The Inspiration:

This picture was inspired by an internship program called Harp and Farm that my husband and I helped with during the first three years of our marriage. The internship, which is hosted by Love and Purity ministries, focuses on uniting worship with agriculture and caring for God's creation. One evening my husband and I were discussing t-shirt design ideas for the first-year trailblazer interns for Harp and Farm, and this idea popped into my head of a guitar laying in a wheat field, with people playing instruments ascending the neck of the guitar as if it were a highway, up to Mt. Zion. It obviously was too intricate to put on a t-shirt, but I decided to paint it instead. I loved the idea of the music and worship combined with nature, and as I continued with the painting I added more elements, like the Red Sea parting and the hymn music sheets. I love how  the wheat, hymn pages, and sea all come together, opening to the break in the mountains that represents Mt. Zion. If you look closely you will see there is a lot going on in this picture! It contains every single one of the Psalms of Ascents, for a total of 15 Psalms scattered throughout the painting. Each Psalm is written in tiny Hebrew writing, and is placed on elements in the picture that fits that Psalm. For example, Psalm 121 is on the right side of the mountain range, as it talks about lifting our eyes to the hills; Psalm 133 is written on the people ascending, as that one is about brothers dwelling together in unity; and Psalm 126 is on the left side the wheat field, as it talks about reaping sheaves with joy. There is a lion roaring on the left side of the guitar, and the face of a lamb located in the upper right hand corner of the picture in the clouds. There is a dove just barely visible in the center of the sunset, and the silhouette of Israel is in the pick guard of the guitar. The inspirational verse for this picture is Isaiah 51:11, "Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion. They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." For anyone interested in buying a print of this painting, I will include a paper describing where all of the Scriptures are located. :)