The Day the Lord Has Made – Inspirational Art Print

Always updating and adding new items to each of my galleries, this week I am featuring one of my newer prints added to the collection in my Inspiration Gallery. “The Day The Lord Has Made” is an art print done with Psalm 118:24 as an overlay on a photograph I took in Butchart Gardens of a pond.

As a Christian artist, I seek to make sure that the Bible quote I am using is a good marriage with the art print I put it on. In this particular case, the verse was resonating with me over and over. Always trying to stay in the moment and appreciate the blessings we have each day, this verse just kept popping into my head.  I felt moved to put it on a print, but wasn’t clear which print. I literally went through my entire gallery pulling up a variety of prints to see what worked. As soon as I came across this pond print from Butchart Gardens, I knew this was the right one. For anyone not familiar with Butchart Gardens, it is located just outside of Victoria, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. Incredible gardens representing the best the Great Pacific Northwest has to offer in plants, flowers and scenery. The next step in the process is picking the font and finding the correct position on the picture. After reviewing more fonts than you want to know, the positioning was obvious to me as you can see on this final image.

The Day The Lord Has Made

Thoughts?

I invite you to come into the gallery to view the new additions to the collection in the Inspiration Gallery.

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Inspiration

I just opened a new gallery on my web site called Inspiration.  I have been creating a few of my art prints with some of my prayers and biblical quotes. I then felt moved to actually do a gallery with inspirational quotes using my art as a back drop. I am a man of faith and am very spiritual and philosophical…that said, I use the Bible as my reference point. I like to look at different versions of the bible to get one that talks to me in as plain of english as possible. If a quote comes to mind, I start thinking of which picture that works with. Sometimes it works in reverse….I think of a picture and try to figure out what type of quote goes with it. This first picture was the watercolor inspiring me and looking for a matching quote. In this watercolor I see a very quiet relaxing inspirational space. A very “zen” space which is often sought out for refuge from the daily grind. That train of thought led me to Psalm 62:8.

Trust in Him

A very peaceful and serene scene!

The next step is to place the quote on the picture and pick the font. Sounds easy enough, but I need to make sure to keep the balance in the picture and that the quote doesn’t get lost and is easy to read. Again, sounds simple enough, but in a few of the oil paintings I had to “doctor” the area of the quote so the type wasn’t lost in the busyness of the background.

Next is one of my favorites. I love the picture…it’s of the mountains around North Bend, Washington. This picture definitely drove the quote. I keep reminding myself on a daily basis the power of faith and this quote comes to mind all the time! As I was painting this particular picture, all I could think of was the “faith” quote. To me it was the perfect fit.

Faith

The quote from Matthew is a very powerful statement. Again, from my perspective this watercolor and the quote are a perfect match.

The next one was a prayer of mine seeking a picture. I feel really strongly about quieting the mind so we may hear the voice of the Lord. It’s a real challenge for me frankly, because the moment I stop to quiet myself….my mind goes into overdrive. I was going through my portfolio looking for a print that speaks “quiet” to me. When I came across this scene, I was struck with the complete stillness of an early morning fog.

Quiet Me

The next example was prayer inspired. I accept the many blessings we are given and am constantly in awe of the timing of events.  I am truly a blessed man. In one of my philosophical moments with myself, I was having this mental debate about blessings past and future….totally missing the main point…the blessings of the moment…being in the moment and appreciating what you have at this point in time. I remembered this sunset watercolor and found a fit.

Blessings

The last example was a picture looking for a quote. I love this watercolor. The lighting on the docks by each boat always draws my eye in to see if anyone is coming or going. I found what I was looking for in Psalm 143:8.

I Trust You

Thanks for letting me share as I open a new gallery. I invite you to check out the rest of the art prints in my Inspiration Gallery and as always invite you to explore my main web gallery: The Wall Gallery.

Related articles

• My Daily Prayers (phillybookpicks.wordpress.com)
• The Longest Psalm (antandbev1.wordpress.com)
• Read the Psalms… (thehandmaid.wordpress.com)

Let Your Light Shine

We’ve been tasked with “Letting our Light Shine” in all that we do and are. To not hide that light, but to let it shine for all. In times of crisis we see that as strangers help strangers, from natural catastrophes to man made tragedies like Boston this week. We see it so often on the news when tragedy strikes, neighbors pitch in to help neighbor, strangers give what they have to those in need. People rush in to help. In our everyday lives, we see it with family and friends. The stranger you gave directions to, the smile and “good morning” an acquaintance gives you. Your children ask for guidance or an elderly neighbor needs help. There are many things where our light shines tall and proud. I’m personally challenged to make sure the light bulb is lit at all times.  Did I let a bad day keep me from seeing the need of another individual, am I so wrapped up in myself? Shame on me…I know better and I believe faithfully that his love for me should shine through always. Ultimately we are human and not perfect, but it’s refreshing to see when push comes to shove that light shines like the sun.

As an artist, I look for beauty to create my pictures. As a visual thinker, I see so many things in simple scenes. The lighthouse to me represents a number of things, a guardian, a protector and a lonely existence to protect the innocent. I also see the symbolism of Matthew 14-16, “You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden. And people don’t hide a light under a bowl. They put it on a lamp-stand so the light shines for all the people in the house. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in Heaven. ” (Bible: New Century Version)

Let Your Light Shine. A watercolor by Kirt Tisdale found in the Lighthouse Section of his Art Gallery.