Servant Heart

Servant Heart

18" x 24"

Oil on canvas

Unavailable, part of a private collection

Available as prints and note cards.

Boy, did I make a mistake with the description of this one!  This lovely child angel is a baptismal font, however, she is NOT in Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Olde Towne Portsmouth.  Dean Burgess graciously gave me a whole stack of photos of various angel statuary he had kept for years, and I misunderstood him to say that this statue was part of Trinity.  When I took a part time position there, I asked him to remind me where this precious child is.  He showed me that "Elizabeth", a young woman angel, is the baptismal font there, and he has no idea where my precious angel child stands.  Sorry that I misled you!  It was definitely unintentional.

The marble of the shell she holds is almost translucent and the quality of light fascinated me.  So, for the painting, I decided to imbue the implied water with a sacred reflective light of its own.  I hope you find meaning in this image.  She gladdens my heart!

I couldn't choose between so many wonderful scriptures about servants and so I've included quite a few here.  Perhaps one will be especially meaningful to you!

2 Samuel 7:29:  Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

1 Kings 8:23:  and said: “LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.

Deuteronomy 3:24:  “Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?

Joshua 22:5:  But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

1 Samuel 3:9:  So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’”

1 Samuel 25:41:  She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, “I am your servant and am ready to serve you and wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”

Psalm 4:3:  Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.

Psalm 34:22:  The LORD will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Psalm 86:4:  Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you.

Psalm 103:21:  Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.

Psalm 134:1:  A song of ascents. Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD.

Angel of Victory

Angel of Victory

18" x 36" acrylic on canvas

$650

The references for this angel painting came from some of my photographs taken in Richmond, VA, in the Hollywood Cemetery. One of my favorite things about the old statues is the absolute serenity so often masterfully carved into their stances and facial expressions.  When I was younger I did a lot of stone carving, so I'm especially impressed with these artisans of days past.  The actual statue portrays a younger angel, more like a girl really.  This painting is intended to express the successful warrior angel whose task has been completed and the loved one safely removed from all of life's peril and suffering to heaven's realm of peace and joy.

A praise song from my early days of walking with Christ proclaims:

In the Name of Jesus, in the Name of Jesus,

We have the victory.

In the Name of Jesus, in the Name of Jesus,

Demons will have to flee.

In the Name of Jesus, Jesus, we have the victory!

Psalm 34:7

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.

1 Corinthians 15:54-56 (NIV)

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:  "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

"Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?"

May you have victory in this life and know rescue from every kind of harm and evil by your Savior, Jesus Christ!

Pure Heart

Pure Heart

24" x 20"

Oil on canvas, heavy gold frame

SOLD

Also available as prints and note cards.

So, what helps when we are grieving?  Do funerals help people get through the loss of a loved one?  Does solitude; or  do wakes filled with stories of the loved one's foibles and antics?  Does time really heal?

I've known people who get memorial tattoos which are basically portraits they carry lifelong on their bodies.  Some monied people start foundations or build libraries titled with the name of the beloved person who died.

Most of us carry on with a limp and a heavy heart, going through our days sometimes well and sometimes ... not.  The weight of the loss does change over time, but does that simply mean our thoughts become distracted by all the obligations that fill our days?  Does time really heal?

Ministers at graveside services often still use the old timeworn words, "in the sure and certain hope of resurrection," and this is meaningful to me.  One of the reasons that I scour cemeteries for angel monuments and paint them is this.  They are a reminder of the hope of the resurrection.  So that in loss, when we are at our weakest and most vulnerable, we can look up to heaven and smile; gaze on a cemetery angel or a painting of one, and smile, knowing that our loved one has passed from our sight, but that we will be reunited one day.

I'm guessing that when a child dies, this is the hardest time to carry the weight of grief. I am thankful that is not a grief I have known, but my heart goes out to those who have.  This cherub is one of several I have painted so far, and I'm not sure whether this is a "he" or a "she".  A century ago both genders wore hairstyles like this.  Choose what seems best to you.  I'm going with "her" here.  I love the gentleness of her expression, and the sweet innocence of her prayerfulness.  Who could deny prayers coming from such a one as this?  Certainly a loving Father God will answer these prayers.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."  Matthew 5:8

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and  blameless in His sight.  In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will - to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves."     Ephesians 1:3-6