October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so I think it’s the perfect time to share a video that our team has been working on for quite some time: Behind The Scenes of my painting Mine For a Moment, which I painted after I lost a friend to cancer.

I’m excited that it’s finished, and that we now have a beautiful, moving way to present what this painting is all about, and remind people of our mission. From the beginning, we’ve been giving lithographs of Mine For a Moment away to people who have experienced personal loss or are working through grief in any form.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OCXSz1GrVI

I’m amazed at how God has used this painting already to help bring peace to the couple who lost their child, the woman whose father passed away from cancer, and even a dear lady who had envisioned this exact scene at a retreat to help deal with aborting her baby over 30 years ago. (Read that story here.)

Mine For a Moment - Oil on Canvas

I hope that you’ll share this video on Facebook, Twitter, or by email.  Prints may be requested or donated to a friend either by visiting the Mine For a Moment website. More purchase options are available on TheArtistOfLife.com.

Cancer isn’t just something I hear about on the news or from a friend.  It’s very real to me now.  My Dad recently became cancer free after a year of waiting, treatment, and then finally receiving the great news that the cells were gone!  I’m grateful for the advances that are being made in medicine and treatment.  Consider taking this month and getting involved in the fight against cancer prevention and treatment.  Visit Susan G. Komen’s website for a great place to start.

I never know how God is going to use a painting that He’s called me to create. I may think I’m making it for one reason, but He uses it in a completely different way in someone’s life.

This truth presented itself in a powerful way last week!

A woman (we’ll call her Kay) called me on Thursday morning and said she didn’t really know how to tell me what she was about to say, but that one of my paintings had touched her deeply.  She proceeded to tell me that she had an abortion 30 years ago. She had dealt with a lot of pain and guilt since then, and had gotten involved with an organization called Rachel’s Vineyard.  This organization is dedicated to helping post-abortive women (and men) come to a place of healing and forgiveness for decisions they made in the past. Kay told me that she had attended one of their retreats and on it, they asked the women to visualize a beautiful field with children laughing and playing with Jesus. The sun was shining, and everyone was joyful. Kay took great comfort knowing that her unborn child was with Jesus and that some day she would get to meet her.

I say “her” because Kay is certain that her baby would have been a little girl… with brown hair and brown eyes.  She’s always felt it, and she even knew that her name would have been Rachel.

Fast forward to just a few weeks ago: Kay went to her dear friend’s home and saw a large package sitting out for her. It was a gift, and in it was a lithograph of my painting “Mine For a Moment.” She took it out and was moved to tears. For her, it was a depiction of her own daughter, grown up and playing in a field with Jesus.

"Mine For a Moment" - a painting about love, loss, and letting go

She hung it in the bedroom that her now-grown other children stay in when they come to visit.  It’s a way for all of her children to be together.

Of course, I’m crying at this point, and I am so thankful that God prompted her to contact me and tell me about her story. In the past few weeks, I’ve been so wrapped up with caring for my own newborn, that it’s been hard to remember that God has still called me to create, to be obedient to His prompting to paint what He’s told me to. I have a painting even now that He laid on my heart several years ago that I haven’t begun. It is my goal to complete this year.

Part of the wonder of this story is how the print came into Kay’s hands.

Months ago, I donated the print to a benefit auction held at New River Fellowship in Franklin, TN. A man bid on, and won the artwork, but later admitted to his wife, “I have no idea why I purchased this. I know it’s not for me.” Later, he and his wife visited some friends for dinner. He brought the print to their home and gave it to them. He said that he didn’t know why he felt they should have it, but he knew that he was being obedient by passing it on. The woman knew exactly why she received it.  She was Kay’s dear friend, and walked with her through her struggle and knew about the vision she had of her lost daughter.

I am in awe of this chain of events. I’m humbled that God would use this painting to help this strong woman find some peace and further healing in her life. It has given me renewed resolve to continue painting, even though it will take a more concerted effort in the months and years to come.

If you would like to read the story behind “Mine For a Moment” or donate a print to someone you think may benefit from it, please visit its website by clicking here.

I had an an incredible opportunity last week to be involved with Extreme Makeover Home Edition! While I can’t be very specific about (or post photos of) the design I worked on until the episode airs on November 14th, there are some things I can share. We worked on rebuilding Lighthouse Christian School, part of which was destroyed in the flood Nashville experienced in May of 2010. It is run by the Sweatt family, who we found out actually lives in our neighborhood! Many of you may remember this image that made its way through the national media circuits:

Part of Lighthouse Christian School's preschool floating down I-24

Many people have been asking questions about this past week. I’ll try to cover some of them here!

How did I get involved?

Nate and I heard about Extreme Makeover Home Edition coming to the Nashville area through our neighbor, Famous Donna, who coordinated the catering for the whole event. We knew right away that we wanted to be involved in a worthy effort to restore hope and happiness to some deserving people. I cry just about every time I catch an episode on TV! Admit it… you do too.

We signed up on the website to volunteer. I submitted a link to my website along with my application and indicated that I was an artist and graphic designer, and happy to help with any project that could use a creative or detailed touch. Very soon, a design producer named Courtney Sanders contacted me and said she had a project she wanted to give me full control over. It was her “baby” and she wanted it to be stunning and she loved my work. Imagine my excitement over getting to have full design privileges on a special project!

Me, Courtney, my hubby, and Nate Galui from HGTV's Design Star

Nate and I met with her that evening in her headquarters, a trailer reserved for the design team on site, and we selected paint colors and discussed specific design details. I came home and stayed up late laying out the design in Adobe Illustrator so that my team and I would have something visual to refer to as we worked. That night and the following morning as I corresponded with the carpenter, the producer, and others, I got several flashbacks from my whirlwind time creating a piece for NBC’s Today Show just this past April. I’m beginning to associate “TV Production” with “Quick Turnaround.”

I quickly gathered an arsenal of creative types to work with the carpenter and I: a master faux painter, a muralist, a seamstress, an auto-cad designer, a sign printer, my supportive husband, sister, and friends who helped tremendously with general painting work. I couldn’t have done it with each of these talented people, and I’m so grateful for them! We worked literally night and day for 3 1/2 days to pull off the project, and it was incredible to see it come to life from my original design.

When our project was finally ready for installation, I was asked to help put finishing touches on one of the classrooms. It was here that during my nearly 7 months pregnant and sleep-deprived state, I stepped off of a ladder and into a bucketful of bright Bemini Blue paint. It was classic! I spent the next two hours barefoot and unable to leave the room to eat or visit the ladies room due to strict shoe rules on the work site. Nate graciously rushed home and brought me back a backup pair.

What was it like being on the set?

Okay, I’m not gonna lie: it was awesome! The area we worked in is known as “Art World,” and it’s where Ty Pennington, Paul DiMeo, Tracy Hutson, and others you’d recognize from the show spend much of their time. We worked alongside master woodworkers, painters, and artists, and were frequently “interrupted” to be filmed with one or more of the show’s personalities. These were the moments you were thankful you had held off on that lunch break or cooling off time in the AC.

Ty is exactly as he is on camera: energetic, to-the-point, and yes… a bit ADD. I did happen to borrow him and visiting artist LeAnn Rimes for a photo op as they came through our set one day:

Me with Ty Pennington and LeAnn Rimes.

Paul is a true gem, and I got to know him the most throughout the week. He frequented our set, helped paint several times, and even sat with me at lunch one day and brought me milk and cookies after I teased him about mentioning them in to a pregnant lady without actually offering her some! Of course, I got a photo of us with said milk and cookies:

Paul DiMeo and me with some delicious refreshment.

What did I take away from the experience?

I’ve never been a part of such a monumental effort where so many people came together to create something this amazing before… it was humbling and awe-inspiring. There were over 1,000 people who volunteered their time, used their skills and talents, and donated supplies over the course of 6 feverish days to get this preschool built and looking fabulous. My part was only a small fraction of the overall effort, but it was an honor to have been able to contribute.

I’m grateful for the connections that were made, friendships that were formed and strengthened, and that a deserving family-run school can now continue in its efforts to bring up young children in a Christ-centered atmosphere.

I also amazed myself at being able to get through a week of 14-16 hour days working outdoors while 29 weeks pregnant. It helped that Nate made sure I sat down a lot, drank plenty of water, and delegated as much work as possible. I’m convinced that our first week home with our new baby in December will not be as physically taxing as this past week was!

Some other cool happenings:

My rockstar agent, Laura Travis of Connect The Arts came to the big reveal and talked with some contacts of hers with News Channel 2. They asked to interview me about my involvement in the show, and it aired on the 10:00 news that evening. Click here to watch it, though the link will not be live indefinitely.

Interview with News Channel 2 on Reveal Day

If you ever get the chance to volunteer at an Extreme Makeover event in your area, I highly recommend it!

In the fall of 2008, while I was planning my wedding, a strong, courageous friend of mine was fighting for his life.

At age 34, Daniel Smith was vibrant, healthy, and full of promise. He was finishing medical school and running more marathons than I could count. He seemed to have his whole life ahead of him. On October 22, Daniel lost his 6-month long battle against squamous cell oral cancer.

I heard the news after coming back from my honeymoon. I know I cannot adequately describe how this news affected me, but I will try:

I experienced deep sadness, sympathy for his family and the painful sting of loss, all of which is to be expected. What I did not expect was to be confronted with the fear that Nate could be taken from me in a similar way.

Life was now fragile and unpredictable….fleeting. Of course, it always has been, but now I had this new person in my life that I wanted to hold on to so tightly.

For days, I considered the possibility of losing Nate. How would I be able to go on without this amazing man in my life? But this couldn’t really happen, could it? After all, God had given him to me; wasn’t that a guarantee that my next 50 years would be wonderful?

As naïve as that sounds, it really is how I felt. The evening I heard about Daniel’s passing, I was struggling to balance loving fiercely with a willingness to let go. Then something happened that I can only attribute to God’s leading.

I saw my next painting in my mind, as clearly as you are seeing it now on your screen. It was an image of a girl playing in the field with her father. He had just let go of her hand, and she was running away, but smiling back at him. I knew I was supposed to get it on canvas.

“Mine For a Moment” is my answer to the struggle. It’s my reminder that we must not love less in order to avoid the pain of potential loss. The people in our lives, our children, spouses, friends and family members, are here with us now, and “now” is really all we can hold on to.

Nate is “mine for a moment,” and in this moment I will love him completely, knowing that his life is not in my hands, but in the hands of his Creator, who has seen each of his days before even one of them began.

I hope you will share this painting with someone who may need to see it. It is dedicated to Daniel Smith and to little Sadie Isabella Stout, whose life ended just 9 days after it began. My heart goes out to the families and friends of those whose moments here on earth seemed too few.

Let me know if you’d like to be contacted when prints are available of this painting. (Update as of February 2010, they are now available!  You may visit the painting’s website to order or to donate: MineForAMoment.com.

See the painting on my website.

Below is an excerpt from Daniel’s blog. He wrote this less than a month after his diagnosis:

Sunday, May 11, 2008
Moments

Time isn’t grouped in days anymore. I am much more aware of moments. Some of those moments find me in high places warmly blanketed by the prayers of faithful family and friends. Other moments find me in sad disbelief as the majority of my body disagrees with the test results. Some moments find me thankful for evidence of God’s movement before the most dramatic challenges have even begun. Other moments find me terrified of the unknown.

But, if I truly believe Him, I can’t wallow in fear of the unknown. All of my unknowns have been known by Him since long before I was even born. He has not been caught off guard. He is ready, and He is more than able. A friend shared this verse earlier today: “Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9

Indeed, He is … and forevermore will be.

I was recently commissioned to paint a lovely woman named Loma. She lived a long, happy life, and recently passed away in her 90′s. The family wanted to memorialize her in a painting, which will be displayed above the mantle in the grandchildren’s play room.

Loma was a vibrant, amazing woman, and had stunning blue eyes, porcelain skin, and high cheekbones. Sherry, my client, wanted the painting to depict Loma in her youth, and a traditional head and shoulders style portrait simply would not do!

Sherry provided me with several reference photos from the 1940′s, all black and white and showing signs of their age. I realized quickly that this portrait would be a challenging one, but I knew how important the project was. The photo we decided to use was of Loma sitting on an uneven bar in someone’s backyard. Sherry mentioned that Loma had always loved sunflowers, so it seemed fitting to have a field of the beautiful flowers in the background of the painting. I went on a search to find the perfect field – one that had a fence that we could place her on.

After selecting the reference photos, I used my Photoshop program and my graphic design background to lay out the composition and get Sherry’s approval before starting to paint. We agreed on details such as what color to make her skirt stripes, and whether she preferred a white fence or a natural one, and then the magic began…

I spent about 2 weeks working on this painting.  I was pleased with how it progressed, and enjoyed making decisions such as shadow placement, how to paint the sky, and what to do with the lower part of the fence and ground without reference material.

The end result: a 24×30 painting of a “moment in time” that never actually happened! The next time someone asks why they should invest in artwork rather than just printing a standard photograph on canvas (which seems to be quite popular these days), I’ll tell them the story of Loma and her sunflower field. 

I recently had the pleasure of painting Andy Andrews’ little boys.  If you are unfamiliar with Andy, please check out his website! He’s an incredible speaker and a New York Times best-selling author, and a wildly funny and inspirational guy.  Last month, he asked me to create a painting from an adorable photograph of his two boys as a gift to his wife Polly.  Nate and I delivered it last weekend to their home in Orange Beach, AL and spent the weekend with the family.  It was a great time, and when the oldest boy saw it, he exclaimed: “Wow!  You made our butts so lifelike!”  Ha!  How’s that for a quote?

Below is the painting:

And here is a photo of Nate and I with the Adam and Austin (who are a bit older now):

Many of you are familiar with my painting entitled “Unblemished,” which depicts an old gentleman holding a little lamb.  Some of you have even read my account of how the painting came to be.  What you don’t know yet is that he’s still doing his Santa gig during the holidays, and my husband and I ran into him at Gaylord Opryland’s Hall of Trees, where my artwork is being auctioned this month!

Nate and I were in Jackson, TN for another art show the weekend before Thanksgiving, so we had hired someone to set up our tree and art display at Opryland’s Hall of Trees this year.  When we arrived the next week to see the exhibit, we were surprised with much more!

The Hall of Trees is an amazing display of sponsored trees from different individuals and businesses.  The businesses decorate and donate goods and services, and 17,000+ visitors come through to bid on the trees.  All proceeds go to the charity that the business chooses.  This year, I participated, and I have a tree on display with goods totaling $1900!  The charity I chose to benefit is the Abba House Foundation in Thailand, where I served in 2007.  The Abba House is taking care of girls who have been rescued from brothels, child trafficking, and other abusive or potentially abusive situations.

At any rate, the Hall of Trees is part of a larger event known as Winter Wonderland, complete with photos you can take with Santa while you are there! Wouldn’t you know that I recognized Santa? He was none other than the man I asked to model for “Unblemished.” On his break, he joined us at my tree and we took photos with him. It was a wonderful reunion!

The Inspiration…

I saw this painting in my mind more than 2 years before I began painting it. I was reading I Peter 1:18-20:

“For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.”

I got a vision for a painting of God holding a lamb, both loving him, but also knowing He had to let him go. The lamb, of course, is Christ. We are also all biblically like the lamb in the painting, and God is our shepherd who loves us.

Next, you’ll read the incredible story of how this painting came to be, complete with never-before-seen photos of the day of the shoot. I still can’t believe how it all happened…

The Models

The first thing I felt like I needed to do was to find someone who raised sheep. I live in Brentwood, TN, and this was no easy task. After calling multiple farms only to find out that there were no places nearby who still did this, I put my search on hold. Then, a year and a half later at an art show, a lady came to me and asked if I could design a business card for her sheep breeding business. I couldn’t believe it! I should know by now not to be surprised that God would work like this, but I was ecstatic. Unfortunately, it was October and lambs aren’t born until the spring, so the wait continued.

The Bearded Gentleman…

The next obvious thing that I needed to do was to find a bearded man to agree to help me. I was on the lookout! One Sunday, a friend called to invite me to lunch after church at Panera. I showed up only to find out that no one was there. But before I left, I saw a man who was perfect for my painting. He was eating with his family, but I just went right up to him and gave him my card, explaining what I wanted to do and would he help me? He was a Christian and was thrilled to help. He plays Santa at Christmas, and he said he could probably wait until spring to shave his beard.

The Perfect Lamb… Unbelievable!

January 1, Paul called me and said that his wife was really tired of his beard, and wanted to know exactly when the lambs were due to be born. I still thought it would be several months, so I was a little nervous that he wouldn’t be willing to wait. I called the breeder immediately and she said “You won’t believe this, but a little white male lamb was born on Christmas Eve completely out of season. We’re bringing all of the animals in tomorrow – can you come then? They grow really fast.” My jaw hit the floor… this was coming together better than I ever could have hoped, and it was becoming obvious to me that what was happening was far bigger than my little vision for a painting.

My Amazing Photographer…

Until then, I had only worked with one photographer that I trusted to understand my artistic vision and capture it on film. His name is Riley Spiller, but unfortunately he lives in Missouri and rarely comes to Nashville. I had to have a talented photographer that I trusted, and I was willing to beg and plead for him to come to Tennessee the next day. I called him and, again, God amazed me in his provision. Riley had another shoot to do that weekend (in Nashville) and had just pulled into town! He said tomorrow morning was free and he was happy to do the shoot on a moment’s notice. By this point, I was on cloud nine. Within an hour, everything had come together for a painting that had been on my heart for the past two years. It was about to be a reality.

The Photoshoot…

I picked up everyone and we made the hour and a half drive to the ranch. I met the star (we named him Christopher), and we found a good place in one of the barns to take the photos. Paul asked how I wanted him to act with the lamb. I said, “just love him.” He was a natural I wasn’t sure how the young lamb would act away from his mother. I had visions of him trying to kick his way out of Paul’s arms the whole time, leaving us with only one or two decent shots. Instead, he just melted into Paul’s chest for the whole shoot and quietly let out a little “baaaaa” every now and then to his mother who was in a nearby stall. We took over 200 photos that morning.

The Hidden Cross…

I can’t explain how it felt that day, seeing my vision being captured on camera. When I came home and selected the photo to work from, I noticed that part of the barn door behind Paul looked like a cross! I ended up adding a nail with a hint of red near it for added symbolism on this area. The entire process took only 2 1/2 weeks, which is almost unheard of compared to how long I typically spend on large paintings like this. I hope that it will continue to touch people who see it, and that it will always bring God glory instead of me. I think you’ll agree after reading that this one was truly out of my hands from the beginning.

Thanks so much for reading.