A Tapestry of Love ♥
I did this heart lesson a few years ago with my 5-7 year old homeschool art students. It was inspired by the heart paintings of Jim Dine.
It is a simple design that adds a pop of color to your walls. 
Plus, during our lesson we talked about warm and cool colors. Since I work with small children, I kept it simple by asking them to tell me what colors come to mind when they think of fire. They’re smart and could not wait to tell me red, yellow, and orange. I explained to them the fire colors are what is known in art as warm colors.
Then, I asked them to tell me what colors would describe a snowy winter’s day. They yelled out blue and purple and we discussed how green fits into the cool color category.
I briefly, went over the color wheel with them as well.
We also talked about shapes, texture and balance in paintings.
We used heavy body acrylics to get more texture (the more texture the better when applying the black wash at the end).
Each child first drew their heart design on the canvas in chalk so they would know where to paint and to also keep a space in between each color (Note: chalk is awesome in helping children (adults too!) with placing items on a canvas (especially in reproductions of well known paintings)…if they make a mistake, just wipe it off—love it!).
Then they added the paint. The “heart” had to be either cool or warm colors (but not both) and then the “shapes outside” the heart would be the opposite of what the heart was painted.
After the paint was dry (the following week in class). The children wiped a black wash (watered down black paint: 1 (paint) to 5 (water) ratio) over the entire painting.
Then, to complete it, they painted the spaces in between the color shapes with a coat of liquid acrylic black paint that was not watered down (Note: If you are doing this at home, you could just start with a pre-primed canvas in black (chalk it out in white)…however, in working with a classroom of children, I would have had to wait for the black painted canvas to dry. Therefore, we did the adding of the black paint all in the final step).
So fun, a contemporary piece of art that will grab your attention!
All the different shapes, sizes, colors, and pieces reminded me of a puzzle or tapestry put together.
It brought back to my memory the verse from Colossians 2:2. In The Message it reads, “I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. “
WOVEN INTO A TAPESTRY OF LOVE IN TOUCH WITH EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT GOD!
Wow, that’s a lot of pieces, colors, threads, mending, binding and etc. coming together… all kinds of colors of life go into that!
I am so glad that God is not afraid of all the pieces of our lives and everyone else’s lives.
He sees all the good, the bad, and the ugly pieces in our lives and weaves them INTO A TAPESTRY OF LOVE.
He knows the cool colors and days of everyone’s life (YOU, ME, & BILLIONS MORE) and all the bitter and hurtful wounds of it and sees how it can be WOVEN INTO A TAPESTRY OF LOVE.
For HE is near to the broken hearted and binds, restores, rebuilds and stitches it all INTO A TAPESTRY OF LOVE:
“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” Psalm 51:17
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147: 3
God covers us with the warmth and beauty of His Word:
“The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” Psalm 19:8
“Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.” Psalm 50:2
As we allow him to weave all the pieces of our lives INTO A TAPESTRY OF LOVE. He makes it into something beautiful that refreshes our soul and the souls around us (Isaiah 61:1-4).
He reveals the TAPESTRY OF LOVE that we were created to be as we keep our hearts and minds on Him.
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
What a refreshing verse that binds us to the TRUE source, way, and life-The MASTER CREATOR of the TAPESTRY OF LOVE Himself.
Blessings for a week filled with eyes to see the beautiful tapestry of love that you are!!!
A prayer to encourage your heart:
LORD, help my mind and heart to think about these things. Be the desire of my life and take all the pieces and weave them into a tapestry of love for your glory. Thank you that YOU know how.
Made to love,
♥ Michelle
Find Happy Heart: Fill’er Up! …perfect for a child on Valentine’s Day ♥
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Verses from www.biblegateway.com