This piece began with the opportunity to do another live art peace during an event at Faith Center, a church in Paducah, KY.  I went into the event seeing this picture in my mind.  After painting the background live, I penciled an outline of the form and proceeded with color.  I had the week prior been given purple tulips, having already seen this painting in my head.  I proceeded to photograph pictures of them to use as a reference on my phone.  This painting essentially refers to the revealed mystery of the ages in Christ.  The truth of the gospel is no longer concealed but has been revealed through God’s son, the source of life and light for all people.

I made this painting available for sale while participating in an Art Carts program for downtown Paducah.  I had prepared a number of paintings and made prints available in a concerted effort to raise funds for my upcoming trip to Russia.  After a bit of fretting, striving, and trusting in self, the day before this weekend Art Cart event started a check came in the mail covering the entire cost of my trip, an amount over four thousand dollars.  I was undone as the Lord clearly proclaimed to me, “I’m sending you, I’m covering the trip.  Go have fun doing art.”  I proceeded into the event that weekend free to focus on people, God’s kingdom and following his spirit there rather than money.

A couple in Lowertown were showcasing their house for the first time after ten years of rehabbing it and in a few hours many people were going to come tour their home along with other beautiful homes in the Lowertown neighborhood.  That day I sold Mystery to them, delivered it to their house, getting to hear their story and pray over their home before its debut.  I heard more of their story that’s in the process of healing that I share more under the Grace painting.I had originally priced the painting at $286 for something referring to hiddenness in the Strong’s concordance, but earlier that day I reduced my price to $222.  I just to happened to sell prints and another item that resulted in my total sales amount that day equaling $286.