YouTube Video –
Hello friends! Thank you for stopping by! I sure hope that you enjoy the video and the inspiration behind this piece. I started out with one idea and ended up changing course (no surprise there) I loved how the background turned out that I decided to keep it simple and I absolutely adore it 😊 I used a reverse stenciling technique to create the gorgeous background. By creating layers and more layers, you get a delightful surprise when using reverse stenciling as you can see in the close-up photos. Now for the inspiration.
For this Sunday’s ART of Truth I knew I wanted the focus to be gratitude. We are in dark and trying times. We have a country that is split in the realm of elections and politics. We have COVID19 that is still stealing the livelihoods of hard-working American’s. There are so many things that we just don’t know when they will end or how they will resolve themselves. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by what is in front of our faces.
With all that is going on, I think it is very hard to come back home to what we have in front of us. To remember and cherish the really important things that exist between the walls of our own homes. I know I have cherished it more than ever in my life.
noun: gratitude
- the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
To be grateful is a quality. The part of the definition that struck me the deepest is that it is a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. In our world right now, there is much hatred. A dichotomy of worlds where people scream at each other across computer screens and defame people for holding a different belief then they. In this kind of world, a grateful heart feels life-saving. It feels necessary to survival! I personally find that if I don’t focus on gratitude, I succumb very easily to the diseased division and pain in our world.
As I was creating this, I chose a stencil also that gave the definition of joy. I wanted that to be in the underneath layers of the piece. How many of you know that joy is at the root of gratitude? Joy isn’t dependent on circumstances. It is a place inside of us. It is a choice that doesn’t rely on what our eyes see, but rather what we feed our hearts and souls.
Joy and gratitude go together. I don’t think we can have one without the other. I know that it is something that we feed. We must tend to it and nourish it or it can get buried.
In this season, it is my hope and my prayer that you can experience that deep sense of joy and the gratitude that flows from it.
I hope that you seek things that feed that joy. I think it is the little things that feed it. It is the simple things. A hot cup of coffee as the sun comes up. A warm blanket to curl up under on a cold night. A partner who you can laugh with and share your deepest thoughts with. It is grandchildren and innocence. It is a smile given to a stranger. It is a warm bath. It is art work – creativity. It is also self-care. It is saying no to ‘too much’.
I encourage you as I encourage myself to seek those things. Fill yourself up with those things.
Twenty-two years ago, an old therapist gave me a gratitude journal as we parted ways. I must admit, it really made me mad. Back then, I didn’t know how to appreciate what I had. I was hurting. I was deep in the deepest yuck. However, I found it recently without a pen mark in it. 22 years. I am going to use in in 2021 to document my gratitude going forward.
Blessings my friends, until next time…
Beloved – Reborn
Supplies used:
Shawn Petite Stencil – Moroccan Tile 4 – https://shop.shawnpetite.com/Moroccan-Tile-4-8×10-stencil-p202098298#a_aid=Cara_Renee&a_bid=f7fca2bd
Shawn Petite Stencil – Fav Words 2 –https://shop.shawnpetite.com/Script-Fave-Words-2-stencil-12×16-p223040086#a_aid=Cara_Renee&a_bid=e3c73ee1
Shawn Petite Stencil – Vintage Crosses – https://shop.shawnpetite.com/Vintage-crosses-stencil-p118241262#a_aid=Cara_Renee&a_bid=040f07e1
Golden High Flow – Dioxanine Purple –https://www.amazon.com/s?k=golden+high+flow+acrylic+dioxanine+purple&ref=nb_sb_noss
Liquitex Matte Medium & Gesso – See Basic Mixed Media supplies list below
Ranger Black Archival Ink – See Basic Mixed Media supplies list below
Pitt Pens – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=pitt+pens&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
List of basic mixed media supplies:
TCW Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=light+and+fluffy+modeling+paste&crid=3PFDSLJUPLGOO&sprefix=light+and+flu%2Caps%2C272&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_13
Shoresua Script Stamp- https://www.amazon.com/Shoresua-Transparent-Silicone-Scrapbooking-Embossing/dp/B07PGN3MR3/ref=sr_1_77?dchild=1&keywords=bo+bunny+stamps&qid=1601231832&sr=8-77
Golden High Flow Acrylic – Transparent Yellow Oxide – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=goldenhigh+flow+acrylics&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Liquitex Matte Medium- https://www.amazon.com/Liquitex-Professional-Matte-Medium-8-Ounce/dp/B000IYWYNE/ref=sr_1_1?crid=74CDOKRUL040&dchild=1&keywords=liquitex+matte+medium&qid=1586229506&sprefix=liquitex+ma%2Caps%2C291&sr=8-1
Liquitex Glazing Medium- https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Multi-Purpose-Acrylic-Polymer-GAC-100/dp/B001YJPX58/ref=sr_1_46?dchild=1&keywords=golden+glazing+medium&qid=1586230065&sr=8-46
Liquitex Heavy Gesso- https://www.amazon.com/Liquitex-Professional-Super-Surface-Medium/dp/B001UNREO6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=liquitex+heavy+gesso&qid=1586229647&sr=8-1
Penny Black Script Stamp- https://www.amazon.com/Penny-Black-Script-Unmounted-40-470/dp/B01HNO5R08/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Penny+Black+script+stamp&qid=1586229678&sr=8-1
Shawn Petite Stencils- https://shop.shawnpetite.com/Stencils-c14287046
Decoart Crackle Paint – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=decoart+crackle+paint&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
Rembrandt Soft Pastel – Black – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rembrandt+soft+pastel+black&ref=nb_sb_noss
Golden Fluid Acrylics – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=golden+fluid+acrylics&crid=1140N398O4PP1&sprefix=golden+fluid+%2Caps%2C520&ref=nb_sb_ss_ac-a-p_1_13
I can so relate with your words!! Sometimes, it’s so hard to be grateful for what’s right in fringe of us. But I have learned over a lllooonnnggg time, to adopt an attitude for gratefulness.
I enjoy your work so much, thank you for sharing!!!
Val, it sure is hard. I think it’s a discipline for sure. We have to work hard at not being pulled down into the sewer. I appreciate your feedback 💛 blessings 💛