The day that I received the call from NewPointe Community Church that they were getting ready to preach a message series called "Rent Free" focusing on mental illness and wellness, I was in the midst of selling the big house, packing to go to Washington State to see our Son, and looking for a new place to live, but...I immediately said YES to creating a series of paintings interpreting the theme of the messages and to allow a video crew to come to my studio to video the process start to finish...
Then?!
that night, I stood in my studio and became terrified!
So many thoughts filled my head and flooded my spirit.
Why me? Who am I? I'm not good enough of an artist! What will people who don't like me think? Yes, believe it or not, there are those who aren't my biggest fans...and they are local and surely they'd see and judge. (at least that was dancing in my head)
So many thoughts...So many lies
I began to ask God what to do and ask Him how to hard pass on this task. I had a ton of excuses with the move and all. I could have understandably wiggled right out of it.
In the quiet, I was given the realization that those people, the words, the lies...I was allowing them to live in my head "R E N T F R E E" and that is what I was to convey.
I knew exactly what that meant.
I pulled out canvas and my first attempt was a failure because I wasn't painting what was real.
I was painting what would please the audience.
It was when I grabbed a sheet of cotton paper, taped it to the easel, put messy charcoal in my hand that things got authentic.
What did I desire at that very moment?
Peace...Peace in the middle of chaos
Truth....in the midst of swirling lies
What was up there living rent free? and why were these thoughts swirling at this very moment?
Beginning to surrender each one, through cleansing tears, images began to appear.
Marks, swirls, colors colliding like, even they, were warring for my freedom.
The series was born.
6 unique but connected pieces of art that have proven to be very powerful, not just for me, but for others. I'm sure that was God's intention.
"Harmonious"
Original has found a home
"Tranquil"
"Reconciled"
"Peace Be"
"Quietude"
"Stillness"
What lives in your head, rent free?
Authentically Yours,
Tina