The KintsugiGrace® Name

During the winter break of 2017, my daughter gathered shells with the intent of writing encouraging notes inside the shells. Knowing the benefit of encouragement, she wanted to offer that support to fellow students, by placing the shells around campus during finals.

I offered to clean and prep the shells for her, but thought she had said she wanted them painted. Seeing her study so hard, and realizing she would not be able to accomplish this goal, I began painting the shells.

Many of the shells my daughter had gathered were chipped, broken and well-weathered, but knowing her sweet intent, I set my goal to make them look beautiful. As I studied them trying to determine how to paint them, I began to see the shells in a different way.

They were not ’broken shells’, they now had a purpose: to bring a message of hope. Once painted, they were transformed, becoming more than they were before. During this same time I watched a video explaining the art and philosophy of Kintsugi: there is no attempt to hide a repair, but the object is made stronger and more precious because of it.

This beautiful concept expressed what I had been attempting to do. As I added the gold paint, central to Kintsugi, it sealed the shell and completed the transformation. It made the bold declaration that this object, once damaged and discarded, had its beauty and value restored like a touch of Grace. And thus the name was formed - ‘ KintsugiGrace’- the art of restoring value to the broken.

I completed about 35 shells. Simple though they were at the time, you can imagine my daughter’s delight when I presented her with some of these painted shells! She was happy to leave them around campus and share them with friends. And so KintsugiGrace was set in motion. I’ve painted quite a few more shells since that time. Both my art and my philosophy have become more refined over this period of time. My goal has become to showcase this idea of ‘redemptive beauty’, what I call KintsugiGrace®.