Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenda Harrington.
Brenda, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story is really a story of a second chance — at art, at purpose, and at calling.
I fell in love with painting as a girl and went on to study commercial art in college. But when my professors dismissed realism as “uncreative,” I left doubting my gift and set art aside for nearly thirty years. I built a full life — married my husband Russ, raised two sons near Nashville, worked as a graphic designer and freelance CD packaging designer — but that creative calling never fully left me.
Everything changed in December of 2009. I prayed a simple prayer, asking God what He wanted me to do with my life. In that moment, I had a vivid vision of easels and smelled the scent of oil paint. It wasn’t what I expected — or even what I wanted at the time. But if God tells me to paint, I paint.
What followed was years of creating under His direction, one painting at a time, without fully understanding where it was all going. Six years in, I felt the Holy Spirit leading me to gather those paintings into a book. The result is The Art of the Spirit: An Artist’s View of Knowing God in Living Color — 28 original oil paintings, each paired with a true story of the Holy Spirit at work.
The journey has taken me places I never imagined. At 65, God led me to a local graffiti park, where I spray-painted a portrait of Jesus — Perfect Love — right alongside the street art on the walls. I’m probably the oldest woman to ever try graffiti, and I laugh about that. But that moment captures everything the book is about: stepping out in faith, looking a little ridiculous, and discovering that God’s purposes are bigger and more colorful than anything we’d plan for ourselves.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not exactly been smooth, but looking back, every rough patch has helped me grow.
The earliest struggle was internal. When my college professors told me that realism wasn’t creative, I believed them. I walked away from art carrying that wound for decades. That kind of self-doubt is quiet but heavy, and it shaped how I saw myself for a long time. Stepping back into painting at fifty meant confronting all of the fear of not being good enough.
When I started painting again in 2009, I wasn’t returning to a successful art career—I was starting over. I had to relearn skills, overcome insecurities, and create without knowing where the journey would lead. For years, I painted simply because I felt God was asking me to paint, not because I had a business plan or a clear vision of the outcome.
And then there’s the road of getting the book into the world — which has been its own adventure. Writing, publishing, promotion, distribution, building a platform from scratch later in life — none of it came naturally or quickly. I’ve also been navigating the world of audiobook publishing — I’ve hired a narrator to record the book, and that process has come with its own learning curve of distribution, licensing, and platform decisions I never anticipated.
But honestly? The struggles are woven into the message of the book itself. The Art of the Spirit is full of stories about people who went through hard things and found God faithful on the other side. I wouldn’t have much to say about that if my own road had been easy.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an oil painter and author. My paintings are primarily realistic, and some are influenced by the techniques and timeless qualities of the old masters. I love creating work that draws people in visually while also inviting them to explore a deeper story.
The paintings in my book, The Art of the Spirit: An Artist’s View of Knowing God in Living Color, are paired with true stories about learning to recognize the Holy Spirit’s guidance and presence. For me, the art and the story are inseparable.
My subjects vary widely—from portraits and symbolic imagery to scenes inspired by Scripture—but they all share a common theme: revealing something about God’s character, love, and activity in our lives. Through my art, I want people to see that faith is not just a religious concept but a living relationship that transforms lives.
What I am most proud of is not any single painting, but the way the collection came together over many years to become a book that has encouraged people in their own spiritual journeys. When I started painting again in 2009, I had no idea where it would lead. Looking back, I can see how each painting became part of a much larger story.
I think what sets me apart is that I never set out to build an art career in the traditional sense. My work grew out of a desire to follow God’s direction one step at a time. The result is a body of artwork that is both personal and deeply connected to stories of faith, transformation, and hope.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The most important lesson I have learned is that obedience comes before understanding.
When God gave me that vision in 2009 — the easels, the smell of oil paint — I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know what the paintings were for or where they were leading. I just knew I was supposed to pick up a brush and start. For years I painted without a clear picture of the outcome, and that required a kind of trust.
I think many people wait until they can see the whole road before they take the first step. I’ve learned that’s not usually how God works. He tends to give you enough light for the next step, and then the next, and the next. Looking back, I can see how every painting, every story, every detour was part of something He was building all along — but I couldn’t see that while I was in the middle of it, I just had to trust Him.
The other lesson is this: don’t let other people’s opinions define your calling. I let my professors’ words silence me for thirty years. Thirty years. What I know now is that the gifts God places in you are not cancelled by the opinions of others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://brendaharrington.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendaharringtonart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrendaHarringtonArt
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenda-harrington-728524119/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brendaharringtonart
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@brendaharringtonart?_r=1&_t=ZP-97VgImqAeXH
