The Soulful Series Newsletter

February 2023

Feb 03, 2023

Meditations

Hey Friend!

It’s the month of LOVE!

I mean, literally, it’s February, the month most all of the world considers the month of love. And in consideration of that, I wanted this month’s theme to match, so love it is!

I think it’s easy for us to think about love in terms of words, nuance, or feelings, but in reality, love is an action word. It’s not something you can really communicate or experience without some sort of actionable display, right?! Think about it. What if someone close to you told you they loved you, but that’s all they ever did? What if they never smiled warmly at you, hugged or kissed you, or went out of their way to do something they knew would bring you joy? At first, you may accept their words as truth, but after a while, if nothing in their actions displayed their love for you, most likely, you would begin to question it.

Let’s not just be people that speak of love and never actually do anything about that love. People usually aren’t remembered for the things they said they were; they are remembered for the things they actually did. This kind of love is called agape love - it is a selfless, sacrificial kind of love, like when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples or, more importantly, when He gave His life on the Cross.

Speaking of your love is a beautiful and necessary part, but it is not the whole of it; we have to put our words into action and show our love.

Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:18

If someone did nothing but observe your actions today, would they be able to say you are a person of love?

Michelle

p.s. Want to go deeper on Love? Consider subscribing to A Soulful Calling, a special edition of the Art + Soul Newsletter

Musings

Spanning 416 square feet, the I Love You Wall (Le mur des je t’aime) in Paris’s Jehan-Rictus Square was created by two artists as a rendezvous location for lovers and a lasting monument to eternal adoration.

Covered in 612 lava tiles, the wall features the words “I love you” in 311 languages, including all 192 languages of the United Nations.

The artwork was created by Frédéric Baron and Claire Kito, who originally collected the phrase in notebooks by knocking on the doors of embassies and asking their neighbors until they had collected more than 300 languages, all expressing the powerful sentiment of love.

Makings

New work for January is now available at Charleston Artist Collective. This month’s theme is “Line + Pattern,” and a portion of all proceeds will benefit Charleston Animal Society. You can see images of the work below.
A running theme in a lot of my work has been silhouettes. I enjoy the high contrast it provides and how it captures the essence of a subject. I’ve recently been spending more time studying portraiture and the human figure through observation and sketches. I hope to have some rudimentary first tries at some paintings to share soon.
I’m “Popping-Up” with the Charleston Artist Collective on Valentine’s Day! A fresh new take on my Love Letters series will be available online beginning at 11am on February 14th. Make sure to mark your calendars and get on their email list to be notified; these pieces always fly out the door! See the invitation below.