Joy

Artist Statement

Acrylic collage on wood panel When I think about joy, I often visualize myself being held gently by God and repeatedly whisper words of encouragement and truth that envelope me in a feeling I can only describe as joy. In this painting, God is hidden in the clouds and is gently breathing truth, wisdom and joy through His holy words. He is holding us just like He is holding Joseph, Mary and Jesus. Joseph was given words of encouragement when he doubted whether he should take Mary as his wife or quietly divorce her. He is covered in those words. Mary also is covered in words that give us a glimpse of her thoughts as she pondered all these things in her heart. Bethlehem is seen in the distance with Isaiah‘s words coming from its entrance to the foreground in the form of a path leading to words of joy written in gold. God‘s words remind us that we once walked in darkness, but with the gift of Jesus, we can walk out of darkness on a path that leads to His light and His joy. Dark blue painted, textured papers in the background represent the dark blue skies of the universe that God is holding us in while he breathes light,life and joy into us through his gift of Jesus. The world can be a dark place sometimes, but with God‘s promise and his gift of Jesus, we can see through the darkness and embrace joy by remembering that we are held and surrounded by God‘s strong hands and His holy breath.