Painting by Carol Holland
I’m semi-retired and need a second income.
Because I’ve always loved art, I’m hoping I can turn it into an income to live on.
I want to learn how to plan a painting, to take it from an accurate sketch to a luminous masterpiece, and I see they teach it here at Old Master’s Academy. I did not get this quality of knowledge in school or college and you can’t get consistent results from YouTube or anything on the internet that is of this caliber that I know of. I’m submitting my favorite painting with its’ story. I hope you like it, and please vote for me.
“Secret Treasure of the Ice Castle”
In a land not so far away there lives a lady that looks out to the world beyond. She lives in a castle far above the tallest trees–a land where things are often frozen in time. For you see, as she grew she wanted to envelope all the beauty around her, but she was just one little person, not great like God, nor as mighty as even an angel. But she was thankful and she praised the Almighty One who created such beauty.
Then the day came, a bright clear day that somehow allowed her to see things she had not known about before. She gazed intently as the movement below the majestic trunks allowed a special vision amongst the rocks below. There was a big wooden box partially hidden there, and an angel was opening the box. The lady breathlessly awaited to see what the angel would do. What was in the box? Was it some kind of secret only certain people knew about? She knew centuries ago, the renowned artists had their secrets and often modern-day people with the best education often lacked those secrets.
Then it began. The angel pulled various brushes, paints, and supports from this strangely-hidden box. The angel painted everything she saw around her–the trees and rocks, the mountainside–even the snow and ice that had frozen the landscape only a few nights ago, and to top it all off there was just the suggestion of a castle at the top of the highest cliff.
The lady realized it was a painting of her own environment. Oh! How she wished she could do the same or at least capture all the splendor she had loved over the years. Suddenly the angel appeared just out of thin air, and stood before the lady. She commanded, “Hold out your hand.” The lady responded accordingly. The angel placed the brush in her hand, and spoke. “Take what you have in your hand and be faithful with it.” The beautiful picture the angel painted disappeared just as quickly as the spiritual messenger faded into an invisible dominion.
Oh, how the lady’s heart ached! For her messenger was not only gone, but the picture was only a memory now. The land that was frozen in time melted with realistic atoms of man-made houses, mailboxes with bills in them, dinner to cook, children who needed help with homework, demanding hours at a job with pitiful rewards, and dust that never disappeared.
As the lady awoke one fine fall morning, she busied herself with hopes of working on a painting that day. It was what got her hopes up and got her through the day. Oh, she still had much to be thankful for and praised her beloved Saviour and asked for His blessings for the day. However, this day was a little different. Just like the spiritual messenger that was either a dream or perhaps it was her imagination, the lady came across a message that day. In her realistic world, a cyber-message invited her to learn how to paint the things she loved and the things and people she knew others love too. It would be her message to the world, her secret treasure to share with a world that needs it, that heals its’ broken people, that lifts the spirits, that brings immense joy to the creators and those who love life.
I think many of my paintings have a story. Some are true, some not, but I like having a message in my paintings. The lady in the story is me, and although it is fictional, I feel my identity lies in the theme of the story.
It is my desire to communicate and share in my paintings. I cannot do that if I produce bad art. No one will want to buy it. So please help me, vote for me to win the Old Master’s Academy Painting Course. This will begin the next stage in my life, and my livelihood for years to come. (By the way, do you spot the treasure chest in my painting?)
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