Father’s Day weekend means so much to me as a young father.

This is a time of reflection and thankfulness. Ever since I can remember I had always dreamed about being a dad and providing for a family.

My dream was to provide a home and future for my family from the fruits of my labor. I never dreamed that it I would be able to create a life for us from my Artwork and creativity…. but God.

I have learned so much through my kids and my past has helped me get my mind right to be the best version of myself for them. None of that would be possible without my “ride or die” my wife and a perfect example of a Proverbs 31 woman.

My story hasn’t always been rainbows and butterflies.

I hope that sharing a little of my story would inspire you to invest in Jesus Christ. The ultimate Father.

The artwork you have come to know as Vandermissen Fine Art is painted from a place of pain and turmoil but to reflect a light in the darkness. A hope and a future.

Last Month I released my first ever prints of “SALVATION” and I learned so much through that process. I learned that this is way bigger than me and that the world is a big place with people that need Jesus. We are all searching for something to hold to and to find peace. The support I received for this work was overwhelming and I am forever grateful. Moving forward I have a vision for this and where God is taking my family on this journey.

I have put my faith in God’s will even though I constantly feel the what ifs and fear of everyday life as an artist providing for his family.

I have been here before

May was also Mental Health awareness month and something that hit’s home for me.

You see my Christian Walk mirrors my Artistic journey. I wasn’t always a Christian and I wasn’t always an Artist.

I was a young kid raised in a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with no real direction in life. I had everything by every account looking in, but I didn’t know God. Little did I know how much I was going to need him in the years ahead. Behind closed doors in my late teens, I was struggling and in a dark place.

I was raised in the church and even went to a catholic school, but it was as if I couldn’t be reached out of my pride, ignorance, and arrogance. The normal stuff that any teenager goes through, but I didn’t know how much I was going to need to cling to God in the years ahead.

Encountering Darkness

In my late teens at a formative time in my life I lost people I loved to Suicide. That dreaded word that just rocks you to your core.

From that moment on my life changed forever. I would never be that ignorant wide eyed young man chasing success and dreams again. The pain of attending those funerals with so many unanswered questions and the reminder of always thinking what could have been? That is something that never really leaves your mind. These were beautiful people that I deeply loved and looked up to. These people had hopes and dreams and were loved how could this happen? I have always been a prisoner of my own mind and deep in my thoughts which made me a skeptic and a questioner. I was someone who was already struggling and this was a recipe for disaster.

From this point on it felt like survival.

The pain and darkness I felt through that was indescribable and something I still think about daily. I contemplated taking my own life many times in the process of my grief. I didn’t know a way out and again I didn’t know God. I hadn’t truly encountered Jesus yet, but he was there through all of it looking back. I couldn’t see it because the darkness had me fully in its grasp.

I struggled and the months went by which felt like a daze. I was in the prime of my young life with no hope and no direction. Friends were headed off to college and chasing their dreams. I was a sinking ship with no captain. Art or any future wasn’t even on my radar.

The crazy thing is there were so many people trying to plant seeds and help me, but I didn’t want to hear it. I was angry and figured I wasn’t long for this world anyway. I was young and naive.

Then God intervened

My Artist Logo is actually based on the experience I had in the months following these tragedy’s that I will talk about in detail in a later post but Thank God that I am here writing this and sharing the good news.

I encountered Jesus in an unlikely state of mind

After the event that impacted me in a big way a year later, I met a girl that I would later call my Wife. The first thing I said to her was.

“You don’t want anything to do with me and I am not in a good place to be in a relationship.”

Not much of a fairy tale for her or a prince charming lol, but she saw something in me. She said “hey you should come to church with me on Sunday” I was reluctant and uneasy, but I agreed.

I was raised Catholic and went to church every Sunday, but this new non-denominational church was pretty weird no holy water and no kneeling? Where are all the statues and saints? What is this?

I left there confused but God was working, and this new girl started talking about Jesus in a way I never heard before. Almost like he was a friend that she talked to and had a close relationship with. What kind of KOOL-AID is this chick drinking?

Then out of spite I decided to open a Bible one day. I was raised Catholic and even attended Catholic School, but this was my first time reading the Bible to myself. How crazy is that to even think about? I had every opportunity to be around the word but never engaged it. Then the first time I do it is out of spite?

I was going to prove this thing wrong, and I was angry to my core, but instead of masking my pain I found Jesus for the first time, and it changed me.

I asked all the questions. I was a skeptic but all that kept coming up was a grace and Love that I could not even fathom.

God himself came down here and died for my bitter and angry soul?

Do you know how many times I heard this throughout my life? Alot, but for some reason with the place I was in it hit me like a freight train.

It was as if God had separated me from the flock and said “you might want to sit down for this…” I had to go through the darkness to actually encounter the light. That is right where I found it. In the pursuit of God’s word, I realized what I encountered that day a year before.

God has a plan for my life. This just wrecked me.

I realized what a gift I had been given through Jesus and it was the only thing that kept me here.

Calling myself an Artist

The Bible says

Proverbs 19:14

^“House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
 but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”

Proverbs 31:10

“The woman who fears the Lord”

“An excellent wife who can find. She is far more precious than jewels.”

I bring this up because my wife is the person who saw things in me that no one else did. She would be the first to tell you that she is not special, but it is her Love and fear of the Lord that makes her a willing Vessell to God’s will. His perfect will.

My wife was the first person that said to me

“Hey, you have a real gift as an Artist. You should paint what’s going on inside of you and how you see things. Let God use you.”

I was such a pride filled egotistical idiot that I had created a barrier between me and the creator of the universe.

The healing began in my creating and sharing my inner turmoil but trying to convey a hope. My paintings always have strong contrast between light and dark because that is what I have experienced. This is me!

One of my first paintings from 2014 depicts a lonely bull elk coming out of the shadows and unleashing a ground shaking bugle in search of his herd. Little did I know I was depicting myself in a way in this painting. I was desperate to be loved and understood. I just flat out missed the people I had lost, and I carry their memories with me. I hope that I can bring light to them and their lives.

You see God doesn’t need me to make sure his will is done, but it is my free will and understanding of who he is that I want to proclaim from the rooftops how good our God really is by using my Artwork.

When you understand his nature, you will just want to serve and provide a path for others to encounter his goodness.

He is a Father that wants a relationship with his children so we can experience him and bring others to that goodness.

10 years went by with 2 children and 2 dogs/12 chickens and two homes. We made do with what we had. Many different jobs and experiences along the way but it’s our story and still being written.

This is what Father’s Day is to me a time for reflection and thankfulness for everything that God has continued to bless us with. Even in our turmoil God is consistently good!

My wife was the first to call me an Artist and was a vessel in my relationship with Christ. She also provided me with two beautiful children that called their daddy an Artist from day 1 which game me the confidence to take this leap!

Because if they believe in me and choosing to do this with God as my Captain then I am willing to face whatever comes.

Chapter 2

My continued Journey and Story

This was a process, but we got there eventually, I took the so-called leap and I have been a Full time Artist for a few months now…….to be continued.

This is just the beginning

Please take a moment to take a poll on which Painting below you would like to see prints released of in the near future. I will leave this up to all of you! I greatly appreciate it! The originals are also in still in my possession and are available to you. Please reach out for interest. Thank you!

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Thank you and now I have given you a little glimpse behind the curtain. I will share more of my story at a later date and the details of my walk with Christ but for now I am just making this all about Jesus and how he restored me.

He is the ultimate Father.

Happy Father’s Day to all the father’s out there and the world needs you more than ever to step up and be the person that God created you to be!

Don’t forget Prints of “SALVATION” are on sale for Father’s Day till the 16th on my website

You can also use code FATHER40 to get 40% off a limited edition 30 × 40 Print for a limited time till the 16th.

If you or anyone you know is struggling, please reach for help. We are all in the same boat and no one gets left behind.

Help is available

Speak with someone today

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Hours: Available 24 hours

THANK YOU!!!!

God bless and share Jesus with someone today!

Psalm 103:13: "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him."

Philippians 4:6: "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."