Happy New Year! Ok, it’s the Hebrew calendar New Year, but we can celebrate it. Right?! Since sharing last week’s post on where God is leading and transitioning, it certainly IS the beginning of a new season. And wow, wow, wow – is He moving!
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In the past seven days works have been sold, new pieces have come to mind, folks have requested uniquely fashioned for you pieces, and new connections with art enthusiasts are being made. I’m over here like, “Go God!”

For those of you who saw the Lion of Judah piece shared on social media last week, the design has officially found its home! Last Friday, a gal (not just any gal, but longtime friend J) reached out to me expressing her interest, desiring a quote. The digital art is currently being shaped and fashioned to become a 16 x 20 printed canvas. I cannot wait to have the piece installed and believe God is going to bless her family’s home in more ways than she imagined.

That same day, I had a unique vision while taking a Friday evening drive with my hubby to the old area we used to live in. There was a large tree whose roots were made of water, completely fed by the River of Living Water we read about in Scripture. As I went into Saturday, there was an urgency to capture a first draft of the image and make it reality, shown here. I’m not 100% satisfied with how this watercolor on ink looks, but that’s ok. It is one iteration towards where the final piece will finally arrive. The cool thing? God later confirmed this piece was on His heart for me to create by leading me to the following Scripture this past Tuesday:

Tuesday of this week on my lunch hour and then in the evening while my family was off with homework, training and soccer, I was able to work on a design for an online friend and huge supporter of the devotional content God has shared through my life the past few years. She had shared an idea she hoped to one day experiment with. I then experimented with what she shared, prayed, envisioned, and forwarded the piece.

Admittedly, the abyss between sharing and response is probably the most nerve-racking part of this process Holy Spirit has been revealing to me. I just don’t know if I am way off base, or right on… Apparently I was right on. She responded, “Oh my goodness! That is awesome. What did you do it with? Digital or paint? How much does a piece like this cost?” After sharing the requested details, she decided to purchase the piece uniquely designed for her. What a blessing!

Interest in this process is growing. Other folks have inquired regarding the uniquely fashioned for you pieces. As I pray and press in to what might come together for each person when I have a moment to create, I grow giddy. I sense God’s heart not only for the piece, but for the person. That is special! I am honored to be a part of His blessing others in this very unique way. It also excites me to know art enthusiasts are intrigued when the flow of how the pieces are coming together is communicated.

Once a piece, like the Lion of Judah piece, is sold, it is no longer available. There is a portion of the process that makes the whole experience even more unique (it is so distinctive and personal I am going to keep this bit of the journey under wraps as long as possible). I believe this gift within the gift connects one particular piece to one particular person, and that exclusivity will be honored. If you are interested in a piece you see in my online portfolio, or interested in having a uniquely fashioned for you piece created, please send me a message to set up a time where I can hear the vision you might like to have captured. Blessings!

About five weeks ago I had an ad pop-up in my Facebook feed titled “Artists Rise Up!”. If you have read my first book or even the last devotional, you know the message to RISE UP has been on my heart for over three years now. This was one reason for uber intrigue. The other? I love art, creating it, viewing it, and watching videos. In fact, in 2011, I made a go of trying to be a full-time artist, but it just didn’t work out for me. Since then I have created pieces here and there, primarily for an exhibit in my hometown.
 
My guarded curiosity led me to sign up for the video series by basket weaver Matt Tommey. The day the video series kicked off, is the same day I received notification one of my “here and there” pieces had been selected for the cover of a local magazine's November 2019 issue. Was God giving me back my “Isaac”?
 
I had laid down my dream of being a professional artist six years ago, for the sake of my family. I stowed away my easel, paints, brushes and canvas, in order to focus on my career full time. The day I did so, my husband received an answer to prayer. It really seemed God needed me to give back to Him my artistic gift and trust Him. I did.
 
But what was this? This seemed out of the blue, sort of. God had been speaking to my heart of transition, change and so on. But I didn’t think it was THIS – getting back into creating art. As I listened to each video and connected in the online artist community Matt Tommey facilitates, new imagery flooded my mind. A piece I had on my heart for months, "Glory Bride", took more detailed shape as experimented with new skills on my graphics program. There was receptivity to the work I shared, and more importantly – spiritual connection!
 
Was it possible God could utilize art to reach others in a new and unexpected way through my life? As I pressed into Matt Tommey’s content, the thought came to mind to challenge myself with one hour prompts. As I listened to “Colors” by Josh Garrels, lines and colors and light danced around in my mind. I couldn’t wait to spend some time on my lunch hour capturing the vision.

​Josh Garrels, he had recently played at Grace College near the Village at Winona, a quaint artistic community near where I work. The Village at Winona also hosts an art fair every June, and was the first art fair I had been a part of eight years ago. I then began to search for my old blog – ShanonsArt – on blogspot. There it was, my photography booth during the 2011 Village at Winona Art Fair! Viewing the pieces in the booth while listening to the lyrics of Josh Garrels:
 
Glory to the light
Glory to the throne
 
This is our story
This is our song
We're telling it slowly all life long
Of a Savior and what He's done
It's a mystery
 
The Lord had led me into a study on Glory two weeks prior to registering for Matt Tommey’s video series. Because of the video series, I was inspired to create another iteration of the Glory Bride. Because Josh Garrels had visited near the Village at Winona, I was listening to his music, feeling creative, and then created the above pieces within one day.
 
God has been piecing together another piece of His story in my life, and I am excited to see where He is going to move. I am also grateful to see how far he has brought me since stashing away my dream of being an artist in the attic – He has birthed within me a creative and unique vision, that I believe will point many to His goodness, glory and Jesus Christ. Stay tuned, Friends. Stay tuned...