This painting originated (as many do) from something I wrote in my journal in 2018:
“My spirituality is like a beating heart. The heart contracts (retreats to be still and know God) and then releases (loves from the inside out) to pump blood (glorify God)”.
I was reflecting on the pattern I see in my life of quiet solitude which then fuels the loving and serving others. I am an introvert, so this pattern is clear to see in my energy levels, but also my spirituality. At the time, I created the double-spread art journal page below.
The evolution of the art journal pages to the final painting was quite a process. It was only in the past couple of years that I decided I wanted to try and create one painting that held something of these art journal pages. I tried lots of different versions - from a divided painting mimicking the two pages, to just one painting. I played with colour - adding white or black to create the different shades and highlight the heart shape. After several months, I was happy with my design. Inside the heart is order and calmness - just like my quiet solitude, and then outside of this is the brighter energetic chaos! This painting is included in my Food for the Soul postcard set, with questions for reflection about what brings you peace or inner stillness. You can find the postcard sets for sale here.