Faith and focus (plus, the complete animal art series!)

“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust” J. M. Barrie 

I’ve been thinking over the past two weeks about the intersection between faith and focus and how each plays a pivotal role in our journeys.

A few weeks ago I met my baby for the first time as he entered the world unexpectedly early. He came 3.5 weeks sooner than anticipated, which threw all of our best plans to be organized and ready for his arrival right out the window.

Suddenly we found ourselves in unknown territory. We found ourselves with a beautiful little guy who was born a few weeks premature and in need of extra support and love.

We’ve spent the past two weeks shuffling from one doctor’s visit to the next and we’ve trooped to the hospital twice (once for an overnight). We conquered jaundice, he’s finally gaining weight, and he’s definitely acting more like a full-term baby now (YAY!). I’ve focused all of my energy on helping him grow and yet sometimes it’s still hard to believe that he’s really here and really ours.

Needless to say, the launch into motherhood has been equally rewarding and emotionally raw. And here lies my meeting point of focus and faith.

I have faith that I’ll return to the rest of my life and my business with renewed focus when the time is right. For now, Isaac and I are working on getting to know each other.

I have faith that becoming a mama has changed me already in the best possible ways. The first few weeks have taught me so many lessons on fear and courage and love.

I have faith that I can do this. I’m turning to all of you parents out there for inspiration!

Here’s one of my favorite recent pictures, which felt like a big deal because he barely opened his eyes at first until we dealt with the jaundice. He’s so alert now!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Before Isaac was born I’d planned to share the news with you that my first animal art collection is FINISHED! My goal was to finish 10 new paintings this spring before baby.

I began painting #1 in February and finished #10 in May, prioritizing sketching and painting on my weekly to-do lists to make sure the project moved forward. I LOVED the process of working on a series of paintings as opposed to a one-off painting, and I’m going to keep working this way moving forward.

Now for the final painting!

I shared the sketch with you beforehand, but here’s a refresher:

It feels so fitting that my final painting is a mama bird and her baby – this sketch just flowed out of me. I then added the first layers of color using some of my favorite acrylic inks:

Next were the birds themselves. I went with bright blue to help them pop against the background:

And here’s the final painting, after I added in a flowering branch, a bright sun, and the little details I’ve grown to love so much (such as — the baby bird also deserved a crown!):

I felt such a mixture of excitement and relief when I finished this painting and was happy with the result. I also made a little collage of the 10 animal paintings so I could see them all together. Here’s the collection:

I’m pretty excited about the collection and how focusing on this one project over many months helped me to solidify my style as a painter. Since I generally don’t celebrate my own success much (having already moved on to the next to-do on my list), I’ve been doing my best to stay present in this moment and allow myself to feel excited. It feels good to celebrate, friends! Now to remember this feeling for next time. :)

Making prints and cards for all 10 paintings is the next goal, though I’m not sure of the final timeline at the moment. Before Isaac came we’d already started working on a few of the designs, as you’ll see here:

I can’t wait to share the collection with you once it’s ready. Thanks for celebrating with me!

With love,