Sarah Hopkins Art

Longing for Spring

Some peonies blooming in Spring
acrylic on canvas 14×14

An acrylic abstract of spring grass and flowers

I love this dandelion field just near my house that bursts forth with little yellow flowers every year

Spring, a new season, a time when the earth breaks forth with new life, green buds break through the barren branches, flowers bloom, the earth comes alive again with new life after a time of dormancy and hard frost. We long for such a season as it brings with it the hope of change, a new chapter in life, perhaps a new beginning after a long and dormant winter. And so with it do come the seeds of time to bring forth change. I often think about how quickly the seasons go by and hope I accomplish in these seasons all that my heart longs for. The Bible tells us to number our days, and no wonder, for they slip through our fingers so quickly, as we are so transient like pilgrims passing through this world. One only need lose a loved one to realize how breathtakingly short the span of one’s life is and that the final “spring” will one day come. Thankfully because of the love of the Saviour and His saving grace towards us, we never have to fear death again, once we have put our hope in Him. For He gives us an everlasting hope that solves the biggest problem we ever had…our sin debt.

A watercolor painting of a familiar scene in Vermont in spring. a cherry blossom tree.

We have all sinned, the Bible says, we have all come short of the glory of God. The Bible says ” As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one.” Romans 3:10. And sin has a wage, the wage is death. Romans 6: 23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord” The good news is we can be saved by receiving the free gift of eternal life that God so graciously wants to give us by simply believing on His Son Jesus Christ. John 3: 14 and 15 gives us this blessed hope, ” And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so the Son of man must be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is the hope that faith in Jesus gives us. Eternal life freely given, that can never be lost, extended graciously to all those who believe on His name. Will you believe and receive the gift of eternal life from the one true God who died for you?

A little more of winter

It’s February and the month is nearly half over, but winter in the northeast is far from done. We are in the midst of it and there are many more snow days, storms, and cold winter nights to come. Here is a sampling of my impressions of winter in New England in the villages and towns out and about in this beautiful part of the country.

Some apple trees in a corn field shed their last remnants of fruit to feed the nearby deer

Morning light after a beautiful snow storm

Those beautiful winter skies when the sun peeks through the white clouds and sheds a glow over the frosted landscape

The many opportunities to get out and enjoy the snow

I love Winter

Winter is one of the reasons that I so enjoy life in New England. It is a beautiful season here in the northeast for so many reasons. My anticipation of winter is stirred in the fall as the leaves turn and and the weather gets cooler. The days grow short, the nights grow long. Winter is coming and with it so many changes and enchantments to the mind and eyes. Animals and plants prepare for winter, storing food and going into a dormant state, while people store up wood and put up food to keep warm and well fed all winter long as they transition indoors. Winter is a time for driving away the chill by the wood stove, watching beautiful snowflakes fall from a gray sky, and quiet reflection as the landscape changes with the seasons and the mood of this time of year. I’ve lived in several different states out in the southwest and midwest, but the season of winter in New England is like no place else I have ever lived. The endless white landscape, the rugged brown trees reaching up to the sky in barren expression, the cold wind and the beautiful storms that come and with them bring the exquisite collection of crystal white snowflakes across the desolate hills and mountainsides breed a warmness inside than charms one’s soul. Winter is a time for deep thinking, preparation for renewal and change which only the promise of spring could bring forth, a time to get in touch with our greatest longings and put forth in each New Year those greatest ambitions and desires that back in the late of the fall were nothing more than notions. It is a time of quiet and stillness where we slow down and take in all the activity of the previous year and look forward to all that the New Year beckons us to in hope and aspiration.

My First Blog Post

Welcome! My name is Sarah Hopkins and I love ART. This space is created to express my love for creativity, nature, art and the beautiful countryside of my home in New England, as well as my thoughts on the love of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

I am a novice, self taught artist, learning to paint with oils, watercolor, and acrylic paints, the breathtaking beauty of God’s creation all around me, as well as the stunning sky and vast expanse of the southwest, and the charming seaside coast of my childhood home in the northeast. I am a trained RN and novice artist, who is enjoying the journey of discovering new ways to express my faith and love for God and His creation through the arts.

I have been exploring this passion through my observation of God’s splendor as manifested in His creation and written word to us, the Bible. I hope to share some of this passion with you as I post my musings and creative expressions in this blog as well as my thoughts on my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His love for all of humanity. I hope you will be blessed and refreshed by the art I share with you as well as encouraged and edified by my writings of our great Creator and Saviour. God bless you.

Be sure to subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates!

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.