Vincent Van Gogh
"The beginning is perhaps more difficult than
anything else, but keep heart,
it will turn out alright in the end."
Painting is not a hobby for me,
it's who I am.
These paintings are not a reflection of what I am capable of but the spiritual gifts of Christ in me. The love of simple details, of natural beauty, and creativity are personal traits He has been growing in me my whole life. I don't paint, I don't create for myself, My desire and ultimate goal is to bless others with the gift God has given me. I do it from a deep desire to share beauty with others.
I am a completely self taught artist and creative and through the encouragement and support from family, friends and individuals God placed in my life, I followed the urge to work with my hands. I didn't set out to make a name for myself or to make millions in big gallery's, I simply pursued Christ's calling to share my paintings with others. And over the years He continues to open the doors of opportunities for me to share that gift.
My hope is that through my paintings and my story others can see that they don't always need big college degrees or prestigious credentials. They just need to look deep inside and find those natural gifts and talents God has grown in them. whether it be painting, creating, construction, gardening, brick laying, accounting or video game design, I encourage them to pursue those talents and watch how God will open the doors!
This is my passion
my story
my story
My name is Caitlin Friebel, Wife, Mama, Author, Creative, and fully self-taught Fine Artist. My primary medium has always been watercolor, dipping my toe into other creative directions but currently enjoy working with acrylics on canvas. For as long as I can remember I've had a natural inclination to create and work with my hands. When I was in first grade my parents made the unpopular decision to home-school my 6 siblings and I.
It was this decision to homeschool that gave me the freedom during these early years, once my school work was done for the day, to find a quiet place and spend my spare time coloring, drawing, and sketching more and more. My parents saw this and encouraged me, helping me find ways to grow my natural talents. When I was 16 I was in the hospital for a week with appendicitis, it was during this one-on-one time with my mom, that she handed me a set of watercolor paints. This was my first real introduction to painting and it opened a whole new world for me which set me on the path that brought me to the place I am today. After graduation, I signed up for a six-week painting with a watercolor class at the Kirkland Art Center, in Clinton, NY. It was here that I learned skills and techniques that helped me improve my quality of painting taking my work from experimenting to quality artwork. After taking a second six-week course, my confidence and love for watercolor were growing and I began to envision a future where I could sell my work and pursue art full-time.
In 2008 I registered my business as 'Works Of Thine Hands Watercolors' the name was inspired by the scripture Hebrews 1:10.
"And Thou, Lord, in the beginning, hast laid the foundations of the earth; and the heavens are the
"Works of Thine Hands:"
Where it began
After opening my business in 2008, I went on to hold my first couple of gallery showings as well as selling my first few commissions. It was during this time when my business was starting, that while downhill skiing in Upstate NY,
I met my incredible husband Andy. We didn't know each other at the time but we volunteered for the same adaptive ski program. It was during training that we rode the chair lift together and had our first conversation. Two years later we were married and starting our lives together.
My whole life I never had any huge career dreams or visions of what I wanted to do in life, except that deep down I knew what I wanted was to ultimately be a wife and mother. So when I began my painting journey
I immediately saw a future where I could pursue my dreams as an artist, and easily carry that over
through changing seasons of life like marriage, motherhood, and beyond.
Andy and I now have two beautiful little girls, who are our greatest joy and biggest adventure! I am incredibly blessed with the opportunity to homeschool both girls, continuing my painting while living life to the fullest with them. We now call The Northern Adirondacks our home, and we know without a doubt that living in these beautiful mountains
is a constant inspiration, an opportunity for adventure, and a reminder that the
work of God's hands in our lives is perfect and breathtaking.
To be completely honest the early years of being a mamma to little ones that needed so much of my love, attention, emotions, and mental energy was hard! There wasn't a whole lot of painting happening for 5 or 6 years, I still painted some but no I wasn't a superwoman raising babies and maintaining a profitable business. Yes, it was a growing period for me, working through letting go of myself and what defined me as a person for so long in order to embrace my ultimate calling as a wife and mama. The frustration and discouragement of not even having the energy to pick up a brush let alone accomplish much painting was a hard one for me. Painting and creating were always my go to when things were hard and I needed to find myself again.
God is gracious though and never failed to remind me that this was a season and that there would be more time down the road! I learned to see new ways to channel my creative energies like helping babies crawl, creating fun crafty projects, painting their birthday invitations or helping the 3-year-old learn her shapes and letters. As the girls got older I was able to spend more time in the studio, often with them right there with me, painting or playing nearby. But in his grace, God is honoring that faithfulness by opening the doors with a new season!
Where it is now
My Story
In the last two years, I've been painting a lot more and beginning to dip my imaginary toe into new possibilities and dreams, more and more I've felt God's nudge that now is the time to move my painting business to the next level and follow through with some of these ideas. Beginning with a new business name and logo Thine Hands Designs LLC. which would encompass more creative ventures. Building more of an online presence with a website sharing more of my journey on social media so you all can follow along! My goal is to hold regular collection releases with more opportunities for purchasing original art work and commissions, as well as holding in person shows and occasional coffee paint and sips. Though beginning this process was overwhelming, intimidating and I had no idea how or where to start, God gave me the push I needed when he inspired the first lines of a story and I found myself holding a manuscript. He said "take the plunge I'll open the doors" and sure enough he opened them wide by dropping a publishing company in my lap and I signed a contract as a children's book author and illustrator! I don't know what I'm doing or where this journey is heading but I'm learning a lot, growing a lot and trusting Him every step of the way. I am so excited to see what he has in store and honored to bring you along to share in this next season!
My Story
Where it's heading
xo
Caitlin
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let's Create Together!
Thank you for coming along on this journey with me! Did you see something that really spoke to you? Are you looking for something specific or unique? Do you have an event or occasion that you need a special gift for? Please reach out I'd love to chat with you more and really come up with something perfect for you!
