09/02/2026
🍃 🍂 NEW SEPTEMBER RELEASE BY MARK KEATHLEY! 🍂 🍃
Emert’s Cove Crossing, Autumn - Mark Keathley
18x24 S/N (195) - $945
18x24 A/P (25) - $1,445
25.5x34 S/N (95) - $1,445
25.5x34 A/P (15) - $2,145
30x40 S/N (50) - $1,795
30x40 A/P (10) - $2,795
In the fast-paced world we live in, there seems to be less and less time to simply be still. Someone recently said to my son, after visiting our little farm, “Your dad has created so many beautiful places to sit and rest—but does he ever have time to sit in them?” I laughed when I heard that, because there is a lot of truth in it. In my effort to create beautiful, restful places, I’ve also created more places that need to be mowed, watered, trimmed, cleaned and cared for.
Maybe that is part of the appeal of getting away into nature: it isn’t our responsibility. We can actually rest.
I love our little farm—it is our piece of heaven—but sometimes it isn’t very peaceful to me. Right now we’re in a drought, so I’m thinking about water systems, dying plants, animals getting enough water, and a pond aerator that stopped working. If I sit beneath a tree to rest, it usually doesn’t take long before I notice something that needs to be done—or something might die!
Sometimes I wonder how God does it. So much to take care of!
As I painted this new fall version of Emert’s Cove Covered Bridge, just a few miles east of Gatlinburg, I wanted to create a place where you have no responsibilities. Your only job here is to rest. Stop. Be still. Quiet your heart in His presence. Tell Him you love Him—say it out loud. Let your soul become still enough to remember that He is God, and you are deeply cared for. You don’t have to rake these leaves. You don’t have to feed the deer. You don’t have to keep the river flowing or make sure the trees have enough water.
He is taking care of it all.
So, for a moment, cross over to the side of peace and rest. “Come to Me, and I will give you rest.” And if you need a place to do that each day, you can borrow this one.
~Mark Keathley