Grace, Grit, and Gratitude  

I am an artist who performs my work as a Spiritual Practice. I think of my paintings, which I call Sacred Art, as: Prayers for the world; Offerings of love and hope and rest; Alignment with wellness and beauty; Devotions of gratitude and praise to the Divine; A most delicious outpouring of my soul. Everything I create is rooted in my desire to ease the suffering of the world. Some of us serve in soup kitchens. Some of us are marching. Some hold the hands of the dying. Some of us teach. Some fight. Some pray. And some of us, create art. Artists touch the suffering through our creations. Some say that art is not as important as other works, and that to paint or sing or write a poem is not of the same worth as planting and digging carrots or volunteering at the (fill in the blank). But I believe that when the artist is committed to art as a form of service and devotion, it is as important as any and every other form of service and devotion. I am not speaking of all art. I am speaking of Sacred Art. Art specifically and consciously committed to revelation, to inspiring healing and wholeness. Art—like a hearty soup cooked with love, a garden planted and tended with care, a song that raises one’s spirit—art that is intended to lift the soul of humanity. Art in which we FEEL the soul of the work, speaking to us. This, I call Sacred Art. Being in possession of the peace, bliss, and fulfillment that comes with finding one’s life work, I cannot cease asking others these questions: What is YOUR vision? YOUR life work? What did YOU come here to create, birth, reveal, transform, fulfill? Until we have found what it is we REALLY care about, how can we know what to attract, what to focus on, what to manifest? It is with a heart full of love, gratitude and endless prayers, painted and yet to be painted, that I leave you with these questions. More on Shiloh can be found at http://www.wisdomhousecatalog.com/welcometowisdomhousegallery.html