A Painting a Day - Day 15

I've been thinking a lot about this project. In fact, I think about it all day long.  What is the purpose of it? Does it have a message?  What am I trying to say?  I know there are artists that use their art to protest an injustice or to challenge social mores or to comment on an injustice or a pervasive mentality. I wonder if my art should carry that kind of weight. But I can't help myself. I like to make pretty pictures.  I had a professor say tell me I was really good at making pretty pictures very quickly. Then he said I need to work some more on my paintings.  That really perplexed me.  Wasn't it enough to make something beautiful? Apparently he wanted me to wrestle with the painting.  I felt like I had already won.

As I was thinking on all of this I recalled a Bible verse "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."  Philippians 4:8.I want to think about the beautiful things in life. There are injustices and dark and terrible deeds perpetrated by human beings on each other and other living things.  And it makes my heart freeze.  But to only know about these things is not enough. I have to be strong enough to face them and push against them. The only way I can is if I have hope.  Beauty can create hope in our hearts. It gives us a reason to fight. It is beauty that causes us to see the injustice and darkness for what it is - a twisting of what we were meant to be.  Beauty reminds us of all the good that can be and should be.

So I will paint pretty pictures of kittens and children and horses and birds because they are beautiful and they remind me to have hope.

This painting, #15, is for sale for $15.  It is 5 x 7 and ready for framing.  If you would like to buy it, please email me at lauraparkhurstillustrator@gmail.com.  Thank you so much for coming to see my art.  And please share it with someone who needs to see something pretty.