The Call That Reminded Me Of My Call

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.

My greatest creation by far… Juliet Noelle!

On December 2, Nate and I welcomed our first child, Juliet Noelle into the world!  She took her time getting here (39 hours of labor), but I can say that she’s incredible and beautiful, and makes us smile every day.  I didn’t know how much I could love a little munchkin who I’ve only known for a few weeks!

So, maybe I can’t take credit on creating her, but I certainly made a great incubator for 9 months. *laughing*

The maternity photos below were taken by Chris & Adrienne Scott about 2 weeks before Juliet was born:

Joe Hendricks took these amazing newborn photos of Juliet when she was just 5 days old!  There are many more, but these are some of my favorites:

Juliet was born 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and 20 inches long.  If you’d like to read her birth story, please email me, since there are far too many details to post online. Of course, she will be drawn and painted all of her life. I’ve already started my first of many drawings of her!

Quitting Christmas

I’m quitting Christmas. I see your eyebrows going up and your blood pressure rising, so let me explain: I’m quitting the commercialism of Christmas: The rushing around for a month to make sure that all of the people I love have the PERFECT gifts under their tree from me, that I spend not too little or not too much, that my husband knows by my gift(s) how much I love him… The list goes on, literally!  I challenge you to take a moment and try to think of the gifts you gave and received last year.  Can you remember any of them? If you can’t, how much do they really matter?

The real joy and meaning behind the holiday (Christ’s birth) can easily get lost in the hustle and bustle, and many of us don’t seem to mind. After all, there are things to do! Gifts to buy! Stores begin selling us on the giving season before Halloween has even passed. People rush out on Black Friday and become these crazed, shopping shells of who they were just a day before on Thanksgiving.

I’ve had it.

This year will be different, and I have my amazing family to thank for it. I recently had the chance to be involved with a stop-motion video production that my church produced with this simple message: Less under our trees… More for the world. The premise is that by asking for (or buying) fewer gifts for people in our lives who already have more than enough, it frees us to give in life-changing, kingdom-building ways both locally and around the world! What an amazing concept: to give to those who really need it, and to side-step the mad shopping rush and stress that comes along with it at the same time.

My Experience Designing for Extreme Home Makeover!

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!

50 Original Celebrity Drawings for $50.00!

Over the years, I’ve drawn quite a few celebrities! Most of these were drawn while I was in college and a couple of years after graduating because I found them to be a great way to draw something once and then sell prints multiple times on eBay or to local collectors. They’ve ranged from old movie stars, to musicians, to successful sports figures, and now it’s time to let them go as my husband and I prepare for a new baby and we’re in “clear it all out” mode! (Don’t get me started on the paintings, frames, and canvas prints that are sure to get the axe before too long.)

I’ve decided to price these ridiculously low to sell.  I am no longer attached to any of them, and this means that you can own an original, stunning drawing of your favorite star for just $50.00! I would typically sell such a drawing for $320 or more. Purchase more than one and receive free shipping. Please contact me to see any of the drawings seen or listed below larger.

These will be sold on a first come, first served basis, and you may see my full selection here.  These are 11×14 drawings:

Movies and TV:

Lucille Ball, James Dean, Clint Eastwood, two Gone With The Wind drawings, Shirley Temple, Audrey Hepburn, George Burns, Jack and Rose from Titanic, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Batman, Mister Rogers, Harry Potter, Batman, and Charlene Darlin’ and Gomer Pyle from The Andy Griffith Show

Sports Figures:

Michael Jordan, Mark McGwire, Goldberg, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, and Mia Hamm, TN Titans, and the Rams

Musicians:

The Beatles, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, Celine Dion, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Shania Twain, Elton John, Ricky Martin, James Taylor, The Backstreet Boys, and Carl Perkins

My 50 foot painting in the Bronx!

Most people think of my paintings in terms of inches, not feet! And rightly so, as I’m a portrait artist who strives for a high level of detail in each of my pieces. I do, however, make an exception now and then.  My 2005 mission trip to the Bronx in 2005 presented me with an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up: to give a dark and desolate neighborhood a splash of life and color!

It started with a wall… a double handball court at a school that got vandalized often.  In the aftermath of 9/11, the school officials thought that a patriotic painting on the wall would not only be a thing of beauty, but would discourage graffiti artists. When our team from a local church in Brentwood, TN showed up to paint the interior walls of the school, they asked if there were any artists who were interested in working on a “big” project.

My "canvas"

I have to say that I was hesitant to volunteer, having never painting anything on this scale before, but I knew it was a great way to leave my artistic mark on the city and bring a little hope and excitement to the kids who went to the school!

I was told I had 2.5 days to design, plan, and execute the project, and I could recruit other team members to help. Five of us put all of our energy into the project, not knowing if we’d be able to pull it off in time.

Planning stages - lots of painter's tape and size calculations going on here.

I got over my mild fear of heights.

Our Award-Winning Blueberry Pie!

Some of you may know that my love for creating often manifests itself in the kitchen rather than my studio! I love getting ideas from The Food Network and trying them out on my husband for dinner. Of course, the competitions are always great to watch, as they inspire creative approaches to a sometimes ordinary dish.

So this week, I find out that the small town of Nolensville, TN (just a stone’s throw away from our Brentwood home) was hosting a Pie Bakeoff Competition as part of their 4th of July Celebration. I’ve always wanted to enter a food competition, so I enlisted my husband Nate to join me in a little challenge!

We made a “tester” pie the day before that was delicious, but not award-winning (A double crusted Peach Raspberry Pie). We decided to shift gears and give a cream pie a chance for the big day. I found a photo of a gorgeous one online. gathered some extra inspiration, and proceeded to customize a with my own artistic flair. Nate consulted and approved of said flair, and we set to baking!

We were thrilled when they announced the winners and we learned that we had placed 2nd! Even better? We got to enjoy and share what was left of our pie with our friends who were with us.

Check out a detail shot of our completed pie!

A few friends have already requested our recipe, so here it is:

Red, White, and Blueberry Cream Pie

INGREDIENTS:

9 inch Graham Cracker Crust:

1½ cups Graham Cracker crumbs
¼ cup crushed almonds
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Blueberry Filling:

Expecting…

Yes, I mean “expecting” in the traditional sense of the word! Nate and I are pleased to announce publicly that we will be parents in December!

We feel incredible blessed that God has deemed us worthy to bring a new life into the world. We’ve been following the progress of this little child in my belly, and I’m amazed at the intricate way that life is formed… A beating heart at just 11 weeks, eyebrows formed at 13. Our child is now the size of a peach, and is making ballet-like movements in my belly! I can’t wait to meet this little one and see what God has in store for him or her in the outside world.

And yes, I’m looking forward to creating works of art of my own child like this drawing in pencil I drew years ago:

I would love any words of wisdom or advice people may have for pregnancy or mothering. I’m already learning so much from those who have “been there.”