"Love" a New Mixed Media Painting...

(for details click on image)

This is by far my favorite painting to date. Lately, I've been obsessed with the song "Let It Be". I listen to it while I work, I listen to it when I need to re-center, and I have the privilege of listening to it live while my husband and daughter work on music together. I reflect a lot on my faith, and the kind of wife and mother I long to be. I reflect a lot on how many times I try to force what I think is right instead of "letting it be", and trusting that God, as always, will reveal the next step, and help me to find true peace.

Motherhood and Mary are subjects that show up a lot in my work. I often depict Mary in what I imagine her to look like in her older years. But recently, a younger Mary has been appearing on my work table. This particular canvas had been prepped for months. I had applied modeling paste, and wrote the word "love" out. But nothing was inspiring me, so there it sat.

Last night, I decided to just wing it. As I looked at the layered paint, my "Mystele "gut art" lessons" came to me. I saw a figure in the creases of paint. I saw the veil, then the face. It all flowed with ease, and this young beautiful Mary, vulnerable, and full of grace, emerged through the rough background.

I hope someone out there loves her as much as I do :)

Blessings... Linda