New art print - "Free"

I made the time to paint last week, and as a result, I have a new print for preorder...! It was one of those weeks where I couldn't express my feelings in words, and there are just times when music and art are the only means of working things out.

Some of you know that I am involved with the worship team at my church, playing piano - I love it, and I feel alive when I'm playing. Our lead pianist has been battling cancer since before we came home from Indonesia, and it has been an honor to be able to serve her and the church by filling in when I can. She has shared the same feeling - that she doesn't have cancer when she's playing - and I wanted to paint something full of meaning for her to express that. This line is from a song we sang this week called "Lord I Need You" - it seemed to fit those sentiments perfectly. The print is titled "Free."

I love sharing my progress as I work on Facebook, so I did that as I went along - I keep thinking about moving my art work to my dkdesigns page, but I enjoy the reactions from friends as well - I'd hate to lose that... still pondering. :)

Again, I used my light tablet extensively for working out the initial sketch on a grid, and also for tracing the letters, which were computer generated.

I filled in the lettering with colored pencil, then used a Color Shaper to fill in the letters with masking fluid before painting the background.

I love this method of watercoloring, with multiple layers of color in glazes - I have tried loose styles and wet into wet painting, and this is the style that works the best for me. There are always stages where it doesn't seem like things are going to come together, and when they do, it's so rewarding.

I know this painting won't have the same meaning for you as it does for me, but if you would like to purchase a print, I would be happy to share! It would be a wonderful gift for a pianist or music teacher. Just click below to find the ordering information. All other prints are in stock, if you'd like to pick out more than one!