Commissioned to Paint The “Great Seal of the State of Florida”

Wow, I can’t believe it’s done. This 4 foot by 4 foot Seal of Florida was my largest ever, commissioned piece thus far. Ken Malone at Kingdom Gate Worship Center in Satellite Beach, FL requested “The Great Seal of the State of Florida” to be painted for The Florida Prayer Embassy. Originally it was going to be a mural, but he decided he would like the freedom of “mobility” of the piece. 

When I said “yes” to creating this “ginormous” seal I knew it would be quite the undertaking for me. Not only would I need to draw it to scale but it was also going to be done in acrylic which isn’t my preferred “comfortable” medium.   Have you ever looked closely at the Seal of Florida, which is located on our states flag? There is so much detail: from the shapes at the hem of the Seminole woman’s skirt to the five different shades in the sunrise (counting the white I used to show the beautiful rays of the sun). 

I remember telling Ken that I knew I could do the painting, I just didn’t know HOW LONG it would take me, knowing that It was the end of the summer and the beginning of the school year was right around the corner. I even attended a “bonus Professional development week” this year which was the end of July.  Working full-time as a visual arts teacher in elementary school, being a wife and a mother of two college kids, I knew I had to plan my time accordingly if I was to get this seal done.   My first goal was to complete the painting by the end of September.  I was intimidated by the many “painting steps” ahead of me. When September came and went, I thought “I’ll be done in October”. Then October blew by with a little bit of a whirlwind with the stuff of family life, so I thought, “for sure I can finish it up in November”! Well here we are in January and I am almost ready to put a clear coat on this thing. (Since I wrote this, the painting has been completed and it was “dedicated” At Kingdom Gate Worship Center on Friday, January 21, 2022)!

When my students at school are in a rush to complete their artwork I always say “good art work takes time“. Like the 19th century painter, Georges Seurat, who took two years to meticulously paint his 6.6 ft × 9.8 ft painting (details below) with millions and millions of dots, I decided to take my time and do it right even if it took several layers of paint to do it. 

Georges Seurat, Study for "A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte", 1884, oil on canvas, 70.5 x 104.1 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

By no means does my 4‘ x 4‘ rendition of the seal of Florida compare to Seurat’s million dollar painting, I am just super proud of myself for this accomplishment, which I painted “in stages”, all which  I had to work around the “stuff of life“. 

Upon reflecting on this accomplishment I realize I enjoyed the actual PROCESS of creating my rendition of this iconic piece, even though it was intimidating from the start. My husband Richard and my two kids, Desiree (20) and Ryan (19) were such an encouragement to me throughout these months of painting. Not only did Ryan help me  “mathematically” with the large “grid” on the canvas AND the measurements of the four circles I had to draw, but also I would hear encouraging words from the whole family like, “you are doing great”, “keep up the great work”, “the colors are alive”, “it’s stunning”.  These words of affirmation kept me going, even when I was nervous with certain details in the work itself.  The artist Henri Matisse once said, “creativity takes courage”. I had to work up the courage for each stage of this painting in all honesty. And some days I just “didn’t FEEL like painting”. 

I know it’s “just a painting” and I don’t mean to make it sound so “grandiose”, but in hindsight I really learned so much through this experience.  I’m proud, I’m relieved, and I realize how super blessed I am by the loved ones who have supported me throughout these last several months to accomplish this goal. 

Thank You also, Holy Spirit, and my “CREATIVE ANGEL TEAM”!  Hee Hee. Yes, I literally mean God’s heavenly host! When I had to make a “straight line” on the painting I prayed for a steady hand, and they delivered! When I needed to create a certain “shade” for the for an area, they helped me do it. I wanted to create with excellence and the GOOD Lord provided for me every step of the way.  In addition, lots of worship songs were played and sung and many prayers for the people of Florida were decreed during the creation of this piece.  😉

Enjoy the time-lapse video of this. By no means did I tape it ALL. No one needs to see the 2nd coat of paint go on! Ha, ha. Many blessings to all.