John 14:27 - Peace

Calla lilies are another one of my special favorites when it comes to flowers. I snapped a photo of this one in my sister's garden on my last trip to California. As a youth, we had six or seven very large calla lily plants and it was not unusual to cut a bouquet of 20-30 to place in a vase for the house. I was always impressed by their fragile beauty.

As I painted this calla, I ended up with an empty space in the lower right hand corner of the composition and wasn't sure what to do about it. Happily, I thought this might finally be my opportunity to incorporate scripture into my artwork. I thought about the graceful, fragile calla lily and what scripture would be a suitable companion for it. "Peace" was the word that came into my mind and John 14:27 was the match. I think that it's important to remember that the kind of peace the world offers may be a fragile kind of peace whereas the peace that Christ offers is strong and lasting, as noted by the continuation of verse 27: "I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."

"California Calla," 36"x36" oil on gallery-wrapped canvas, now available on www.artbymj.com