
The morning began with feeling I needed to paint over old canvases rather than selecting new ones, so I locked myself into that feeling by choosing only two painted canvases to take to DaySpring morning service worship. As usual, I did not have an inkling of what I would paint. As I prepared in rehearsal time, many commented “oh I love that” about the paintings sitting beside the easel, followed by a “huh???” when I said I was painting over it. It is hard to explain without sounding arrogant, but it is something like letting go of the good to make room for the great. It’s a ‘knowing’ about what you have to do without knowing why, the trust kicks in, trusting that tyou have heard correctly.
During pre-service prayer I was really drawn to Chloe, our lead singer’s, necklace and asked her if I could photograph it. I just had the word ‘crowned’ in my mind. We prayed the child-like joy of saying “up daddy!’ to our heavenly Father. As I played with the paint, a tiara or crown of sorts started to form … so that’s what I painted. The gemstones formed by the underpainting are Opals. I am about to embark on a journey to the Outback, so how appropriate are Opals?!! Then I felt a strong sense that this was AUSTRALIA’s crown.
Now I look at the underpainting and its symbolism… and I’m amazed at how God puts these things together, especially as I am so unaware at the time. (Hmmm, no comment please!) The underpainting is “Tall Ships” which was painted live in DaySpring worship in 2013 and celebrated the fleet in Sydney’s Darling Harbour at that time. I had painted the ship as a ‘ghost’ of the past of our Australian heritage, and the fireworks as a celebration of the future. I see this painting as symbolic of the ‘greening’ (new life) of Australia, and the country rising to its rightful place of kingdom royalty. And, David Crabtree preached on “We are Royalty”. (Of course!)
