I'll Carry You Through

By  Hazel Holland

I painted this watercolor as I remembered a dream I had been given thirteen years ago.  It seemed to fit with the words to a song I wrote during one of the darkest periods of my life.  

After resigning from public school teaching in 1998, I didn't know how I was going to support myself without my teaching job. After a period of "testing", God miraculously began to provide for my material needs in ways that I could never have imagined!  (You can see the words to "A Song in the Night" here.)

To see a larger copy of this art print click here.

You're His First Love

By Hazel Holland

A few years go when I painted this watercolor, the prayer of my heart was that all who see it might come to know and accept the incredible gift of God's love and compassionate kindness given to us in Jesus Christ.  May the Spirit reveal to you that although our world is but a speck in a universe of billions of galaxies, you are, and forever will be, His first love.♥

To see a larger copy of this art print click here.

Here's My Heart

By Hazel Holland

I painted this watercolor a few years ago as I remembered my past struggles to love and accept myself, and finally discover who I was in Jesus Christ.  I wanted to illustrate my brokenness and His willingness to receive and love me just as I was... just as I am. 

He is calling each one of us to come to Him just as we are and allow Him to perform the miracle of His transforming love and grace upon our broken and imperfect hearts.♥

To see a larger copy of this art print click here.

A Sea of Broken Hearts

By Hazel Holland

As I was painting this watercolor of a sea of broken hearts I wanted to convey a  message of hope to those of you who are hurting.  If you are feeling tossed about on the sea of life by the turbulent winds of adversity, I want you to know that Jesus will hold you close to His heart.  And through every storm you face, He will calm the raging sea inside of yours.  

I used rainbow colors as a way to remind you that God is the Healer of broken hearts.  He wants to turn your tears into laughter and your weeping into songs joy.  Let Him lead you as you and He dance over the whitecaps on this turbulent sea of life together.  Let His love bring you safely to shore.♥

To see a larger copy of this art print click here. 

An Icon of Grace

By Hazel Holland

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and 

familiar with suffering... He was pierced for our transgressions, 

and He was crushed for our iniquities... 

and by His wounds we are healed." 

Isaiah 53:3-5

Five years ago I was compelled to paint this watercolor as the Holy Spirit moved upon my heart to depict the sacrificial love that sent God's Son to the cross.  Today I'm compelled again to post this watercolor with this quote from Paul Young that so touched my heart.

"God did not invent the cross, but anticipated it. It was the worst torture device that human beings could ever create, so that is where the Father, Son and Holy Spirit went, to camp inside our losses, the place where we would use this torture device to even kill God. And God says 'Bring it on.' And then He transforms a man-made torture device into a beautiful icon of grace and a monument of compassionate kindness... He took our wrath. He met us at our deepest, darkest places, and embraced us. And now He climbs into our messes and begins to transform us from the inside out." ♥

To see a larger copy of this art print click here.

God's Heart for the Nations

By Hazel Holland

As I was painting this impressionistic watercolor today of a city street, I didn't know how I was going to finish it.  After I prayed about what to do, the idea suddenly came to me to place a cross in the distant opening I had left.  I sensed God wanted me to portray His heart of love that has been poured out for the cities and nations of this world.

“Ask of Me” the Father said to the Son, “and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.” Psalm 2:8

We can be sure that this promise made to God's Son, Jesus Christ, will be fulfilled.  For every one of God’s promises are “Yes!” in Christ.♥

To see a larger copy of this art print, please click here.   

The Depths of the Sea

By Hazel Holland

Seems like Jesus told us that all our sins 

have been cast into the depths of the sea? 

Micah 7:19

You've probably noticed that this impressionistic watercolor has been taken from the larger painting that I posted earlier.   Sometimes I'm moved by the Spirit with more than one idea for a finished painting.  When that happens I often see two possible paintings in one picture.  It's not something I plan.  It just happens.

I sense in the Spirit that God wants to speak a message of hope to someone's heart.  God has forgiven you for all your sins and holds nothing against you, because Jesus died in your place... once and for all.  Let His goodness work the gift of repentance in your heart so that you can be free to receive His agape love for yourself and find your rest in Him alone.♥

To see a larger copy of this art print click here. 

Another World

By Hazel Holland
 

Below the ocean's surface is another world of much beauty and light.

While I was painting this impressionistic watercolor I just went with the flow of the colors and suddenly realized that I was painting another world that lives in and under water.  Immediately I saw the spiritual parallel for us...

We are called to live in the Spirit and under the blood of Jesus Christ.  Our lives must be immersed in Him as we drink from the Living Water.  Only then will our lives reflect another world of much beauty and light. ♥

To see a larger copy of this art print click here.

Mother's Day Poppies

By Hazel Holland

 Poppies to brighten your special day. ♥

Although I already wished all you wonderful women out there a Happy Mother's Day on my Facebook page with a bouquet of flowers, I found these poppies that I painted when I had just become a young mother myself, and I had to post these flowers to you.  I hope these poppies help brighten your special day. ♥

To see a larger copy of this art print click here. 

Restless Hearts

By Hazel Holland

While I was painting this abstract watercolor I felt a restlessness in my spirit.  I felt like God was wanting me to portray images about the restlessness that God sees in people's hearts as they face the future. The uncertain times that we live in certainly make us feel troubled and fearful inside at times.

But God wants to give us His peace in the midst of troublesome times.  When we feel like our hearts are  melting with fear, He points us to the cross so that our restless hearts may rest in Him.♥

To see a larger copy of this art print click here.

Travail of Tears

By Hazel Holland

When I painted this abstract watercolor a couple of days ago I wanted it to convey a message of love and hope from God's heart to ours.

I want it to remind us of what Jesus Christ went through in the Garden of Gethsemane when He poured out His heart to his Father in a travail of tears.  He drank the bitter cup of suffering and death on our behalf so that He might turn our tears of weeping into tears of joy! ♥

To see a larger copy of this art print click here.

Peeling Back the Layers

By Hazel Holland

Did you ever feel like God was peeling back the layers of pain in your life in order to expose something that you didn't really want to see?   He will do that you know, because He longs to restore our wounded souls and bring healing to our hurting hearts.

Thirty years ago when I painted just the onion part of this watercolor, it was the ugliness of unforgiveness that was buried deep within my heart.  But I was not yet ready to really see the ugliness that was in my own heart.  All the wrongs that had been done against me as a child, and all the pain that had been inflicted upon me as an adult by my own sins and the sins of others...it had all left its ugly scars.

Then later... in God's timing, He showed me that my heart was like a red onion, I saw that each white layer of pain and unforgiveness were the scars in my life that were always covered by a red layer of His saving blood.

I not only recognized that I was covered by Christ's blood and forgiven for my sins, but the sins of others done against me were also covered by His blood! Even before I had repented of the hardness of my own heart, I had been forgiven!

The truth of God's heart of agape love brought me to my knees. The goodness of God led me to repentance. It broke my heart to see such love revealed in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for me.

Seeing God's goodness revealed to me like this freed me to forgive myself, and let go of the hurt and wounds from my past. It set me free to love others unconditionally with God's agape love.

So tonight I finished the painting by placing the imagery of the peeled onion on a colorful patchwork quilt.  Each piece of the quilt represents different aspects of my life that God has restored and healed by His Spirit. 

Of course healing and forgiveness is an on-going process.  But it's the only way to live life to the fullest.  Because His love has restored my soul and healed my heart, I want you  to experience His healing grace, too.♥

To see a larger copy of this art print click here.

Fleeting Moments

By Hazel Holland

     

As I was painting these impressionistic butterflies I wanted to depict their delicate beauty and remember the struggle they had gone through to emerge from their cocoons with their new bodies and wings intact.

The transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly is a scientific wonder that only the heart of God could have imagined and created.  I feel sure He had each one of us in mind when He created them, because they are a reminder to us of the life-changing encounter we may all experience with the living Christ.

Butterflies are here today and gone tomorrow because their life cycle is very short.  Our life cycle is short too when you put it into perspective with eternity, isn't it?  But we both have a destiny to fulfill while we are here.  

The fleeting moments of our lives cannot be extinguished like the butterfly's, because His resurrection life lives in us.  Although we may physically die, our spirits will remain alive in Jesus Christ.  Because we have been transformed by His Spirit, we will soar again... like beautiful butterflies.♥

To see a larger copy of this art print clear here.

A Woodland Wonder

By Hazel Holland

This is a watercolor that I painted while I was confined to a TB hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan for two months... many years ago.  Apparently I got a fungus in my lungs that looked like TB, but thankfully wasn't.

In order to lift my spirits and forget about the fact that I was wearing a mask over my nose and mouth 24/7, I escaped into the wonderful world of art where I was free to roam the woodland and joyfully take in the wonders of God's creation.

Now as I look back on that dark time in my life I am amazed that I painted a watercolor that reflects such lightness and joy... I hope it will remind you of how God is with you throughout your moments of darkness and doubt, and wants you to see His reflection in all the circumstances of your life. ♥

A Bluebell Carpet

By Hazel Holland

I painted this impressionistic watercolor of bluebells to recapture the good memories I have from my childhood of picking bluebells in the Springtime.  I usually didn't keep to the pathways that ran through the woods, but would run and skip through the blue carpet of flowers, enjoying the sweet fragrance of the delicate blossoms.

Bluebells always seemed to beckon me to pick them.  I couldn't resist the charm of their dancing bell-shaped faces.  So I would gather as big a bouquet as my hands could hold.  I'll do the same again now if I ever get the chance.   After all it's not every day that beautiful wild flowers like this roll out the blue carpet for you.

You know... I believe God had you and me in mind when He created such beauty.  No one may ever roll out the red carpet for us, but God planned that bluebells would carpet the woods in the springtime.  What pleasure this must bring to His heart when we praise Him and acknowledge Him as our loving Creator. ♥