As we immerse ourselves in the world of art, we often uncover the deepest connections between creativity and faith. Shasta Art Studio draws inspiration from Mount Shasta in California. I chose this name to honor what the Lord has done in my life in this past year, and as a check for where my heart is while creating.

In January of 2025 my dad and I flew out to California for a conference in Redding. It was hosted by Bethel Church, with Randy Clark being the speaker. It was a conference about healing and impartation. Going to California I had very little knowledge of what was to come, yet an open mind to what the Lord wanted to do.

While being there I got to encounter the Lord in a new way. I grew up in a Christian home, yet I had never seen so many people so on fire and engulfed by God. It captivated me, showing me how great and vast the Lord is.

In Art there is a term we use called the sublime. It is employed when talking about grand scenes, often nature, which inspire a simultaneous awe and fear in the viewer. These scenes expand your mind, depicting how powerful nature is, while also making you thankful that you can witness it through the safety of a canvas. My spirit got to know that same feeling, but with the Lord, while in California. He was sovereign and all powerful, invoking a reverent fear within me. Yet, at the same time He was overwhelmingly loving and tender. It is only through Jesus that we can have a Savior which perfectly encapsulates this spectrum. He died a sinner's death and then conquered death.

It was in these moments where I felt fully immersed by His Spirit that I chose to step out and ask for something. His anointing while I paint. All week I was fearful to ask for something, as I was uncertain of how that would look in my life. However, as I asked, I was overcome with His presence. After that an excitement began to grow in me, eager to get home and paint, now with the Lord.

Once I got home and began painting my work truly shifted. My old work had some flares which foreshadowed to what was to come, yet it felt much more rigid. I noticed how much more free I felt while painting and how freedom exuded from these compositions. Not only did it feel different painting, but it looked different too.

I feel that this is merely a reflection of how the Lord works in us. A verse that I have always loved is 2 Corinthians 3:17: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.". How cool is it that I have the paintings to document the ways which the Lord was moving in my life.

Therefore, this is how I have chosen my name; Shasta Art Studio. I would like to take this time to thank God for what he has done, and give Him the glory, as He is the ultimate Creator.