Hopelines

“I paint to fulfill the needs of my soul. If God gives you the gift of talent, you give Him a gift by using it.”

Artist and author Joan Levy Earle seeks to paint the spirit of God in nature, and was inspired in her approach to that of Emily Carr, choosing to reflect spirituality into her various tree-filled landscapes.

In her book, HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS, Miss Carr stated: “Trees are more obedient to God and recognize Him clearer. They go straight ahead doing what God tells them: they never pause or question: they grow, always moving in growth, always unfolding, never in a hurry, never behind, doing things in their season. God did not give trees the right to choose good and evil like He did us so they don’t make as big a mess of things.” (p.146)

She went on to say: “Surely the woods are God’s tabernacle. We can see Him there…It is God in His wood’s tabernacle I long to express.” (p.201)

Perhaps the statement that impressed Joan the most were these words: “Art and religion you can’t separate, for real art is religion: a search for the beauty of God deep in all things.” (p.172)

Next to the Bible, Emily Carr’s diary HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS has been the most inspiring book in Joan’s library. She painted a tribute to Emily Carr, titled: TREES AND SKY which opened on the 50th Anniversary of the passing of this outstanding Canadian artist from British Columbia.

Like Miss Carr, Joan is also a writer, and has eleven non-fiction books to her credit. In 1996, her book: Jack’s Farm was published by Creative Bound Inc and was reviewed by one critic as “the most honest book I have read since Tuesday’s with Morrie”.

Still available in print are: Jack’s Farm, Train Ride to Destiny, The Road Home: A journey of faith, and The Legacy of C.W.Kyte, which is the history of a stationery-bookstore which was 99 years old when it was purchased by Joan and her late husband, Jack Earle. It is a fascinating tale of old-fashioned retail “where service was still in style.”

Her latest book from 2017 is Grandma’s Best Friend, an illustrated children’s book of Bible stories.

Joan retired in 2014 as Associate Editor of The Canadian Messenger magazine.

She writes a weekly column called HOPELINES for the Standard-Freeholder daily newspaper in Cornwall.

Joan has often stated: “For the first 40 years I lived life my way. Then I tuned into God’s frequency and discovered how to live His will. I have found this to be a far better approach to life!”