"As you plan or respond to new beginnings and new adventures, you can rely on Jesus’ promises. Search his word to find clarity in confusion, direction in distractions, focus in fearful situations, trust in trials, and peace in his promises. He provides leading and loving support for today and all your tomorrows."

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.

Attributes of healthy, positive relationships are emphasized in this text. Sometimes being around others brings out the worst in us. The Christians in Colossae were living with a lot of friction. Paul, the writer of Colossians, describes (in verses 1-11) the negative things going on in the community. In verses 12-14 he gives values that will transform these relationships to be constructive, responsible, loving, wise, unifying. In this short letter, Paul gives many other good examples. All are grounded in the example provided by the redemptive work of Christ.

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.   Price printed on back.

"The text is 1 Corinthians 1:4-5. Paul wrote this letter in Ephesus to the church in Corinth. Corinth was one of the largest cities in the Roman world and also one of the most corrupt and sinful. Paul is reminding them, that as Christians, God has already changed their hearts. (Romans 6:1-14; Galatians 5:22-25) The blessings they received should not be minimized, denied or abused.

The text and background painting were done on Arches watercolor paper, then scanned at a high resolution. The digital file was then worked in photoshop to finish the design.

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.   Price printed on back.

"Psalm 23, written by David, originated in Old Testament times. In this version (my other one is titled Psalm 23) there is a distinct metrical, made-for-a-hymn cadence. It is in the 1650 Scottish Psalter and was written by Francis Rous. Francis, born at Halton, Cornwall (1579-1659), was educated at Oxford and became a lawyer.

I used my go-to painting surface, Arches cold press, for both the lettering and the painting."

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.

"Jeremiah’s words from Chapter 29:11-13 have been instructive, comforting and inspiring to believers over the generations. Jeremiah was speaking to the Jews who had been captured and carried off to Babylon. He reiterated the old promises God had given Abraham to encourage and remind the Jews that God is faithful to keep his promises to his people. God desires for restoration of the relationship between himself and his people. This was true then. It is true today. He will hear anyone who calls, prays and seeks him with all their heart."

Size: 5x7 in. vertical.   Price printed on back.

"Traditional illumination techniques were used in designing the vine work and illuminated initial. The original 19x24 inch work is part of the permanent collection."

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.

"Reinhold Niebuhr, a German Theologian, wrote this in 1932. The prayer was widely distributed during World War II. Versions of the prayer have emerged over the years. The most well-known. Longer version appeared in 1951. The small words are part of the 1951 version.

The text is written on two surfaces; vellum (calf skin) shows its beautiful transparency placed over the Arches Text Wove. Lettering on the vellum was done with gouache after pouncing and rubbing finely ground gum sandarac onto the vellum to help it accept the gouache and give clean, crisp lines. The initial ‘G’ was done with 23IK patent gold over gum ammoniac."

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.

"Prayer can be expressed in so many ways. Here is an encouragement to those discouraged, hopeless, struggling, or wondering if God listens or even hears our prayers. It is being real with God who loves us more than we dare imagine!

As a fledgling calligrapher, hours and hours of practice on letter form and layout was done with this text. In 1985 I created the design as you see it today using watercolor to illustrate the hands and write a visual picture of some words. It was at this time I added my tag-line, Making thoughts visible — custom calligraphy of inspiration & hope.

This text by Greta Schumm McDonald continues to be a blessing to many. Additional note: After first seeing this wonderful prayer so many years ago, I finally had the great privilege of meeting Greta at a conference in 2010."

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.   Price printed on back.

"Psalm 23 was written by David probably toward the end of his life, 1015 BC. David had been a shepherd-boy and eventually became King of Israel. He had a deep relationship with the Lord and his blessing, guiding and providing. I wrote the text on Indian straw paper. This version is one of two; my other one is titled The Twenty-third Psalm."

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.   Price printed on back.

"The title letters of Master Carpenter Prayer were drawn to be a knotty, gnarly, rough texture like wood. An edged pen was used to write the smaller Foundational style letters. I was thinking of angular, hand-forged nail hardware as I tweaked each letter with a smaller pen to make the edges rough-hewn."

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.

I love observing the sunflowers following the sun as we drive through North Dakota in the summer. We can look to Jesus, the Son of God, the light of the world (John 8:12) for help in our dark days. He will never leave us. This promise is found in both the Old and New Testaments. An Old Testament example is Deuteronomy 31:6-8.

Size: 5.5x4.25 Horizontal.

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.   Price printed on back.

"The book of Psalms is the Bible’s hymnal, an anthology of poetic prayers and praises composed during many centuries of worship in Israel. It’s a privilege to use these ancient words today. The psalmist’s heart, touched by God’s redeeming grace, continues to pour truth into our lives in these days. I am thankful for parents and grandparents telling of the Lord's greatness and goodness that goes from ‘one generation to another'. Delight yourself in the Lord!"

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.   Price printed on back.

"A thought to encourage those who work with our children. Who are those that come alongside to help us raise our children - a school teacher; Sunday school teacher; music teacher; gymnastics, football, basketball, baseball or swim coach; daycare person; grandparent; a neighbor?"

Size: 5x7 in. Vertical.

"What an amazing God. He is all glory, majesty, dominion,and authority. It’s amazing to know he takes great joy in loving us and has shown his love for us through Jesus Christ."

Size: 5.5x4 Horizontal.

"What a love. What a mercy. What a burden. What an anguish. What a sacrifice. What a victory."

Message printed on back.

"What a love He gave. What a mercy He showed. What a burden He carried. What an anguish He suffered. What a sacrifice He offered. What a victory He won."

"The Lord told Moses to have Aaron and his sons pronounce this blessing of security, grace and peace to the Israelites. It is a joy for us to speak this blessing to others. We celebrate with them the blessing we have in our relationship with God.

The tiny gold Hebrew letters were written on St. Armand paper and above the larger English letters of each line. Shalom (Peace) was written with a large brush on Arches Text and placed underneath the lovely transparent St. Armand paper."

Size: 7x5 in. Horizontal   Price printed on back.

"Paul, the writer of Ephesians, saw himself as a spiritual warrior and spent a lot of time in prison. So he personally knew the value of leaning in to these qualities, which he compared to a Roman soldiers basic equipment. He knew relying on the Lord and his mighty power strengthened him for his work for the Lord, both in and out of prison."

Size: 7x5 in. Horizontal.

Size: 7x5 in. Horizontal.

Size: 7x5 in. Horizontal.

"A Beethoven sonata becomes more skillfully played as technique with notes, phrasing, dynamics and rests is mastered. It becomes art as the musician infuses the notes with color, passion and emotion balanced with pauses between the notes filled with anticipation and quiet breathing space. In making music of my life, I need to gain perspective on the notes (the dynamics of relationships, moments, events). I can be overwhelmed with the color, passion and emotion of the days and seasons. I need intentional balance to be more focused, fulfilling and purposeful with rests and pauses. In this way, I hope to give expression to the entire score (of life) God has given. The piano background was made by cutting wax paper into the white keys, arranging them to allow space for the black keys, before applying the paint."