Before the time change started, I had the honor of driving to work during the sunrise. Now, it’s just dark–which is cool in its own way, but I miss the sunrise. There was one in particular that really stuck with me. The clouds that morning zig-zagged across the sky like a tornado. The light of the sun rose behind it in hopeful yellows and orange hues. When the sunlight hit the clouds, they were painted with majestic blues and violets. It was an awe-inspiring sight. I wish I could’ve stopped to take a picture–but that’s hard to do while driving.
The main thing that stuck out that morning was a single line of clouds just off to the right of the magnificent tornado that twisted up the sky. The line had to have been made by a plane that passed through, but it wasn’t very long. It was like God left a tally mark in the sky. It was kind of out-of-place and didn’t quite fit with the rest of the sunrise, but it was still pretty. Just a single line of clouds in a blue-gray hue. It didn’t diminish the beauty of the rest of the sunrise. That’s when I finally realized what it reminded me of.
About a week before seeing this sunrise, I finished a painting–the one featured in this post. I think it turned out alright; however, I wasn’t fully happy with it. You see, my “art studio” is my bedroom and I have a cat with long fur who loves my bedroom and I, myself, also have long hair. So, one of my greatest challenges while painting is making sure none of the fur or hairs that my cat and I leave around the room get on the painting. When painting the sunrise featured in this post, I missed a hair. You can’t see it in the photo of the painting, but if you saw the painting itself, you would notice where the hair was on the canvas. I got the hair off, but the paint had already dried and that hair left its mark. I tried going over it with more paint, but…it’s still there.
As much as I wanted to show off this new painting, I didn’t want anyone to see the hair in it. The painting ended up getting packed away in my closet. Fast forward to the line I saw in the sunrise. It reminded me so much of the hair on my painting and it got me wondering that if a sunrise could still look so beautiful with a “hair” left from an airplane, then maybe my painting wasn’t as bad as I thought.
I mean, it’s the flaws that make us unique, isn’t it?
nikki diekemper 
I really enjoyed reading your post, and as someone who paints sometimes things don’t go as planned. I usually get mad and start over, but after reading this is realized that made they are perfectly imperfect.
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Nikki you captured the beautiful sunrise from God & how He created each of us in His imagine. We all have our flaws but are also beautiful in the eyes of our God. Keep painting & writing you are growing & improving others along the way.
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what a beautiful painting! it definitely captures the essence of those beautiful mornings I miss.
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Our flaws are part of us and it is how we address those flaws that make us. Pack it away in a closet, or share it for the rest of the world to see. As the “hair” in the sun inspired you, the hair in your painting will inspire others. Show it to the world.
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