CHINA PRAYER OF DOUBLE BLESSING

Today I finished a "Self Portrait" started in class at Art and Soul. I made it red because we have this wonderful show at Christmas each year in my town of Salem Oregon. It is called "Something Red". Someday when we are all famous the art historians will write and say, "we don't know why but the artists of Salem used red in so many of their paintings?" Every friend of mine in town starting Sept. turns every painting they have red!

I didn't know were it was going till I started to finish it. (You can see the old version at in my Oct. entries.) With the wonderful Chinese Umbrella that I was holding I thought I would go to my Chinese zines and old books and see what I could find. I carved a wonderful "Double Blessing" stamps and stamped them into hot glue on wax paper. I then painted them and placed them on the painting. I took a coin from China and a Jade leaf and strung it as well as used turquoise for my necklace and earrings. I sewed them on the painting as I learned in Traci Bunker's class and used stencils and stamps on the side as learned in Misty's class. I am so thankful for all I learned so I could have the tools to pull this off.

As things unfolded I knew what the painting was really about.

I was very sick in my 20's and 30's. I had chronic fatigue as well as other problems. When my husband was invited to be the "Oregon Cultural Representative" to the Fugen Province of China. I was unable to go. The trip was very long, busy and stressful but magical and beautiful. My husband wrote the most beautiful music so I got to feel it through the music. One song he wrote called "Bamboo Raft on 9 Twist River", while rafting down with his 20 string harp guitar a river that poets would go to to be inspired. It was a 8 hour drive to get there in the back of a very fast, stinky van. But what a trip of a life time.

I realized when I painted this that I could go now! I am healed and full of energy and life. This is because God answered my prayer that if he would heal me I could help others. With natural health, forgiveness prayers and a wonderful group of people who have prayed for and with me over the years I am now having the time of my life.

The trip to China was in December and the painting is for the December Art show, how moving. God really does restore the years the canker worm had stolen.

I wrote the prayer of thanksgiving on the Painting.

"Gratefully she whispered into her Lovers ear,
NOW I can go to CHINA".....