by Maddie

Today is going to be different. Today is less about words and more about visuals. And if you know anything about me, you may see where this is heading… Artwork. Truth be told, I have no idea when or why my passion for art began. Was it a particularly rousing preschool craft? Or a fun day doodling with my dad? No clue. All I know is that God made me to make, created me to create. And as I was thinking about it, this blog only shows the written creations that God’s inspired…

Update: I am still in Ireland. And you, my faithful readers, are still going to have something to read today. Way before many of you knew me, or this website, I was writing. And painting. And explaining my paintings through writing. So I've selected one of my first blogs (go easy on my writing style and how I break up the paragraphs; a lot's changed in three years), sharing the story behind my artwork. I hope you enjoy Cherish and relate to the story before you... Once upon a

I want to rest. Desperately. I’m craving it. So, I thought I would talk about it today. A few months ago, I painted this little watercolor bouquet and adorned it with the name "Enough.” Why would I choose such a word? Because I need that reminder every single day. I need to remember the fact that God has gifted me with His love and nothing I do can change that. He will never love me more and He will never love me less. And the same is true for you. Oftentimes, we are busy. Bu

If you're new here, I'll let you in on a little secret: I like to paint... And this week's post is a bit different. Here's a watercolor painting of the kids that I have been babysitting! With a 3 year old and one year old twins, they have kept me busy, but I love being with them. As I have spent time with them, God has given me a glimpse of what love really is. Unconditional love is something that I have a hard time fathoming. How can I just BE loved? Don't I have to EARN lov

I painted this a while ago (like 7 years ago , a while) and did not speak the language I penned. It was Hebrew, a mysterious language, with letters so elegant and painterly... that I just had to use them. Now, why am I going down this Memory Lane trip? Because this painting (which, fun fact, I accidently dropped in the grass... instant texture! ), is one that I can now read. You see, when I was in college, I studied Hebrew because I wanted to understand the language of the O

Once upon a time, there was a girl, who met a boy. Their story felt like a fairytale, complete with sweet sayings and a handsome prince. They clicked instantly, agreed that God had drawn them together. The girl felt beautiful, cherished, seen, in a way that she never had before. It was amazing. Until he went away. At first she was sure he would come back, but days turned into weeks. Her heart hurt; tears flowed endlessly. She was trying to understand, couldn't understand. Why

You may not know this about me, but I love cardinals. Regardless of the season, you can catch me scanning the treetops, searching for their bright presence. And to me, they’re not just pretty red birds. God and I have a special thing going on with cardinals: for me, cardinals are like Jesus. In fact, whenever I see or hear one, I can’t help but smile and whisper “hi Jesus”. Now, before you call me crazy, let me explain. It all started when I went to college. I was having a ve

Do you ever do something that you regret? Or maybe you don’t do something and you regret it. We’ve all been there, right? Well let me share a little story from my week; let’s call this story... The Time I Messed Up and God Loved Me Anyway. Okay, let’s set the scene: Maddie is sitting on the couch, bundled in her fuzzy pink blanket. Her laptop is on her lap, its blue glare reflecting on her blue-light blocking glasses. This is hour six on the computer, as she muddles her way t

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like a mess. Life seems to be going so well, but then one measly thought or action can send me spiraling. Do you ever feel like me, like this painting? Do you ever feel peaceful and settled, only for an unforeseen storm to spin you out of control? I think we all feel this way sometimes. And its disappointing, isn't it? It makes us feel weak and messy, ugly and unworthy. But these are lies. Take this painting, for example. Comprehen

Happy Sunday, friends! In honor of our Savior's sabbath, I though I would talk about rest today. A few months ago I painted this little watercolor bouquet and adorned it with the name "Enough". Why would I chose such a word? Because I need that reminder every day. I need to remember the fact that God has gifted me with His love and nothing I do can change that. He will never love me more and He will never love me less. And the same is true for you. Oftentimes, we are busy. Bu

Happy Sunday, friends! This week I wanted to share this painting, titled Mustard Tree. God gave me the idea for this painting a few weeks ago, and I knew that I would need it as I ventured into my sophomore year of college. Let me explain. As many of you can probably guess from the title, this painting is inspired by Jesus's comments in Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6: if you have faith as small as a measly mustard seed, you can move mountains and uproot trees. Nothing will be im

Hi friends! Here is a work of art that I painted for my friends who recently had a baby! Their nursery is Narnia themed and I hope this...

Hey friends, I wanted to share a digital illustration I recently made. This was created for a new friend of mine and I just had to put his cute dog in it! I hoped to brighten his day and encourage him with this Scripture/dog combo. And as I was creating this, the Lord revealed something to me. For as long as I can remember, I have loved creating works of art. But I have not always been willing to give it away. When my passion for art making became more serious, I was possessi

Hey everyone! This week I'm sharing a commission piece that I recently finished, and the Lord has inspired me with an analogy I will share with you. The road in this painting is the road of life. There are many twists and turns, desolate corners and joyous expanses. As we traverse this road, sometimes we will bask in the sun. The way will be scenic and majestic. We will march proudly, heads held high. But other times, perhaps even oftentimes, our road will lead us to dark woo

Hi friends! This is "Masterpiece" and I love how God worked! I sketched this rose out almost 3 years ago but there was never a good time for me to paint it. In His wisdom, the Lord recently inspired me to finish it, and I treasure the meaning behind this piece. This magnificent "Masterpiece," in all its blooming glory, is how God sees us. We are this rose, brilliant and bright and beautiful. Flawless. We are flawless. Friends, our Abba declares that we are FLAWLESS! How amazi

Friends, this week we're going to be talking about waiting. Waiting on God (instead of doing things our own way) is so difficult because we cannot see the final picture. Believe it or not, we aren't all-powerful and all-knowing like He is. And faith is hard. Especially when life seems dark. But I have an analogy for you (which involves art. Shocker, I know): We are like a painting. Ephesians 2:10 supports this idea by stating that we God's masterpieces. Or, in other words...

In my art class, I had to create a series centered around a theme. For my theme, I was inspired by kintsugi, which is an Asian art form where broken pottery is remade with gold. The gold bonds the shattered clay, and suddenly, the cracks and imperfections in the pottery are embraced. The ruined remains are enhanced by the gold, being transformed into a priceless work of art. I aim to prove the beauty in flaws, so I began my Divine Kintsugi series by taking inspiration from im

I have decided to share a commissioned painting I created last year. It is Notre Dame College's gold dome, and it was quite a challenge. I was commissioned by a teacher at my high school, so I was in a mad dash to complete this before I graduated; I finished this painting and then the very next day I had my graduation ceremony! Talk about cutting it close! Creating this piece was a joy and the customer and I were both thrilled with the results!

Here is a self portrait I painted! It is made with ink, which is similar to watercolor, and I really loved creating this! I hope you like it!

As I am heading back to Messiah tomorrow, I'm not gonna lie, I'm scared. My first semester had a lot of hardships and pain. But God got me through, and I have hope that this next semester will be better. One of the main challenges I had this fall revolves around my own thoughts. I tend to be a worrier, and the transition to college skyrocketed my anxiety. But through that time of panic, the Lord planted the seeds for something that will be a lifelong journey of mine (and prob