Cheryl


Cheryl 16 x 20 oil on canvas

This young lady has my heart!

She is the youngest of all of my children and the only one left at home. She is now only a few short days away from graduation which will be the close of another chapter in her life and the beginning of a brand new phase…..*bittersweet sigh*

I remember when I was a young woman working in sales it was often told to me that whatever you want in life, associate yourself with people who are living it. It stands to reason that this can also work in the opposite direction, as humans we are affected by those that we spend the majority of our time with. Some studies promote the idea that the reason for this is that we have “mirroring neurons” in the brain which modify our thoughts, feelings and behaviour to mirror the people that we spend most of our time with. I couldn’t do it, I tried to be the ‘successful sales person’ that made millions but I didn’t have ‘it’ in me, it takes certain strategies and a certain mind set that I did not want to adopt and I could not put my physical desires first. At this point in my life I am happy that I took a different direction. Having a family, homeschooling and dedicating time to study and prayer, to be available for my family, my husband and others who needed a word a hug a prayer are some of the true gems that adorned the days of my life’s journey.

Cheryl is one of those gems, being the youngest she could have allowed herself to moulded by those around her, she could have followed the direction of her siblings, but she decided to not mirror others, she decided to be Cheryl and stand in her own space. She is a unique girl with a flare for her own style, she doesn’t follow the crowd, doesn’t know the popular songs; she’s eclectic and ‘indi’ 😉

she doesn’t dress or act like the majority of other teens her age;

she is a beautiful tapestry being woven

a diamond being formed

a pearl that is not yet finished

a unique work of art

a vessel that the Potter is shaping for honor.

Mirroring neurons are a part of our being yet we still have a choice and the proof is with this young lady (and others in this world)  she has often been faced with situations that were uncomfortable yet she took the straight path and did not compromise, I can say that my heart is truly touched by her and I am so thankful to have been granted the privilege of being her mom.

This painting was made being inspired by a photo that my son Jeremy took. To me the light coming in the window shining on her face speaks of the Light that is available to us all, ever shining, ever present, love, life and truth; quietly warming us, leading us so that we do not stumble; the Light that asks nothing in return just accept and BE made whole. Thank You \o/

For more information on paintings and commissions please contact Heather using the Contact Form.

28 thoughts on “Cheryl

  1. What a beautiful painting and a beautiful post. It sounds like she is just as lucky to have you for a Mom as you are to have her for a daughter. And we all benefited from you getting out of that sales job….. otherwise we may not be seeing your beautiful paintings!! Having a graduating senior myself, I can so relate to what you are observing. Thankfully there are still people who follow their own path and have the support to do so. Congrats on a beautiful portrait, and being a great role model to your children. I am really enjoying following your blog. ~Rita

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    1. Thank you Rita for your very kind words. It’s a good thing the sales part of my life didn’t last. I was a studio photographer for many more years, but I am an artist by nature no matter what the medium is.
      I pray for you and your graduating senior too. I enjoy getting to visit your blog too I just need more hours in a day. It’s really nice getting to know you. 🙂

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    1. Hi Judy, Oh how lovely of you for sending this message to my daughter, thank you…and yes she does, that is how she “recharges” 🙂

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  2. Stunning, I really like this one Heather. An artist I really like is Brian Smyth and he often uses light from windows to accentuate mood. Let me carry on browsing awhile….MM 🍀

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        1. Hi John,
          Thanks for the information. I always love to meet other artists. It is always great to have the actual artwork, I find that no matter how well the photo is taken of a piece, it never really captures the actual presence (for lack of a better word) of the painting itself; so that’s great that you have those pieces. 🙂 I still have yet to be able to take a stroll through his work but hopefully one day soon I can sit and relax with a tea and soak up the beauty of his work.

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  3. Heather, this is such a beautiful tribute to your daughter and testimony of your love. Both the artwork and prose make this post its own work of fine art. Thank you for visiting me and the follow. So pleased you found me so I could find you 🙂 Linda

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    1. Hi Linda, how nice to meet you. Your profile/about page on your blog inspired me to connect and follow. I could spend a lot of time reading about you. Thank you for the encouraging comments. 🙂

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    1. Hi Allan, Well that is quite a compliment thank you. I sure hope that I will have good things to share with you, I see that you have been doing a lot of figures…nice. So is that Lethbridge Alberta that I see mentioned in your competition? I confess I didn’t read ALL of your posts. -_-
      Thanks for stopping by and for commenting, I’m looking forward to seeing what you paint with your oils.

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      1. Thanks Heather! I will bite the bullet soon and crack open my set of oil paints 🙂

        Lethbridge Gallery is in Brisbane, Australia. They run an annual competition for artist who do small works. You should look them up – I’m sure they accept international entries!

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        1. WOW that sounds great, I have been busy lately painting a huge 48″ x 60″ which I am about to write about here. Sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I will look them up. My sister lives in Lethbridge Alberta (Canada) that is why I was asking. What fun, I will look them up, thanks for the tip. 🙂

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