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View Chelsea Ann's recent work by collection.
WHAT OUR HEARTS LONG FOR
Chelsea's 2024 collection exploring Ecclesiastes.
STATEMENT:
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
Sometimes life feels monotonous, full of unchanging patterns and cycles. Even creation seems to have an unending monotonous cycle… like the sun rising and setting each day. The changing seasons. The moon and tides.
We focus on creation without looking to the Creator. And we are left with that meaningless feeling that never satisfies. That tug on our our hearts— there is something more.
It’s the same as putting our identity in work… career… success… relationships. An unsteady, crumbling foundation. We could spend life chasing after success and accomplishments.
Does this actually satisfy? No.
We could lose this identity in an instant.
No matter how hard we work, we are still left feeling anxious, feeling pain, feeling tired… feeling like maybe we’re missing something… maybe we need more. We are chasing after the wind.
That feeling might come soon, or it might take a decade… but we are always left with that same tug on our hearts— there is something more.
What if our foundation was grounded in something that was actually steady? What if our identity couldn’t crumble? What do our hearts actually long for?
We focus on creation without looking to the Creator.
And the outcome is that tug on our our hearts— there is something more. That longing for something we can’t quite name.
Yet, when we see the beauty of creation through the lens of our Creator… everything changes. That is where we find all joy and satisfaction. That is where we find the answer to that tug on our hearts.
There is nothing we can count on except for Jesus. There is nothing else worth chasing after. Everything is meaningless in comparison to loving God.
There is only one logical response to the ‘heart tug’
To seek Jesus. To abandon the unstable identities we try to give ourselves. To replace this by living in our true identity as children of God.
The heart tug. What our hearts long for.
We long for our eternal home in heaven, but can’t reach it or fully understand it yet. We long to be with Jesus.
There is tension between earth and eternity.
We are bound by time. More than this, we are imperfect and we fall short..
God is eternal, He never falls short… but instead COVERS over all our shortcomings. He endures forever. Loves forever.
How amazing is our God? That we can rest knowing that God holds our lives in His hands with grace and goodness. We don’t have to figure everything out… and we actually can’t figure everything out! We don’t have to carry that.
The heart tug… the longing… the feeling that that is something more… That search for meaning in life doesn’t really matter at all. We are to simply follow Jesus in all our ways. And following Jesus IS the meaning we are searching for.
He is what our hearts long for.
STATEMENT:
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
Sometimes life feels monotonous, full of unchanging patterns and cycles. Even creation seems to have an unending monotonous cycle… like the sun rising and setting each day. The changing seasons. The moon and tides.
We focus on creation without looking to the Creator. And we are left with that meaningless feeling that never satisfies. That tug on our our hearts— there is something more.
It’s the same as putting our identity in work… career… success… relationships. An unsteady, crumbling foundation. We could spend life chasing after success and accomplishments.
Does this actually satisfy? No.
We could lose this identity in an instant.
No matter how hard we work, we are still left feeling anxious, feeling pain, feeling tired… feeling like maybe we’re missing something… maybe we need more. We are chasing after the wind.
That feeling might come soon, or it might take a decade… but we are always left with that same tug on our hearts— there is something more.
What if our foundation was grounded in something that was actually steady? What if our identity couldn’t crumble? What do our hearts actually long for?
We focus on creation without looking to the Creator.
And the outcome is that tug on our our hearts— there is something more. That longing for something we can’t quite name.
Yet, when we see the beauty of creation through the lens of our Creator… everything changes. That is where we find all joy and satisfaction. That is where we find the answer to that tug on our hearts.
There is nothing we can count on except for Jesus. There is nothing else worth chasing after. Everything is meaningless in comparison to loving God.
There is only one logical response to the ‘heart tug’
To seek Jesus. To abandon the unstable identities we try to give ourselves. To replace this by living in our true identity as children of God.
The heart tug. What our hearts long for.
We long for our eternal home in heaven, but can’t reach it or fully understand it yet. We long to be with Jesus.
There is tension between earth and eternity.
We are bound by time. More than this, we are imperfect and we fall short..
God is eternal, He never falls short… but instead COVERS over all our shortcomings. He endures forever. Loves forever.
How amazing is our God? That we can rest knowing that God holds our lives in His hands with grace and goodness. We don’t have to figure everything out… and we actually can’t figure everything out! We don’t have to carry that.
The heart tug… the longing… the feeling that that is something more… That search for meaning in life doesn’t really matter at all. We are to simply follow Jesus in all our ways. And following Jesus IS the meaning we are searching for.
He is what our hearts long for.
Thumbnails
Segments of my larger-scale work...
...intentionally deconstructed and re-designed in small pieces.
Carefully paired with vintage and thrifted frames...
...capturing a detailed moment within the larger picture...
...focusing on seeing the beauty in small moments and details.
Simplicity...
...zooming in...
...being truly present in the moment... that's peace.
...intentionally deconstructed and re-designed in small pieces.
Carefully paired with vintage and thrifted frames...
...capturing a detailed moment within the larger picture...
...focusing on seeing the beauty in small moments and details.
Simplicity...
...zooming in...
...being truly present in the moment... that's peace.
Shepherd
Nine abstract pieces rooted in a deep study on Psalm 23.
STATEMENT:
Sometimes life feels isolating. Sometimes it’s overwhelmingly chaotic- with no moments to breathe and no moments between.
In between. These are the moments that I love. These are also the moments I hate. I avoid them at all costs.
In between moments can be big or small. It can be the thirty seconds between start and stop on the microwave. It can be the eight minute walk from one class to another. It can be the two months of waiting for what job happens next. In between is the unplanned… the uneventful… the mundane.
These are the moments when my mind races. When I can’t hide from inner dialogue anymore. When everything hits me all at once- when I look for something to distract. When all I want is for the next thing to start immediately, for life to hurry on, for the waiting to stop. I just hate the in between.
The beautiful thing is that I also love the in between. This is because the in between is where I most easily meet my Shepherd. A Shepherd who is Provider. Protector. Guide. Someone who sits with me in the waiting. Who nudges me forward, gracefully showing me where to go. Who sits in the storm of anxiety with me and calms it in an instant.
Somehow these overwhelming storms become something serene. Something alluring. Something beautiful. Something holding true peace.
These pieces were created in moments of stillness and slowness. In moments of recognition of who my Creator is. Light, watery washes of paint mean lots of time drying between layers, lots of time sitting and waiting. Combine this with minimal marks and now this is a contemplative process– a pause–a moment in between.
The in between is often the only peace in each day, characterized by the refreshing feeling of sitting in the hands of my Shepherd who is the ultimate care-giver. The only one who will never let me down Who never fails to provide, or protect, or redeem. Who knows the worst parts of me yet still loves me the most. Who brings the wandering home.
Who simply wants to be with me- always. Who is with me in the in between.
This is peace. This is the In Between.
STATEMENT:
Sometimes life feels isolating. Sometimes it’s overwhelmingly chaotic- with no moments to breathe and no moments between.
In between. These are the moments that I love. These are also the moments I hate. I avoid them at all costs.
In between moments can be big or small. It can be the thirty seconds between start and stop on the microwave. It can be the eight minute walk from one class to another. It can be the two months of waiting for what job happens next. In between is the unplanned… the uneventful… the mundane.
These are the moments when my mind races. When I can’t hide from inner dialogue anymore. When everything hits me all at once- when I look for something to distract. When all I want is for the next thing to start immediately, for life to hurry on, for the waiting to stop. I just hate the in between.
The beautiful thing is that I also love the in between. This is because the in between is where I most easily meet my Shepherd. A Shepherd who is Provider. Protector. Guide. Someone who sits with me in the waiting. Who nudges me forward, gracefully showing me where to go. Who sits in the storm of anxiety with me and calms it in an instant.
Somehow these overwhelming storms become something serene. Something alluring. Something beautiful. Something holding true peace.
These pieces were created in moments of stillness and slowness. In moments of recognition of who my Creator is. Light, watery washes of paint mean lots of time drying between layers, lots of time sitting and waiting. Combine this with minimal marks and now this is a contemplative process– a pause–a moment in between.
The in between is often the only peace in each day, characterized by the refreshing feeling of sitting in the hands of my Shepherd who is the ultimate care-giver. The only one who will never let me down Who never fails to provide, or protect, or redeem. Who knows the worst parts of me yet still loves me the most. Who brings the wandering home.
Who simply wants to be with me- always. Who is with me in the in between.
This is peace. This is the In Between.
STUDIO REFLECTIONS...
Read more about my creative inspiration, collection details, studio life, and Faith reflections.
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