I believe in joy. Truly. I believe in finding peace in your soul so that no one can take it away from you, no matter what your circumstances.
I say this, of course, because growing up things were bad for me, but I always had joy. I believe this was due to my faith. No matter how often I was belittled or hit or whatever else, I could say I had joy. Even during times that were sad.
Joy helps bring you through it all. When times are so bad you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, joy tells you it is still there. 
So, I wanted to do a picture based on joy. I wanted to write words that described joy.
The picture had to be one where someone is content. No huge smiles, which can too often mask pain. No awkward poses. Just a girl with a simple, calm look that says, “It’s going to be all right.”
I used a canvas board (still my favorite thing to use ever) for this along with oil sticks, inks, acrylics, paper, and lace. Just a few things! And even though the painting took several hours, you can view it all being made through the magic of (sped up) video:
This original is currently for sale in my shop.
