different; I love to break rules with impulsive brush and palette knife marks. I love seeing how colors interact and speak to each other. I live in a constant state of dreaming and try to create not just outside the box but without a box at all.
Eventually, my family and friends convinced me to post a piece on social media. It sold….and so did hundreds after it.
“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” Joseph Chilton Pearce