Hear Joni talk about her good friend being a human easel for a day!
Take a look at Joni's painting up close here!
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SHAUNA: I’m Shauna with Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. You know, I saw you the other day at your art easel.
JONI: Well, there was a time Shauna when I invested every weekend at my easel painting and sketching. I did it for enjoyment, but I also pushed myself to improve. I hired an art teacher. I learned about composition, experimented with study after study, tweaking this technique and that. I flipped through art books to gain more insight from the masters, and I meandered through local art shows to glean from contemporary painters. I wanted to excel as much as possible, with the brush—or colored pencil—between my teeth. But as my schedule picked up with ministry responsibilities, my time at the easel became [I don’t know] more infrequent. And then, when chronic pain became a daily companion, only a rare day would see me wheeling up to my art easel. I just wasn’t able to crane my neck this way and that in order to daub paint where it needed to go. Over time, my art studio has transitioned from a place to creating, to a place of encouraging others, and I am okay with that. When adults tour my studio, I like to teach them short art lessons, I love handing out crayons to the boys and girls who visit!
But at a recent Family Retreat, I offered the same kind of encouragement when I wheeled into a painting class for special needs moms. I was there to cheer on the women. And I loved thinking of how these mothers were getting a fun break from their usual caregiver routines. Once or twice, while I was in there I was thinking about, “Gee, wouldn’t it be good if I could sit in front of my own canvas.” Well, my friend Kathren [who was with me that day] noticed in my eyes how I kept glancing at a stack of blank canvases resting beside little containers of paint. And she suddenly said, “Joni, I think you should join these women and paint something!” She caught me off guard. “That’s a great idea,” I said, “but there's no way I can reach those little table easels.” Kathren said, “I can solve that!” And in no time she stuck a brush in my mouth and she became my easel! She stood in front of me with her legs braced and she firmly held a blank canvas, steady enough—and close enough—so that I could paint. Every couple of minutes or so, Kathren would sanitize more brushes with alcohol wipes, put them in my mouth, and then reach for different paints, per my instructions. And I was experiencing the sheer joy I used to feel when I was in my art studio! And I felt unbelievably blessed by her practical way of loving me, as well as her self-sacrifice [I mean, her arms had to be hurting]! It was the best of true encouragement. And man did I have fun!
Oh, one more thing. When I left that painting class, I turned to my friend Kathren and I said, “Kathren, you know how it says in Luke 6, ‘Give, and it’ll be given to you?’ Well, today you gave me the best gift possible—you gave yourself as my easel. So, here,” I said, giving her the painting. “It's yours.” Well, she was stunned, and we both happily named the work of art, “Kathren’s Clouds.”
SHAUNA: Oh, Joni, that is such a great story! And friend, if you want to see Joni’s painting up close, just visit joniradio.org and take a look for yourself. You’ll be inspired also by the video we filmed of how Joni painted the big, billowy clouds above the meadow. We’ve posted the video for you at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends