Colors. Colors and lines and swerves and a million droplets of paint. Pure white paper, the texture of the canvas. The feeling of creating something beautiful and reflective of truth. The way the pencil feels in your hand when you send it dancing over the paper. The way the paint smears the page, sending a color into existence on the white backdrop. Not knowing how you got it on your face and not caring anyways. 

     The painters. The artists. The creators. The ones with the unique ability to see. 

    A famous artist once said that it was the eyes of the artists that were important. The way they saw deeper, into a person, into a flower; the act of seeing farther. Because to do a masterpiece you need to display more than the outside. 

    I know it isn’t just me who is captivated by art. Why I wonder? Maybe because we are made in the image of the Creator God. Maybe because art is beauty for the brokeness of the world. How badly we need beauty!! 

  God has given beauty as a watering can to hydrate the dry and shriveled part of our lives. ~ Sally Clarkson

    It had been two hours and I had had no idea. Maybe ten minutes was my guess. I looked down at my paper. It was finally coming. I had been utterly wrapped up in my drawing. And that was one of the most freeing and amazing feelings ever. The paper, the penciled lines, the way I made something uniquely beautiful to me. It has always made me feel safe and relaxed. I guess it’s what I go to when I need to get rid of stress and worry and anger. When math is being horribly contrary and I just need a little imperfect beauty.

 I have always loved art. From going through hundreds of coloring books to my first real sketch book, art has been a place of comfort and love. I love the unique magic of creating on paper.

Not that I’m perfect. No where near it! I know a ton of artists who are far better at things than myself! And there have been times I’ve beat myself up about it. Now I am learning something: thats okay. For goodness sake, look at the famous artists! How different is Picasso from Monet? How different are the stained glass masterpieces from the children books illustrator? And aren’t they both so beautiful? 

    Maybe we need art. Maybe we need beauty in this world. Maybe we desperately need what art gives us. The neat thing is that there are so many different aspects and categories in the word ‘art’. It can mean painting, drawing, writing, poetry, music, and even dancing. I have been given the personality of loving all of theses things and tease that I do so much I won’t ever get really good at one thing. But it doesn’t matter. I think I’m realizing more and more that the goal isn’t to ‘get good’, it’s to enjoy it as you go along and then use it to love others.