A delicious piece of fruit. A good pen. A satisfying walk in the woods. The sky. The ocean. Really good coffee. A great book. A really lovely dinner with friends. A good conversation. Crying and laughing with a trusted friend. Your sleeping baby’s face. Fresh snow. A beautiful song. When you choose someone else’s best interest. When you see a change in your heart. The glimmers of glory are the moments in this life when the veil is thin, and His kingdom and His majesty shine through.
Back in 2019, we wrote this blurb about a pairing of paintings entitled "Glimmer of Glory" which was part of our Snatches of Speech series. This series was a collection of ten phrases that represented larger conversations between Sara and myself as we unpacked our ideas about all things relating to wonder, awe, and navigating a life of faith. Read more about it here. We have continued to use this language of "glimmers" as we practice seeing beyond the wackness of life, and continue to urge each other to see Truth , Beauty, and Goodness.
Now is is 2023, and this practice of seeing glimmers has been harder at times and also seems more important than ever. Apparently we were not alone in this. The other week, a meme came across my Instagram feed explaining how a glimmer is the opposite of a trigger. Woah.
As an artist, I often question my contribution to society. However, as these thoughts were ruminating in my mind, I was going through some old artwork and I kept returning to these three illustrations because I like them, I actually like them.
Not sure how it is for other artists, but it's so hard for me to sit with finished work and not want to add something, or take away something; to just let it be. To have these simple illustrations that are just about things I love, that are not complex, gives me hope to be a lighter person, not a constant ball of stress walking around.
This is what I can contribute as an artist: my awkward walk through doubt and some simple glimmers.
These 10x12 Giclee Prints on Somerset Velvet paper will be available at our pop-up shops this FALL!
This was such a helpful blog to me this morning. I want to spend my days seeing the glimmers more than I see the triggers. It is hard work to look for them at times, but it is so good to name them. Thank you for this reminder this morning.