The Color of April / 2023
April's Color of the Month is Meadow.
I've been enamored by this muted, gentle green for a couple of years now and was so excited to designate it as April's color.
Just scroll through my portfolio for a second, and you'll find evidence of my obsession for Meadow green in most of my paintings – even if it's just a tiny mark, it's usually there somewhere.
Technically, what you'll see is a color that Golden Paint calls "Titan Pale Green" (one of only two paint colors I'll use straight out of the tube) – but I gave this particular green the new name of "Meadow" because I think the image it prompts better represents the way that this color makes me feel.
Meadow reminds me of two distinct and intertwined things: growth and rest.
Growth, because green is a classic sign of new life in the natural world around us, and rest, because this particular shade of green feels so calming to look at… seeing it makes me instantly want to take a nap in a soft field of grass, or eat a mountain of pistachio gelato (either would be a very calming experience).
And I felt like these words were perfect ones to associate with April because this season feels synonymous with growth and rest.
Both this season of springtime and this season of my life, since April is also the month I was born (4/4, to be exact).
My 27th year was marked by lots of growth, and my prayer for 28 is one of rest.
To be more specific, I'll never forget 27 as the age that I decided to take my artwork seriously – to go all in on the full-time pursuit of my career as a professional fine artist.
In the process, my husband and I took a big risk last year and laid aside a business we didn't feel called to anymore. And while that leap was scary, it's been working out so far!
This month also marks a whole year since I started talking to my therapist – a statement oozing with all kinds of growth.
A year ago, it felt like OCD and anxiety were crushing me, and in the process of investing in my mental health, I've been growing stronger, and lighter, and more courageous – learning daily how to quiet the whispers of fear and doubt that try to rob us of joy and peace.
Through all the hurdles, year 27 also brought me closer than ever to God. I felt the roots of my faith sink deeper, and a love for my Heavenly Father grow like a tree.
My relationship with the Lord felt fresh, and personal, and sacred this year. God was with me in my studio as I painted, cried, celebrated, and struggled – and I hope people can feel that through the marks that landed on my canvases.
As for this coming year of my life, year 28...
While I want to see ongoing growth in these areas, my prayer is that I'll learn to find more rest in the process.
To be honest, I love the idea of rest, but I'm not very good at it.
As a high achiever who's a little too hard on myself sometimes, I'm much comfier with the idea of growth.
The striving kind of growth. Give me a goal… I want to crush it.
But too often I find myself in pursuit of being enough rather than making an effort to simply BE.
I realize that in order to grow, we need moments of stillness. We need rest. We need be-ing time (as the author Madeleine L'Engle would say).
In the last couple of weeks, I've felt God reminding me of this with a verse that keeps showing up over and over again.
Matthew 11:28-30 says:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Every time I read those words, I feel something new.
Just try taking a huge deep breathe, and reading that verse again, but much slower.
What a promise. What a sense of peace.
What a good reminder that we don't have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders – we can find a soul-deep rest when we lean into Him.
If that Bible verse were a color, to me, it would be Meadow.
If my 27th year of life were a color, it would also be Meadow.
More Meadow-inspired photos:
I took this photo in LA last year.
My painting, Titan Pale Green (available), hanging in the hallway of my home.
My mom’s matcha latte - I stole a photo for the color.
A new painting of mine called, Be Still, and Know (available upon inquiry).
A little studio flat-lay featuring Green Study No. 2
From my garden – when this cactus (the Peruvian apple cactus) blooms, the flower only lasts for one night!
Thank you for reading!
If you’re a collector who wants to invite a little more Meadow into your life, here’s a curated selection of available paintings that feature April’s Color of the Month:
And if all this isn’t enough to satisfy your meadow mood, I made a Pinterest board for you to explore. Click here to see.
