WHY DO I PAINT? WHAT INSPIRES ME?
I frequently get questions about what I paint and why I paint. Here is my attempt at answering some of these great questions and providing some insight into what I do.

ART THAT SPEAKS LIFE...

I create art because I believe it has the power to heal.  When I paint, I invite God to speak and reach through my art to release messages of hope to others.  My art is meant to point to the Creator and to encourage and inspire the viewer. Art in its basic sense,  is just a visual form of communication. I believe that each painting carries a message of something specific, whether Healing, Freedom, Grace, Courage, Love, or Truth...

HOW I PAINT

Spontaneous...
When I paint it can sometimes be a spontaneous event. While I know I am going to paint something, many times I have no idea what it's going to look like until it is finished.   Before I begin, I quiet myself, pray, and ask God what He wants to say, what is on His heart for that moment and is there a picture He can give me to express whatever that is. Often I will start with scribbles or doodles to activate the blank canvas and then start layering paint over the words or scribbles.

Inspired...
Sometimes I will get an image in my minds eye before I begin to paint. Or I might get a theme word or scripture in my mind and I will pray about what that might look like. At times when l have no idea what God wants me to paint,  I'll ask Him is there a color?  I'll start with a stroke of that one color, and it will be transformed into something meaningful as I talk with him throughout.  It's a dialog with my Father... Once the painting is finished, I realize I have somehow just uncovered what was already there, so that others can see it. 

Creative... 
Through my painting journey, I have come to realize that I was created to create.   I believe we all have creative potential because the Master Creator has made us in His image(Gen 1:26-27), and also gave us minds and imaginations  to create with. Creativity is not just for art, music, dance, or writing, but it has a place in all aspects of life. Creativity helps us to solve problems and accomplish any job. If you don’t feel creative, you can ask God to reveal to you what your creative gifts are. You may be amazed at what you discover!