Welcome to Sophie's Nature Art!

The picture I would like to present today is probably not one of my most outstanding works. 

Nevertheless, it is a motif that I love very much. It will certainly not be the last of its kind that I paint.
will. 

It was painted on the occasion of a 90th birthday. This birthday boy is something quite
special. No, it's not just that she's 90 years old and still has a very clear mind. No, I was very impressed by this woman. 

Even though I only got to know her as an old, frail lady, I saw that she had a strong spirit and a firm belief. Together with her husband, she has achieved a lot in her life. Together with a few others, they founded a small church congregation, which has since grown into a thriving school community with a private elementary school. Even in her old age, her concern for the people in this community is exemplary and her trust in God is an inspiration to all who meet her.
In one encounter, I asked her about her favorite Bible verse. She gave me the text from Proverbs 3:5+6: 

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine understanding; but remember him in all thy ways, and he shall guide thee.” 

This text expresses the trust of a believer in his God. Even if the circumstances, even their own reason, speak against it, the believer faithfully holds on to his God. Storms may rage in life and we may see no way out, but those who hold firmly to God will be guided safely. 

For me, this is a text that has given me a lot of strength and courage in difficult situations.  

At the time, as my birthday approached, I was practicing on a coastal landscape with a lighthouse. For some reason, the sea, waves and especially sailing ships fascinate me. But I only really realized this when I started painting. Because I often resorted to such motifs, especially at the beginning. 

I can't say where this enthusiasm comes from. Perhaps it came from the annual family vacations to the Baltic Sea. Although I don't actually have any overly positive memories of the salt water, jellyfish, seaweed, sand and fish sandwiches.  

It wasn't until a few years later, when I spent a few days at the Baltic Sea with some friends, that I learned to enjoy walks on the beach.

All of a sudden, I saw a beauty in the approach of the waves and the slurping back of the water. This constant change of coming and going, the majesty of the waves, captivated me. The sound of the water, the call of the seagulls, the salty breeze blowing around my nose. I could have enjoyed this spectacle for hours. Suddenly I also enjoyed feeling the soft sand with the pointed shells under my bare feet.
The water has tremendous power. What a sight it is when the huge waves break on the rocks and the gout is whirled meters high into the air. 

The circumstances in our lives are often like this unpredictable sea. Our life is like a ship that needs an expert hand to safely reach the port of destination. How helpful a lighthouse is on a stormy night to help the ship find the right path. 

So for a Christian, faith and the Bible are a lighthouse, a constant, in the storms of life. This image seemed to me to be extremely appropriate for the above-mentioned Bible text and so I combined the one with the other. Here you can see the result, which hangs in a retirement home in Lower Bavaria above the bed of an aged heroine of faith who has already successfully weathered many storms in her life: 

It gets even stormier in the next article. It's off to the high seas!