There was a lovely woman who walked by YES Gallery one day and was standing outside looking in. When I said hello and invited her in, she hesitated at first but when I continued to speak with her she walked up the stairs and inside to continue the conversation. She told me that she had been walking by for some time and had been admiring the art through the windows and open door, and that one painting in particular caught her eye. She was looking for a gift for a very special young woman she knows and she thought the colors of the piece would go with things the young woman had in her home. It was also very bright and cheerful, and so she thought that the feeling it gave her would be something nice to share as a gift.
The painting she had been drawn to is by Jason Brian Fox who I've written about in these pages before. There are several of his pieces in the gallery, and the particular one that she was looking at is framed and matted, and because of the size and quality of the framing it is more expensive than some of his other work. She had told me she was on a budget and when I explained the reason it was priced the way it is, I offered to contact the Artist and see if there was a way he could make a piece for her that used similar colors and style, but that would be within the amount range she could feel more comfortable with.
When I contacted Jason and explained the conversation, he said he would try his best and when he finished the piece and brought it to me at the gallery he really had created something, that though different because it was on canvas and not on paper and matted and framed, was very much along the lines of the other.
A little over a week ago the woman stopped by to pick it up and bring it to the young woman she knew as a gift. She had seen a photograph of it and then had seen the painting itself, and when the day came for her to take it, I wrapped it for her, showing her how to do it in the careful way I had been taught by another Artist in case she needed to unwrap or rewrap it for any reason.
After delivering her gift she stopped by to tell me that the young woman loved it, and it was one of those moments that make me so happy. It's a joy to help someone find a beautiful work of art that means something to them, and a joy to help connect an Artist with the person who in some way their work was made for. Jason named it "Struggle Becomes Salvation" as a reminder that sometimes in life we will face struggles and difficulties, but that through that we will draw closer to God. Having the opportunity to share that with this lovely woman as well led us to speaking more about our own experiences and faith, and that was a beautiful gift as well.
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