“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” 2 Corinthians 5:18

May 2025 be a year of reconciliation for our world, our nation, and for every human heart.

Happy New Year Friends,

If you are receiving this email, it is because you have either signed up for updates on my website or at an event this past year. I’d like to welcome each of you to my new email art community, and I’d like to share with you, my VIP list, this very special piece titled “Reconciled”. Some of you were there when I started this drawing in front of Maxwell’s Tavern in downtown Waxhaw last April, some of you saw it as it evolved over the summer, some saw the finished product this past fall, and some of you are seeing it for the first time today. The story behind this piece’s creation is definitely part of what makes it so special, so allow me to tell you a little story…

During Lent of last year, in the midst of a worship service, I scratched out this little sketch of a lion lying in harmony with a lamb (well, nearly a lamb).

Not long after that, I signed up to do a live art event, for which I had no inventory. I frantically threw together some small pieces to have available, and prayed about a drawing I could do live, since I didn’t have much available for folks to look at. At first, I imagined doing a wild horse or something that is typical for me. However, the Lord kept bringing the image of the Lion and Lamb to mind. For a couple weeks, I woke up with the image in my head. So, the night before the live event, I cranked up some worship music and as I sang and danced around the room, I sketched out the basic shapes of the two animals that had been waking up with me.

It wasn’t till much later in the process that I realized the canvas I had chosen was actually an old recycled thing. Half of a painting that somebody had thrown away. I had redeemed the canvas years ago by sanding it down and giving it a base layer of crimson. I pulled it off the shelf that day because, it happened to be the right size and a nice warm color to accent a golden lion. The Holy Spirit pointed out to me later that it was no mistake that this story of reconciliation and redemption should be told on a canvas that had itself been redeemed and made new after being bathed in the color of His blood.

This is the part where this project ceased belonging to me, and began belonging to the many people who spoke into it during its creation. Although, I was pretty nervous about drawing publicly for the first time, and although I didn’t get as far in my four hours on the street as I had hoped, it was a very beautiful time of sharing my drawing with others. Many of you who visited that evening said beautiful things about what was unfolding on the canvas. Going into this event, I did not know if the lamb was supposed to be the pure white lamb described in Revelation, or the lost lamb described in so many other parts of scripture. As I was drawing, one onlooker exclaimed, “Man, those eyes! They just scream to the whole world that ain’t nobody gonna mess with that lamb!” That’s when I knew it was the lost lamb, who was blemished, weak, lost and in need of a Savior.

This is as far as I got at the live event; however, it was far enough to begin to communicate a story. The story of every lost lamb needing the reconciliation and protection of the king. The day after I did this part of the drawing live in Waxhaw, a good friend of mine from high school shared a video he posted on YouTube about his testimony. Throughout his very difficult story, he kept repeating that no matter what he did to push God away, God kept bringing him back, never letting him go. Though I don’t remember the exact words he used, as I listened to my friend share his heart, it reminded me very clearly of what the onlooker had said about my drawing the previous night. So, I sent this picture to my friend and shared the comment made about “aint nobody messing with that lamb”. He saw the connection too and was touched by what this image meant to him.

The details of the lion’s face were fun and came easily, but for a long time I wasn’t quite sure what to do with the lamb. After the conversations inspired by the image thus far, I knew he needed to represent the lostness of every human yearning for redemption and reconciliation with God. So, I did a little research on sheep, and discovered that the breed existing today believed to be most closely related to the sheep raised by ancient Israelites is called Jacob’s Sheep. Fitting, right? Not only are Jacob’s sheep adorable and a real joy to draw, they are very rarely pure white. Perhaps that is why the sacrificial pure white lamb was so precious and important in Jewish culture and in the laws laid out in the Torah. Once I found the right sheep for this piece, I had to make some adjustments to the initial drawing to turn a generic lamb into a Jacob’s sheep lamb.

All those tiny little curly hairs! Now you see why this took me a little while to finish. Good thing minute details are what I love to do draw! Eventually, I did finish all the tiny little hairs and details and was finally ready for the final piece of this story.

The conclusion of this visual story is glory. The golden glory shining behind the lion has overcome the darkness. The Glory of God is the reconciliation he purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ. Though we were in darkness, lost and blemished, we now can be reconciled by Christ’s sacrifice and sit in glory with the King. Though the story has been told many times over, the simple magnitude of that reconciliation never loses its power. It is my hope and prayer that this little drawing of mine portrays the power and the glory of THE reconciliation story. I hope it inspires you to seek reconciliation in your own heart, and to be a minister of reconciliation in your families and communities this year.

If you would be interested in owning a print of this drawing, please follow the link below to browse print options. The original is now owned by the friend mentioned above, whose Savior King has rescued him and kept him through many dark times. Thanks to good technology, however, I am happy to be offering high quality giclee prints at the same size as the original, as well as many smaller options.

I look forward to sharing more with you this year! In the meantime, have a fantastic week!

Blessings,

Emily Ottaviano