Standing on the Rock (a portion shown above) is the first in a series of paintings now in print created by American artist Ellen Rice. In it, a woman is standing on a rock facing into a fierce storm against incredible odds. The winds rage around her. Her hair whips behind her. Her clothes blow in tatters. Her bare feet are braced on a large, wet rock. Waves crash against it beneath her. The rock is in the middle of the ocean. But the woman stands strong, head lifted up, face turned into the wind, for she is standing on the rock, the rock of Truth, God.
The image of the painting came to Ellen at a time when life's "storms" were raging in every direction. There wasn't a place or thing she could turn her thought to where there wasn't a potentially devastating problem. There were no apparent human solutions. There was no one she knew to turn to. She did not know how to do more than she was doing. It was only when she totally released feelings of personal responsibility and turned every problem absolutely over to God that she found peace. That night, the image of the woman on the rock swam before her eyes and a great sense of calm over came her. Soon, almost unbelievable solutions came about.
The strength of the woman in the painting is almost palpable. No matter what storms come, she will continue to stand strong facing what comes, for she has finally learned where her answers are found. Says Ellen, "The woman has discovered as Elisha did in the book of Isaiah that 'God is not in the wind,' in the waves, the earthquake or fire; He is in the 'still small voice within' ~ never out there, but within us always."
Each of the seven paintings in this series has come to Ellen individually in answer to prayer. You'll find their stories and options to buy gicle'e prints of them on each painting's page and by visiting her bricks and mortar Studio and showroomon the outskirts of Ocean View, Delaware. You may also order prints by calling the gallery at (302) 539-3405. Open Studios currently welcome drop-in visits on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10-4, and Sunday 12-3.