"The Conqueror" was created before a major flood in Ellicott City of 2016. The canvas I painted it on was the largest I'd ever done and quite frankly, it intimidated me so much that I didn't even begin working on it until sometime after I bought the 36x48 canvas. It may seem small for other artists but with my spacing of where I worked at the time, 18x24 was mostly the largest size I'd paint onto. To me it was quite the emotional accomplishment to even begin, let alone finish.
This took months to complete. When I bought the canvas, it literally sat in my art room and began simply with a splash of water, as I sat in front of it as it leaned against a closet door, pondering and getting up the nerve to put even one line of paint on it. It was still in the plastic wrap it came in as the water literally beaded down the wrapping. Why would I do that? I know it even seemed odd and silly to me at the time. But as I saw there starring, I was listening for the Lord's leading and oddly, that's what His Spirit spoke to me to do. Take that cup of water and splash it onto it, so that's what I did. I didn't realize then the message in that at the time but I knew it was weighty as I had goosebumps line my skin from His Spirit moving through me as I did it.
When I finally began painting, I started out with the acrylic swipe of blue that you see as the wave in the painting. I didn't know the direction or vision of the painting yet, I was just following the promptings of Holy Spirit. Days would go by and sometimes months before I continued to work on it, waiting to both get the nerve to continue without a clear vision and the promptings of God.
As I slowly worked at the painting thorugh the months, I would sit and look at it in the off times of working on it to see something, anything emerge that would give me a glimpse of what it was to be. It slowly began to show.
One day, sitting in a chair in my room at night, I saw the faint image of a man as if he was in kneeling in the water with his arms raised in victory and I began to see in my mind, a city in the background to go along with it.
This is how prophetic art often happens for me, it emerges and so doe the message. And this is often how God will speak, more gets revealed at the right time, in time, and through time. He is always on time.
So I painted away in God's timing until it was complete and I felt the anointing for victory, being a conqueror in it with the city on a hill and the Kingdom of Heaven in the background painted in a gold glory in the back ground. When it was finished, the Lord led me to understand the scripture that goes with this painting is, Isaiah 59:19. When the enemy comes in, like a flood the Lord will raise up a standard against him.
You are that standard. You have victory, his authority, his power. You are a conqueror and can do anything in Christ. In any weakness he is your provider to supply what you need. And you have the Kingdom backing you up.
Soon after, this painting was completed, a flood hit Ellicott City Maryland that wiped much Main Street out. Let it be known that God was speaking the rebuilding, the coming together, and the standard that will be raised in that city. It was raised, rebuild, the community came together. Let it be known that without community, you are without support. We must be unified together and together we are conquerors.
This painting is currently for sale at an offering price and listed on my originals page as a Priceless Painting.
Scriptures:
Isaiah 59:19, Revelation 3:21