Butterfly Farm

This piece represents so much to me.

The photo was from a trip to the Butterfly and Orchid farm north of Chiang Mai, Thailand. The photo I took was of a carefully crafted welcoming display near the great, ancient wooden entrance doors.

To me, Thailand is in the pottery, the plants, and the moss from the rainy season. I think this was the first time that I realized that I could use messy, seemingly uncontrollable soft pastel sticks to create a piece full of creamy, layered depth of color.

It was a worship piece for me. There was actual joy in the creating. I believe it was the piece that started me thinking of doing art as ministry. My life quote as an art teacher has been, “Create we must and respond to this dark hour,” from artist Makoto Fujimura’s book Refractions. It is still my life quote. I hope I can do my part to add Goodness into this world.