Title: “In the Hands of Love, Joshua Tree”

Painting Description & Insights

Just after I finished painting, “Reaching, Australian Eucalyptus” I saw U2’s Joshua Tree concert. Those two events coalesced into, “In the Hands of Love”.

I was driven to understand the meaning behind the name, not just of the album but the origins of the Joshua Tree. The lyrics, which I had listened to countless times, took on new meaning and significance. The reds, golds and dark silhouettes were already embedded under my fingernails.

I painted, I listened, I wrote of the lyrics, origins and emotions…

I dream beneath a desert sky.

In the hands of love I stand.

It’s all I can do.

I was down and you lifted me.

In a red orange glow the tree of pain thrums into my soul.

I want to feel the sunlight on my face, a love story of kindness, loss and hope.

To feel these healing hands, hands that build, is where I will stand.

The moon turns red, the sky rips open and the rain pours down.

In the howling wind comes a stinging rain.

I’m still waiting. I’m still hanging on. It’s time to step out of the driving rain.

Through the valleys and the quiet city streets, we breathe and laugh and cry.

I wish I dared to scream out loud with God given words so I can explain.

With the guiding hands of Joshua, I cross this desert plain.

Under a blood red sky, under the whole of the moon.

We’ll travel this road together.

It’s been too long to reach so high.

To reach the moon, to feel the healing fingertips.

This is love. A kind love, a soft love.

In these loving hands is where we will be.

Media

To accent the thick texture of the Joshua Tree, it was finished with a gold metallic rub to create a lustre. The body of the painting is acrylic and mixed media on professional artist grade canvas. Edges are finished with metallic gold paint.