Happy New Years! Another year went by so quick! Well I started this website last year and blogged that one of my goals was to paint more in 2019. I feel good about the art I created but I obviously lost track of getting this website done. So here it is…welcome to my first official faith and art website.
2019 was a very eventful and significant year. My husband and I finally planted our roots just west of Des Moines. We had no idea where we would end up living when we started looking. You’d think we closed our eyes and just pointed to a map. But I had been searching for a year when this property popped up. We ended up with a small acreage in the steady rolling hills of Guthrie County. Life is better in the country!
We moved in the spring of 2019 into our 1920 farmhouse bungalow and as soon as I could, I set up my art studio. We ripped off wall to wall built-ins for this vision I had of an art nook in our living room. Soon as we removed the first shelf there was a window behind it. So my vision immediately changed and I embraced this 9 foot window 3 sections for shelves. Isn’t that how it goes, you think you have a plan and then there’s always something.
Everyone thought I was crazy to want to remove all this storage but when your tight on space you make do. I like to be able to see all the material I’ve collected. We built some open shelving to replace the storage.
If the wall was flat I was planning to install brackets so I could hook several canvas to the wall. But I absolutely had to embrace these hundred year old windows with the iron rollers still inside. I painted a mural on the drywall behind the window frames.
It looks like a disaster and most of the time it is a mess! But I love this space with the big bay window bringing in all the natural light and it’s right in our living room which is important. My husband likes to hang out with me when I’m creating 🥰 and vise versa.
I feel so blessed to finally have a dedicated space to create. I couldn’t have dreamt of a more beautiful area to live and such inspiring surroundings to create art in. I feel very blessed.
I spent a lot of time tuning into the Holy Spirit, really listening developing my skills and techniques this year. I am really drawn to lots of layers and texture using several different materials. I had several opportunities to volunteer and create live art for church services and Celebrate Recovery’s Rock in Recovery night. I also got to create some art pieces for a couple of events my church hosted.
I was nominated for secretary on the Guthrie County Art Council and served for only a few months. I realized I might have taken on more than I could handle. But I’ve enjoyed getting involved with the community and getting to know some people from around the area. The council meets at the Art On State gallery in the quaint downtown of Guthrie Center. Art On State is a non profit art gallery and gift shop created by the Guthrie County Arts Council as an opportunity for members to display and sell their artwork.
I feel like it’s is going to be a very productive year now that I’m set up! My goal for 2020 is to let the Spirit guide me in hopes to inspire people and share my faith!