The Clean Slate
Before I went to sleep, I asked the Lord to forgive all my sins and to wash me in the blood of Jesus and to make me white as snow. I then curled up thinking I was basking in the warm intimacy of God’s presence.
I dreamed, but I cannot remember the dreams. It seems I dreamed of someone’s very nice stone house with courtyards. I wanted a place such as that for myself. Just before I woke, the Lord handed me a clean white canvas intended for my fresh beginning. I took delight in the matter, knowing that I could have any house I wanted to create. There was also the idea of God’s provision, so that I was not limited by anything but the empty canvas. I thought at first to paint a small house on the lower right corner of the canvas. Then I realized, “No, I have this whole canvas to use as I wish. I’ll fill it completely with a beautiful stone castle.” Finally, before waking, I realized that I could not begin to build, for I knew that “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builder’s labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) And so I awoke with the vision of this “Clean Slate.”
I am not fond of minimalist paintings, generally. It is rare that I like one. I’m not at all sure I would look at this one as a painting and think well of it. However, the dream was more like a vision to me and I felt it important to try this minimalist type of painting for the record. It happens, also, to be my first palette knife painting.
The Clean Slate
8” x 8” acrylic on stretched canvas
By Barbara Woods
January 20, 2012
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