My second favorite Republican…

I used to think I was related to Abraham Lincoln because we share the same birthday. Partially, this is because my mom and I ALSO share the same birthday and we are related (duh). My dad and his mom shared the same birthday, too, and shockingly they were ALSO related! 😂 So as a kid, it was easy for me to connect the dots between being born on the same day and being in the same family. Eventually my parents convinced me otherwise, but I still have my suspicions.

I have been feeling the pull to paint Lincoln for a while now, and this past weekend I finally answered the call. And I’m glad I waited… a few months ago I would have painted him with oil paints and gone for a more traditional likeness. But by the time I couldn’t contain the urge any longer, my plan changed. This painting came with ease, with joy, and with total abandon for following any kind of rule. My kind of painting.

Being an intuitive, I am always aware that the inner urge to create is tied into some greater force, up in the ethers, guiding my brushes and choices. This is how SHINE was born. It’s not mine. It’s from somewhere out there, over the rainbow, where Spirit lives. This morning while researching the history of the reference photo I used to paint Lincoln, I learned that he sat for the photo just days before he gave the Gettysburg Address. His speech, commemorating the 50,000 plus Union and Confederate soldiers who died on the ground beneath his shoes, was short. There are reports his opponents were furious that Lincoln did not talk long enough about the sacrifices that were made, or the men who died. And of course his supporters thought it was brilliant. Some things never change.

But it’s what he DID say that has me in awe. Paraphrasing, Lincoln stated that we can make all of the battlefield dedications we like. We can put plaques on buildings and carve quotes in stone to say “these men died here for a good reason”. But nothing we do now can outshine the souls who lost their lives fighting for the freedom of ours. The only thing we can do is move forward, carrying their lights in our hearts, and birth a new nation in their honor, where all humans are equal and free.

The speaker before Lincoln pontificated for two hours. Lincoln’s speech couldn’t have lasted more than ten minutes, tops. Wearied from battles both political and personal, Lincoln was tired, sad, and over it. The Gettysburg Address was the quintessential mic drop. And the anniversary of it is this week, November 19th. No wonder I wanted to paint him.

So here is MY dedication to my BFF, Abe. I love how all of the colors somehow both capture the sadness in his eyes, yet transmute the darkness he must have felt into hope. May we all keep striving for a more beautiful world, where all of the colors of the rainbow are welcome and celebrated. That’s MY kind of America.

with love,

Peyton

And PS… my first favorite Republican is my Uncle Ray.💜