Sparrow Flying

A Painting by Norah Black

“Rising Scholars” features the work of talented high school and college students seeking to capture the good, the true, and the beautiful through creative writing and art. Today, we’re thrilled to share “Sparrow Flying” a painting by Norah Black, a homeschooling freshman in Indiana.

I did not originally intend for this painting to reference Scripture, but I am glad it does. In fact, the idea of painting a bird came after the background was already complete (or mostly complete)! While trying to figure out which type of bird to paint, I remembered a passage from the Gospel of Luke: “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them” (Luke 12:6, NLT). The painting symbolizes for me that, no matter where you are, God has not forgotten you. Whether you are in the sky or in the woods, Jesus will never leave you.

I created this painting with gouache, which is like watercolor but thicker and opaque. I mainly used my smallest tipped brush, especially on the sparrow and the white lines in the background. For the background, I used a slightly larger paintbrush. The white lines on the background are outlines of spots where the blue is more pale in comparison to the rest of the picture. After I finished the sparrow, the background still seemed fairly empty, so I added some butterflies. Overall, this painting is meant to remind people of the love God has for us and that he cares for us, no matter where we may be.

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- Norah Black is a homeschooled freshman who takes online classes from Wilson Hill Academy based in Texas. She enjoys sketching, painting, and animating, among other hobbies. Currently, she lives in Indiana with her mom, dad, and two younger brothers. You can find Norah’s work on YouTube and Redbubble.