I can’t get away from the word ‘Dayspring.’ There’s something about the word that conjures up hope and good plans within my spirit.
It’s an ancient English word for Dawn and in my painting recently I have been producing and creating picture after picture with simple and often abstract dayspring themes. It’s also a new way to paint and I must admit that I feel somewhat compelled to paint these themes. I humbly believe that they’re pictures of promise and what is to come.
In the Carol O’Come O’Come Emmanual, my favourite verse is verse 3:
O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Classic FM writes this about the carol:
The Emmanuel of the title refers to the Hebrew ‘Immanuel’ which appears in the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament more as a sign of God’s protection than an actual person, whereas in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament the name Emmanuel refers specifically to Jesus Christ.
What isn’t so commonly known is that Dayspring is also a name given to Jesus. This painting seeks to capture his light and radiance and the use of colour in an abstract way seeks to show the depth and richness of the light of Jesus.
In Isaiah 9 Jesus is prophesied about in this way:
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
My prayer through this simple print of a painting is that the light of Jesus may shine!
This is printed on canvas and wrapped around a wooden frame. It s glossy in texture and appearance.
The print measures approx 20cm by 20cm.