Merci F. McCoy

b. 1964

Finally, I am in the vocation that I was born to be in. To be one of God's paintbrushes and heed the call of Pope St. John Paul II in his 1999, Letter to Artists. A call to stir that hidden nostalgia for God and lead into the infinite ocean of beauty where wonder becomes awe, exhilaration, unspeakable joy! I am beyond blessed and incredibly humbled with this gift. It took most of my life to finally get here. One of my favorite scripture passages which I reflect on while in my studio is James 1:17 which reads "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or a shifting shadow." Another favorite is John 17:11 "... And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are." Simply... You and I are one. A message I once experienced in a vision. While I create something out of something, God creates something out of nothing and all Praise & Glory belongs to Him! I am just a messenger and I am blessed to be one of His paintbrushes. When I am in my studio and before I begin to paint, I pray and also listen to 4 Christian songs, in this order: He knows my name by Francesca Battistelli Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli Good Good Father by Chris Tomlin So Will I (100 Billion X) by Hillsong Worship And then I continue to pray while I paint while never forgetting that my parents prayed for me to be born (almost died in utero); I was consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and named after my mom, Mercedes (she's called Mercy or Ched and I am known as Merci - for my every breath is a prayer of thanks). Meanwhile, enjoy the Art and many thanks for dropping by … PEACE!