- Bart Millard
In the Morning, 11x14 oil (still in the works)
I've been working a couple mornings on this scene from a shady pavilion at a northern entrance to Phoenix Mountains Preserve. There'll be some color corrections and some rocks and details in the foreground before I am finished. Though I go alone to this spot I end up enjoying conversations with several different people who stop by one or two at a time. We talk like old friends, just appreciating the beauty of God's creation, sharing things that spark fond memories, sharing current interests and projects. One man spoke of how his mother and father painted, each in different styles and mediums. Someone asked if I was going to put a haze across the mountain. Another really admired the fence when I was working on it. Another was glad to show me his own artistic paintings of cars, which he had on his phone. One cyclist just stopped to watch quietly, and wished me a pleasant day as he left. One lady talked about her dog and how he would love to get home to the swimming pool. Two park volunteers shared enthusiastically about their work watching out for the safety of people on trails. I took their card and might look into volunteering for the parks. For me, these interactions with supposed strangers who don't seem like strangers at all, is as uplifting and fulfilling as singing in a choir or the praise team at church. Its a foretaste of God's renewed creation, when redeemed voices and lives will blend in joyous harmony. I can only imagine!
