Sem-recently I was given a very fun art project. Ten Thousand Homes had a Valentine's Party and I was asked to make a few paintings having the theme of love. Names were drawn at the end of the party as to who would win each painting.
While the project was a super fun idea and I was really excited to have a new idea to focus on, I was a little put-off by the project. I never really enjoyed the lovey-dovy, mushy, romantic side of Valentine's Day. However, I've always loved Valentine's Day growing up because my family and I would have our own little party celebrating it. So I decided to focus on the aspects of love that I really appreciate in this project. I did each piece about a different aspect about love. I ended up finding out a lot about love; and while I was painting, I discovered new aspects and amazing truths about the power of love. Love is something that people say too often. It is a word and topic discussed so much that it easily loses meaning to most people. This project helped open my eyes again. Here are the different aspects I focused on, from left to right.
The Water Lilly. Love is often found in the strangest places. Something so pure and elegant rises up from a very messy place. A white flower known for its symmetrical beauty grows from water that is very often murky, dirty, and unclear. And so it also happens between people, and not just in a romantic manner. Love for others often grows when acceptance is one's heart falls over the murkiness of another's heart. Love takes places when a person chooses to forgive another's weaknesses.
The Elephant. Elephants are known for their strong memories, and are a symbol of wisdom. Very often people think that a person must have much knowledge in order to know another person. But it's actually the opposite. To persistently love someone, you must have the wisdom it takes to love even when it hurts and even when you have no knowledge of why the other is treating you so poorly. Love is when a person has the wisdom to forgive, even though they can easily remember all the wrongs another person has done.
Tree Roots. This was a very interesting piece for me to do, as it's not usually my style. The infinity sign represents God's love for humans. We can never fully fathom His love and how it never ends, despite all of the mistakes that we make. And we accept that love from Him and desire to have a relationship with Him, our roots grow deeper. Our love will continuously grow and make a significant impact in the world if we are pressing into God's love.
Hands. This is the most significant symbol of love for me. Hands represent so much. Each set of hands and what they are doing is able to tell a story without any words. Hand show hard work. They show signs of endurance through pain. That is what real love is. It is a story, takes a lot of hard work, and must be enduring.
The Human Heart. This organ is constantly pumping oxygen to the rest of the body. Never does it take something in and never give something back. It is a vessel which continually has something pumping into it, and is continually pumping life out of it. This is the perfect picture of agape love. The love that is only possible by one being: God. This kind of love never takes, but is constantly giving life. It is the ultimate sacrificial love.
The Deer. In order for love to last a long time, it must have a certain strange tension. It must be done with a gentle spirit, as a deer. Yet it must also have an edge, a perseverance, a hardness so that it will be able to endure. Like the wood of the place where the deer lives.
While the project was a super fun idea and I was really excited to have a new idea to focus on, I was a little put-off by the project. I never really enjoyed the lovey-dovy, mushy, romantic side of Valentine's Day. However, I've always loved Valentine's Day growing up because my family and I would have our own little party celebrating it. So I decided to focus on the aspects of love that I really appreciate in this project. I did each piece about a different aspect about love. I ended up finding out a lot about love; and while I was painting, I discovered new aspects and amazing truths about the power of love. Love is something that people say too often. It is a word and topic discussed so much that it easily loses meaning to most people. This project helped open my eyes again. Here are the different aspects I focused on, from left to right.
The Water Lilly. Love is often found in the strangest places. Something so pure and elegant rises up from a very messy place. A white flower known for its symmetrical beauty grows from water that is very often murky, dirty, and unclear. And so it also happens between people, and not just in a romantic manner. Love for others often grows when acceptance is one's heart falls over the murkiness of another's heart. Love takes places when a person chooses to forgive another's weaknesses.
The Elephant. Elephants are known for their strong memories, and are a symbol of wisdom. Very often people think that a person must have much knowledge in order to know another person. But it's actually the opposite. To persistently love someone, you must have the wisdom it takes to love even when it hurts and even when you have no knowledge of why the other is treating you so poorly. Love is when a person has the wisdom to forgive, even though they can easily remember all the wrongs another person has done.
Tree Roots. This was a very interesting piece for me to do, as it's not usually my style. The infinity sign represents God's love for humans. We can never fully fathom His love and how it never ends, despite all of the mistakes that we make. And we accept that love from Him and desire to have a relationship with Him, our roots grow deeper. Our love will continuously grow and make a significant impact in the world if we are pressing into God's love.
Hands. This is the most significant symbol of love for me. Hands represent so much. Each set of hands and what they are doing is able to tell a story without any words. Hand show hard work. They show signs of endurance through pain. That is what real love is. It is a story, takes a lot of hard work, and must be enduring.
The Human Heart. This organ is constantly pumping oxygen to the rest of the body. Never does it take something in and never give something back. It is a vessel which continually has something pumping into it, and is continually pumping life out of it. This is the perfect picture of agape love. The love that is only possible by one being: God. This kind of love never takes, but is constantly giving life. It is the ultimate sacrificial love.
The Deer. In order for love to last a long time, it must have a certain strange tension. It must be done with a gentle spirit, as a deer. Yet it must also have an edge, a perseverance, a hardness so that it will be able to endure. Like the wood of the place where the deer lives.