the artist

i am knit together to encourage- to give courage to others and to create. when i am be-ing who i'm meant to be, i am more alive to God, more present in life, than in any other daily occupation. i've always been creative- pretending, playing piano, singing, writing, performing, nesting, making, but it took an honest admittal of on-going depression to unearth the painter in me.

once i hit the wall with depression, i lost all desire to create and essentially hid from the world as much as possible. around the beginning of 2008, i began to come out of the constant haze and felt the creative urge resurfacing, too. one day i found myself rather nonchalantly asking God what i should do next, and he said, "why don't you try sketching?"

and so it began. sketching led to painting, and painting flung open a waiting world of brilliant color and texture that i've experimented with over the days and months since january 2008. 

today, i find myself in the midst of a most beautiful awakening. don't get me wrong- i still struggle with depression, but it doesn't define who i am. painting has become my way to mark down just how God carries me out of my egypts and gives me increasing courage to embrace true freedom in this life.

day after day, i am amazed at what i've been given to give away.

the art

all the play- filled paths mystele has followed since 2008 have led her to a unique way of painting and seeing that she calls her "gut art".  upon inspection, you can see playful layer upon layer of mixed media story in the backgrounds, and it's these layers that eventually yield the simply beautiful characters that make you stop long enough to smile, to think, to remember, to laugh, to feel life in all of its bitter-sweetness, and to take heart.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. but take heart [be encouraged!!!], because I have overcome the world. ~Jesus, john 16:33 NLT