It’s a beautiful thing how inspiration works. I have a few artists that I really admire. I love their style, the mediums they use, there is just something about their work that draws me in. I’m sure this is the case for most of us. Renee Mueller @reneedesigns is one of those artists for me. She posted a series of nests over the weekend that are just so charming. I knew at one point I would want to play and make a few of them myself.
That being said, let me get to the ‘rest’ and my story behind this nest that I created last night. I’ll save you all of the details, but let’s just say it was a super hard few days physically. I was in literal tears by the time I made it to my studio last night and remembered my table was gone. A few days ago, I had the ambitious idea of removing my big art table and returning it to the deck. I painted the frame and now it has rained for two straight days. My hopes for art outside were temporarily stifled. All of this to say, I have yet to replace said table in my studio. I have a very small one, maybe two feet by four feet. Leo and I made that one work last night, we needed it to.
Back to the tears. I needed art. I needed an escape from what my body was going through. I felt dark, I felt out of control, yet I know art is my comfort. I decided to try mixing mediums and colors of pastels and acrylics. The next thing I knew it was 10:30 pm and the pain had subsided. I’m telling you, it’s like the most amazing peace that surpasses understanding! Thank you, Jesus, when something as simple as creating takes the edge off. I view this as a gift, an invitation even, to create and to lean into and on our Creator.
Today, I hand-stitched the gold thread and named the piece REST. The entire thing is mostly painted with my fingers, a mechanical pencil, and a Stabilo All. This was actually a scratch piece of paper where I was mixing colors and then it just turned into my nest of rest. It’s messy and I think that also adds another layer to my story and the representation within. The gold is for hope, always. May this little post encourage you to rest. One of the greatest ways we can nurture ourselves in life and as artists is to allow rest. For me, I allowed my mind and my body rest by creating. I had no expectation, just some supplies and a sweet little idea from Instagram. This is where we begin to nurture ourselves and the artist within us. We never know where inspiration will lead and how it can help us rest in one way or another.
