A mother teaches her son the joy of giving. A kind grandmother from Ghana explains her culture at her granddaughter’s school. A boy learns to sew and fixes his sister’s torn stuffed bear. Look closely at the art in books April Harrison illustrates. You’ll see a pattern.

She says, “I have an unshakeable belief in faith, family, and friends.”

Ms. Harrison was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. She remembers her father drawing characters in black ink that she and her siblings filled with color. Her mother was a gifted ceramist.

How did Ms. Harrison carry on her family’s creative legacy? She taught herself art! Her favorite supplies are water and paint, artists’ markers, pens, and collage. She finds collage materials in magazines, art papers, old paintings, and even along the streets.

What inspires her? Harlem Renaissance artists. The Harlem Renaissance happened in Harlem, Manhattan, in New York City. Way back in the early 1900s, all kinds of African American art blossomed there.

Ms. Harrison began her art journey during a time of intense struggle. She prayed with “bended knees and closed eyes” and found peace. Many subjects in her art have their eyes closed. Ms. Harrison reminds us that “we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Ms. Harrison often also gives her subjects large hands. “God created us to love one another. One of the ways to accomplish this is through touch.”

Do you hope to be an artist? Ms. Harrison urges kids to “just do it!” No worries about making a mess. “Mess and so-called mistakes are good in art. They make for wonderful discoveries!” she says.

Ms. Harrison says her art is a gift from God. “He is the master artist and teacher. Just look around at all His creativity!”

Why? Artists like April Harrison get their inspiration from their Maker. We give Him glory when we celebrate His creation with our own art.