'Lilium'

Lillium / 36x48 / acrylic on canvas

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they do not toil, neither do they spin.

~ Matthew 6:23

The piece I've been struggling with has been good to me this past week.  I found the most glorious stencil while I was out browsing art supplies and decided to add texture to the painting with gloss gel medium and I've been having fun adding patterns and contrasting colour.  As I've struggled through this one, this Biblical verse kept cropping into my thoughts.  Not only because I've been toiling with this particular piece, but with things in my personal life as well.  There are those times in life when I know without a doubt that I must make a change and yet I fight it.  I end up struggling with things instead of trusting myself and allowing the best to take place.  Worry is definitely my biggest challenge and I wonder if it contributes to my shoulder pain.  Anyway, lilies are my favorite flower and I suppose  it might be for a reason...to keep reminding me to stop toiling.  I'm thankful for the gift of these flowers that have been showing up in my work of late.  And thankful for all the great suggestions in my struggle with  this painting...it's funny how those same thoughts were in my own mind but it was good to have them clarified in writing.