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2024 Easter Watercolor Art Silent Saturday

03/30/2024 00:35:57 +0000

It took me a little longer to create this year's Easter paint-with-me session. The ideas were a bit slow in coming as different thoughts lingered. Daily life was a little wild this week. Maybe yours was too?

Some weeks it is hard for me to sit still. It's hard for my heart and mind to calm down. To listen.

But finally.

Silent Saturday.

I've heard before, "to get to Resurrection Sunday we have to go through Good Friday." So true.

Traveling to Resurrection Sunday also requires a pause on Silent Saturday.

There isn't a lot said about the day in between.

But it isn't hard to imagine the depths of grief Jesus' friends and followers must have experienced.

Without too much speculation, I think we can say that Saturday was a day of intense confusion, sadness, perhaps even despair.

And yet, Silent Saturday was not the end. It was only a temporary stop.

Something that had to be passed through on the way to triumph, eternal life, eternal joy, forgiveness, and uninterrupted union with God.

Outside of seeing Jesus die on the cross on Friday, Saturday must have been the second longest day for the friends and disciples who lived with Jesus.

The Silence of Saturday / Grieving through Confusion

I close my eyes for a few minutes to picture the face of John sitting with Mary the mother of Jesus. He holds her hand but has no words of comfort...the agony of Peter - his pain a mixture of grief and shame. How could the one he called Messiah be gone in such a brutal way?

Mary Magdalene, sitting in a corner, her face buried in her knees, sobbing. The horrible silence in the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. If anyone gathers with them, they simply sit in shock.

Our Silent Saturdays are hard and long. No one gets out of this life without deep heartache.

But, we know something the followers of Jesus who lived 2,000 years ago hadn't yet realized: Resurrection Sunday is coming. Ultimately, every bit of sorrow and sadness, despair and death will be removed.

Our heartaches are not permanent.

One of the gifts of Resurrection Sunday is the reminder that no matter how long or sorrowful our own "Silent Saturdays" are, Jesus will restore all things, wipe away all tears, and gather His sheep into His arms, to be in perfect harmony with Him forever.

And we get to experience a taste of that in this life, as we walk with Jesus each day.

"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even if he dies." John 11:25

Paint this watercolor sketch with me with the paint-with-me video at the top of this post.

You might want to add in a prayer of your own on the back of the art.

Create this Watercolor Sketch

Use a pencil or a micron pen to sketch out the scene. I use a micron pen to create a cleaner sketch with more detail.

After I finish the initial watercolor, allow the painting to dry completely.

Then, if you'd like, add in additional detail with the micron pen. This can help create sharper details.

Sometimes the painting gets a bit murky when I paint quickly and an overlay with the micron pen corrects messy parts.

I've attached a link to download the sketch here. You can download it, open it to see the larger sketch or print it out.

Happy Easter!

Author: Melissa AuClair

I love teaching others easy techniques for creating gorgeous floral and seasonal art. Flowers, seasons, and holidays are some of my favorite themes to paint and play with.

Paint with me on YouTube, find more in-depth courses on the website, and shop all the art, stationery & stickers in the online store.

Experience rest & renewed joy as you paint and pray through the beloved Psalm 23

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