The Painting Trilogy - by Kathleen J Shields (Hardcover)

About the Book

Delve deep into the beauty of the world! Nature can work in concert with us. It's so simple to share in God's love. The three stories combined will help you appreciate the masterpiece of our Painting.

Book Synopsis

What began as a therapeutic endeavor, a way to work through life's daily stresses and disappointments via creative writing, over time, morphed into a trilogy; one that symbolically interpreted could have been portrayed as a message. The three books combined share a tale of good-will, generosity, doing good deeds, and showcasing the beauty of the world. Inspirationally speaking, though, the hidden symbolism reflects a similar story about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

While this book is not intended to teach anything biblical, it's the author's hope that the story inspires you to appreciate the world around you, be kind to one another, and listen when that little voice in your head speaks.

The Painting 1: Gerald is a lonely, misunderstood boy whose escape into nature inspires a beauty like none other. For a gift, he's given a blank canvas in which to paint anything his heart desires, so he paints a world a world that he Loves so much, it comes to life! The Painting soon becomes dangerously coveted, so Gerald is forced to protect his creation with everything he has in him.

The Painting 2: Benjamin, Gerald's son, has grown up with a unique awareness regarding the Painting. Gerald taught his son everything he needs to know about how the Painting works, so when it's time, his son will be born into it, in order to share his father's love with those inside. It's a lifetime of learning combined with a lifetime of teaching, with hopes of forever changing hearts and minds.

The Painting 3: Nevaeh, Gerald's granddaughter, is gifted the Universe Painting. Staring at it, longing to explore, she discovers her imagination gives her the ability to travel within, allowing her the opportunity to do a world of good. While she is only there in "spirit", her desire to help, flows from her, causing the people of The Painting to do some amazing acts of kindness.

This book hit the Amazon Best Sellers Rank #50 in Christian Fantasy Books in November!

Review Quotes

G.O.D's Masterpiece The Painting is a kaleidoscope of beautiful paint in all of its colors, textures, mediums and values folded into her book's canvas as metaphors, representing life's joys and sadness, as well as options life either affords or denies.

The Painting is an inspirational tale of a young boy who overcomes feelings of immense loneliness and isolation through his painting of the beauty of God's creatures here on earth. Through he had no formal training as an artist, his creation on canvas was so remarkable that many others were drawn in by it's magical quality. It speaks to the blank canvas to which we are all born with and how we ultimately will paint our own. I wholeheartedly recommend this thought-provoking book by Kathleen Shields.

Worth more than a thousand words! "The Painting" is a work of art in itself. Gifted author Kathleen Shields, paints a colorful canvas of words in this creative and magical story. I enjoyed relating to the characters, they captured my attention throughout the book. The added dimension of Gerald's painting sparked my imagination into a dream escape, making the story come alive. Much to my delight, that wasn't the end of the story. I encourage you to find out what's missing in Gerald's perfect painting too. It may shine some light into your own life.

Reviewed by Bernadette Longu for Readers' Favorite

In The Painting by Kathleen J. Shields, the author has taken one of the most controversial topics and written the most inspiring, heartfelt story I have had the privilege to read in a long time. As simple as the story is, it will hold the reader's attention from the beginning to the end. The reader will find that they will pick up this book not once but many, many times. The main characters are Gerald, his parents, Dereck, Tiffany, and Sadie. There are minor characters that only emphasize how someone who is different will stand out as society has dictated throughout the centuries how people act, respond to certain events, dress, eat, and behave. The author shares with the reader that we are all blank canvases and it is up to us what medium we use to paint ourselves.

The Painting by Kathleen J. Shields will have the reader crying, being angry with the inconsiderateness of mankind, laughing at the joy, and wishing that mankind would be more understanding about the world around us and that it is only on loan; we will have to answer questions. This book brings the creation of the earth and the coming of Jesus together and explains it in such a beautiful way. The end of the book is the most surprising of all. Any teacher of religious studies would love to have this book on their shelf as it is very enlightening. Thank you to the author for granting me the privilege of reading this book. I highly recommend it to others and will always keep it close just for inspiration when the rest of the world is going to pot.