The First Ascent - Where Heaven Meets Earth
The beginning of the God’s Rope series. A soulful oil painting where a woman with a golden aura meets a white horse. Their golden threads begin the journey to heaven. Created with real liquid gold.
There are moments in life that whisper rather than roar - and it is those moments that often carry the most sacred truth.
The First Ascent began as a feeling. A longing to express something I couldn’t quite say in words: the quiet reverence I feel when I’m in the presence of animals. The sense that they see us, not just with their eyes - but with something older and wiser.
In this 18 x 24 inch painting, I wanted to show the beginning of a sacred journey. A woman - soft, grounded, her aura glowing with a light only animals can sense - stands beside a white horse. The moment is still. The connection is deep. Between them, golden threads begin to weave. These threads are part of what I call God’s Rope …. the invisible, holy connection that joins us to the animals who walk beside us, guiding us toward something greater.
Real liquid gold threads shimmer through the painting. They are more than decoration - they are symbols of something eternal. Trust. Devotion. The quiet pull toward heaven.
This painting is the first in a series I’ve long dreamed of creating, and as I completed it, I felt something shift in me. It is a beginning - not just for the viewer, but for myself. A reminder that even in stillness, we ascend.
The First Ascent is more than a painting. It is an invitation. A moment to pause, breathe, and remember that we are not alone. That the sacred is closer than we think, often seen best through the eyes of the animals who love us.
Before the Thread Was Named
There are moments in life when connection exists long before we have words for it.
Before the Thread Was Named explores the quiet meeting between human and animal, a moment of stillness where understanding feels instinctive rather than learned. A white horse lowers its head in calm presence beside a woman whose gaze is turned inward, both held within a soft veil of light that suggests something unseen yet deeply felt.
This painting sits within my ongoing God’s Rope series, a body of work that explores my belief that animals are sacred messengers. In these paintings, golden light and atmosphere represent the invisible threads that form between us and the animals who walk beside us through life. These threads build slowly, shaping our path and guiding us toward meaning, trust, and quiet devotion.
The atmosphere is intentionally softened so that forms emerge gently rather than stand sharply apart. The horse and the woman share one breath of light, creating a sense of calm connection rather than movement or drama. A small bird appears near the lower edge as a quiet messenger, completing the feeling of stillness and presence.
This piece speaks about beginnings, about connections felt before they are understood, and about the silent moments that become anchors in our inner life.
Oil on canvas
Original artwork
Part of the God’s Rope series
24 × 18 inches
Collector Notes
This painting is created using layered oils to build soft transitions and luminous atmosphere. Subtle glazes allow the light to feel as though it rises from within the painting rather than sitting on the surface. The work is intended to offer a sense of calm reflection and spiritual connection, inviting the viewer to pause and experience stillness.
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✔️ Certificate of Authenticity included
✔️ Packed with archival materials
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This painting is available unframed.
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