|
Tag Archives: Inspirational Art
.jpg)
{Art Available HERE}
Isaiah 40:11
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
I knew I had read that verse before, as it was underlined in my childhood Bible. But, now that I was a new mom, the words leapt off the page at me. What amazing comfort I felt knowing that God gently gathers me in His strong arms, carries me close to His own heart as I cared for my nursing baby. As a new mom, I had felt so insecure wondering what on earth I was doing caring for this helpless little child in the “unknown” as there is no real training for what was to come. This verse encouraged me and gave me hope that God himself would lead me in this new journey I was on. One interesting thing about this passage is if you read the context {as I hope you would}, in verse 10 it describes God coming with power and His mighty arm and then, LOOK, that same strong arm is used to gently swoop us up and carry us so tenderly.
.jpg)
Fast-forward about 6 years when I am searching for a local sheep farm to photograph Psalm 23. My 3 children and I are ecstatic to go to Farmer Sandy’s the week before Easter and see her new, precious lambs. They are between 2 weeks and several days old and seriously look like stuffed animals walking around. She leads us into the barn where they are warm in their pens. Those mama sheep see me, a total stranger, and immediately start guarding their babies and bleating at me. I could not get any good photos as they were blocking my main subject! It was astounding to be in that barn, seeing those sheep nervously protecting their young and watch as they literally soften when they hear Farmer Sandy’s voice enter in. The sheer sound of her voice put them at ease. They knew they were safe. They even allowed me into the stall and I chose to focus on Ruth and her baby.
After I created my art with their photo, Farmer Sandy had a whole other story to tell me. It turns out the mama sheep Ruth had hemorrhaged during birth and a few days after our visit, she died. The baby lamb, so helpless and weak was left to be cared for by Farmer Sandy herself, as she gently held that lamb and fed her for weeks with a baby bottle.
In so many ways Farmer Sandy has given me a picture of how God is our good shepherd. Her sheep know her voice. She gently cares for the young. She protects and guides them. She nourishes them. And, I am forever grateful for these “real” life lessons of God’s Word coming to life before my eyes.
.jpg)
For the next 2 days, I am also offering a BUY ONE GET ONE FREE 8×10 sale in my shop
+ FREE SHIPPING just for you!
To redeem this offer:
- Place an 8×10 print in your cart
- At checkout, write the name & color scheme of the free print you would like in the “Other Instructions” box while checking out.
- Do NOT put the FREE print in the cart. I will see your notes at checkout.
- *Free prints are not able to be any of my custom art: standard & personalized prints only.
- Feel free to use this offer more than once, but in the same transaction. So you can buy 2 & get 2 free, buy 3 & get 3 free, etc…
- ENJOY!
Offer end 2.27.14
BONUS! Today I am blogging over at (in)courage.com & also giving away this lovely art in an 11×14 gallery wrap canvas! GO HERE to enter to win!
Grace & Peace,
Julie
{Art available HERE in larger sizes}
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FREE 4X6 DOWNLOAD!
Every month I contribute my form of worship {visual art} to the Pick Your Portion blog, founded by my sweet {Tyndale author} friend, Lisa Velthouse {I got to design her book Craving Grace, as well as be the sticky cover model…go check it out!}.
Each month she sends me a list of verses to pick from & this month I was particularly excited to have the above verse on my list! I chose to create this verse as a sort of tribute to all of my friends who have adopted a little child into their home. I respect and admire them SO MUCH & this is the least I could do. Their ministry is amazing & though some of those friends are in the thick of snotty noses & sleepless nights, they ARE changing the world! I think these words spoken by Jesus are amazing. I am also partial to the photo, as it is my sweet Pumpkin-Poos sliding her hand into Daddy’s strong hand as we strolled around some local gardens. I took this photo about 3 years ago and I can still picture exactly where we were and how tender her affection is. So precious to hold the hand of a little one! She still will do this to us, though she is 6 years old & I know my days are numbered, so I will relish it while I can!
CONDITIONS OF USE
All photos and artwork are ©Julie Chen of Life Verse Design. Artwork in the downloadable 4×6 jpeg is free strictly for personal use, not for commercial use. Sharing these photos via Facebook, Pinterest, or your blog is welcome only if you agree provide credit to me as the artist and link back to juliechenphotography.com. Please be respectful and have integrity when choosing to download the free art. By downloading the art, it does not give you the right to sell it digitally nor on print nor in any other format. Thank you for furthering God’s Word in new & fresh ways.
Grace & Peace,
Julie
Here are some meaningful pieces of art to bless your loved ones with for Valentine’s Day!
Some you can even get personalized.
Enjoy!
Grace & Peace,
Julie
{Art available here}
Welcome to the behind the scenes of my Isaiah 40 Wings of Eagles Scripture art. I love the story of this photo and we have actually made it a Chen family tradition. But, before I start in on where I photographed this eagle, I wanted to point out the fact that in typical Isaiah 40 pieces, people only quote the last few verses…you know, the famous ones about soaring on wings of eagles, running & not growing weary, etc… In reading the entire chapter though, the part that makes this strength possible and so powerful is the verse about God’s character, so though the passage is longer I really wanted to include it:
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
For the last 5 years now on every Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, us Chens trek out to Starved Rock State Park in central Illinois to eagle watch and take a winter hike. The bald eagles migrate here as there is a dam in the river, so it makes for some great fishing for the birds. This year it was “warm” by Illinois standards {a shocking 34 degrees: my entire family by the way was mad at me because I made them wear so many layers & they kept stripping off layers throughout the day… not me though! I was in heaven}. This year we saw about 10 eagles total. In the past we have spotted 30 on a day. The above shot was the closest I could get, even with my super lens!
This year the kids’ highlight was sledding down a giant ice/snow hill on their butts. They did this for at least a half hour straight, seriously. It was pretty funny to watch them. They are also really into throwing snowballs. How far can it go? How high? Will it land in the river? {who cares about the eagles…this is now old stuff!} Another highlight was the petting farm they had at the lodge where we all got to pet a deer!!!! OH MY GOODNESS. They are truly beautiful creatures.
We also hiked to the frozen waterfalls. It is so beautiful & quiet hiking in the snow. The kids got to walk along the frozen creek which was of course a huge adventure. We saw tons of animal tracks too. But, their favorite part of all was having Daddy with us & being “a family”… woohoo! His new work schedule is awesome!!!
These are the eagle shots I took back in 2010. It was the first year I ever went & it was just me & my Favorite Little Mister. It was a very cold day & most of my shots were like the first shot of the lone eagle in the sky {above in the post}. Very far away & not too interesting to create art out of. We were about to leave as it was all of 17 degrees out & we went to one last spot & prayed. I really wanted a cool shot & I knew it would only be by God’s grace. Within minutes, there were several eagles diving for fish & 2 of them caught fish {do you see them in the talons?!!!} & proceeded to fly right over our heads {still quite a distance up, but again I have a monster lens.} I kept shooting, really having no idea if anything was being captured as everything happened so fast. When we got in the van, we looked through the images & behold!!! I got my shot!
Every year since, I have NEVER had that experience again. The eagles have never come close. I realize how much grace it was & such a cool answer to prayer.
Grace & Peace,
Julie
This photoshoot was a BLAST! It was one of my “freezing cold” sessions, but the love between them warms the heart. The funniest thing about this session was that before I even got my camera out, the mom turns to me and says, “It’s O.K. if you do not get any good shots. We are NOT photogenic at ALL!”
Now, that’s the way to take the pressure off! Ha! And, NOT photogenic?!!! I beg to differ! I love these memories.
From these sweet photos, I could not help but create the “sisters” art. I love the way big sis is the center & they snuggle together, leaning on one another. May they always be the best of friends!
My hot winter sales ends TODAY, January 10! Here are the details again:
To Redeem This Offer:
1. Have fun browsing my shop
2. Place the print you would like to buy in the shopping cart.
3. At checkout in “OTHER INSTRUCTIONS” write in the name, color scheme & any other details needed of the FREE 8×10 print you would like. Please DO NOT put your free print in the shopping cart & pay for it. I will see your checkout notes & know what you would like & will not be offering refunds for mistaken orders.
4. You may multiply this offer, but it must all be in the same transaction. For instance, you can buy 2 prints & receive 2 free, buy 3 prints & receive 3 free, etc….
*Free print cannot be custom art / Only standard & personalized art is available for this offer
*If you would like your paid print to be an 11×14 or 16×20, that is just fine; the free additional print will still be an 8×10
*Again, you must write the free print into the other instructions at checkout; I will not be offering refunds after a transaction is complete. No coupon code needed for the FREE shipping!
Grace & Peace,
Julie
|
by admin
Kathi Whittamore - Thank you!!
Kelli Smith Allen - When I click on the link, everything loads but the image. Any suggestions?? Thanks.
A Holy Experience – Only the Good Stuff: Links that are Multivitamins for Your Weekend - […] One For the Fridge: Beautiful free scripture art printables […]