Art: Something new with Wildlife and Colored Pencil

 

 

This has been a learning experience for me for two reasons.  First I was wanting to challenge myself to do something other than flowers, butterflies, trees and skies. Even though I love those things and it’s what makes me happiest, I still need to branch out.  I have to force myself to do this.  So I chose wildlife, still got some trees, but I tried not to let them take away from the deer.

Another very interesting thing I learned was with the colored pencils.  I had purchased a blending pen for the colored pencils some time ago and was anxious to try it, but when I tried to use it, I found out it just wasn’t for me.  After a few minutes of researching on colored pencil techniques, I found I could just use rubbing alcohol with a Q-tip.  I worked with that awhile and then experimented with a paint brush and the alcohol.

I’m not totally satisfied with the outcome, but for a first attempt, it will do.  I’m excited, knowing that there is a great deal more I can learn about colored pencils and impatient to try them all.

Being self-taught has given me the ability to just dive into different mediums while swallowing back my fear of failure.  Because I know it’s completely up to me whether or not I try, push to learn and accomplish anything.

When you have a love for something and a desire to succeed, it makes a difference in the outcome and your attitude.  If I stop because of failures or fear of failure, I would have stopped along time ago.  And that can be said of me concerning more things than just art.  I would have given up on life.

I am thankful that my heavenly Father has given me a passion for painting and creating through art and to have that same passion for helping others and offering compassion.

Hopefully someone will look at this picture and smile.  Someone might look at this deer and know there is a great and magnificent Creator, the Master Artist, God Himself.

If you want to try this technique, all I can say is just dive in.

1.  Cover a wood panel with white gesso, two or three coats.  Allow each coat to thoroughly dry and lightly sand.  I wish I had of sanded a bit more, the finished product would have been a lot smoother looking.

2. Begin lightly sketching with the colored pencils, using the base colors of each subject.  A gum erasure will erase the colored pencil if you have lightly sketched.

3.  Once you have your picture laid out, begin adding more color.  I always start with the hardest part first or else I will talk myself out of doing it altogether.  So, I started with the deer.

Tips:

The Q-tip dipped in alcohol can be used for larger areas for blending.  I didn’t use the Q-tip at all on the deer.  It is also good for picking the color up off of the painting, leaving a hint of the base color underneath showing.

Use a very small tip brush dipped in alcohol for the smaller areas.

A larger brush dipped in alcohol was great for base coat coloring.

I wouldn’t think this would work on paper of any kind, although I could be wrong I haven’t tried.  If you attempt it let me know how it goes.

Happy, happy painting!

Art: The Iris (Too Beautiful For This World)

 

 

One of the most beautiful flowers I see is the Iris.  There are several different kinds, I’ve noticed some of the blooms don’t stand very tall and seem as if they are kind of flat.  I had been looking for one that was spread out, yet still had a petal or two standing up high.  When I stumbled upon a photo of this one, it was exactly what I wanted to paint by.

Unfortunately, this beautiful flower, is just TOO beautiful for this world.  The bloom doesn’t stay around very long at all.  It reminds me of some people that have left this earth too soon.  By whatever means they traveled away from us, I think they are in a place that is peaceful, filled with beauty and calm, love and compassion.  Like the bloom of an Iris, their time with us was cut short.  Too, beautiful for this world.

This painting was achieved with acrylic craft paint.  For the bloom I used:

Apple Barrel:  Lilac Mist, Wild Iris, Petunia Purple and White

For the foliage I used:

Apple Barrel:  Lime Tree, Vineyard Green and White

Americana:  Pistachio Mint

To prepare the wood, just coat with gesso and allow to dry, lightly sand. Apply another coat of gesso and allow to dry, then paint away.  When you have finished with your masterpiece, if you’d like a rustic look, lightly sand the entire surface.

If you would like to see more painting on barn wood join me on facebook.

Art: Galatians 5:22-23 The Answer

 

 

Suddenly one day I realized that I had just as much brain as the other fella.  I didn’t need someone who pumped themselves up as “chosen by God” to explain the Bible to me.

When I came across Galatians 5:22-23 in the Bible, a light went off.  The answer was not to spend your life trying to avoid it and being full of fear about what could happen, it was to jump right into it all and make the best of the life God has given us.

If I was constantly trying to avoid evil, then that was what I was constantly thinking about, evil.  But that’s not the way God intended us to be.  He created a beautiful world, full of beautiful things to enjoy.

There are always going to be ways to take a wonderful idea and use it for bad, but God meant it for good.

This particular illustration is of my favorite verse in God’s Word.  For me, it sums up just how we should try to be.  It is the ammunition we need to live the kind of life we were intended to live.

The painting is acrylic on barn wood.  It is an attempt to recreate the beauty of the words in the verse. 

Have a wonderful life, focus on the beauty all around you that God created for you.  It drowns out the evil that attempts to take over us all.  But, the battle is already won!

Art: Perfectly Beautiful Flowers

 

 

So what does beautiful mean?  Pleasing to the mind or pleasing aesthetically is one of the definitions I found.  Aesthetics (also spelled æsthetics and esthetics) is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of art, beauty, and taste, with the creation and appreciation of beauty.^[1][2] It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes calledjudgments of sentiment and taste.^[3] More broadly, scholars in the field define aesthetics as "critical reflection on art, culture and nature."^[4][5]

Flowers seem to have a way of pleasing us with their beauty.  And with their perfect form (thanks to our Creator) they also help us realize how to appreciate beauty.  We can be a part of this in more than one way.  We can plant them and enjoy them as they come to life, we can pick them and use them to brighten and cheer up our surroundings, we can give them as presents, we can try to paint them and recreate their beauty, just looking at them though, brings a sense of hope to me.

They are delicate, yet they are strong.  They are perfect and all the different flowers and colors are perfect.  Perfectly beautiful, I guess, is how I would describe a flower.

So as I worked on this piece, I fell even more in love with flowers.  It is such a bright and welcoming piece.  It would cheer up any room it was hanging in.  And of course, being on this barn wood with all it’s history even makes it better for me.

Great thing about this piece is that, you won’t even sneeze when you look at it.  There’s more than one way to enjoy their beauty, even if you can’t have the real thing for one reason or another.

I started not to put color to it and this is what it looked like after drawing it with white acrylic paint and a brush.  I like the lacey look too, but the colors are more cheerful.  Cheerful and happy is what I am after in most everything I do.

                                                

Flowers are pleasing to the mind, soothing to the soul and spiritually and emotionally stirring.  They are simply beautiful.

Hope you enjoyed looking at this piece.  Have a beautiful day.

This painting was done by me, Teresa Haynes Johnson, finished on April 21, 2014 and is acrylic on barn wood.

Art: On the Other Side

 

 

This little piece is 5 3/4” H by 20” W, acrylic on barn wood.  I looked through several magazines looking for just the right ideas.  When I finally got tired of looking through all the pictures, I just kind of started with the green.  Then I went to the sky, the tree far in the field and then the fence.  So, apparently I picked up the ideas as I was looking through the photographs.  I knew what I wanted to do in the fore ground, everything else was a guessing game.  I just wanted flowers.

I am so happy God created such beautiful things in nature, if He hadn’t of created all these wonderful things, I’d have nothing to paint.  It seems that is all I like is flowers, butterflies, trees, the sky especially, animals, water….. all things nature.  And how can you go wrong with such beautiful subjects to paint from.

This particular piece of wood I’m told, did not come from a barn, but it came from a fence.  It’s nice wood.  Ricky Pardon gave it to me after he planed it.  It comes from here in Tennessee somewhere.  I’d like to know when it was built and exactly what it fenced in or out.  I’ve asked for that information, but hadn’t got it yet.

Have a wonderfully creative day!

Art: Lighten Up a Bit!

 

 

Tending to take things very seriously and getting into the details, this burlap canvas gives me the perfect base to lighten up a bit.

Seriously, there is not much way that I can see, that you can get involved with the details of what your painting.  I have tried to figure a way to get a little more detail in the petals of the flowers, the grass or even the trees, but thankfully I haven’t found it.

I’m glad I haven’t found it.  It gives me the ability to be more free and is teaching me to be a bit more loose with my pieces.  Which is something I am having to force myself to do, loosen up.

That also goes for other areas of my life.  I’m too serious.  I feel guilty when I laugh at something that is brought across in such a way to be funny, but it’s really a serious issue.

Can you picture Jesus laughing?  Surely He did.  Was He as serious as the master artist’s painted Him on canvas to be, all the time?  That’s the picture I see when I try to envision what He would do in a particular situation, that serious portrait of Him, that all of us in my generation grew up with.  I believe He did laugh and He enjoyed His Father’s creation.  I believe He laughed and smiled at the innocence of children.  And I can even see Him laughing at some of our mistakes and our lack of judgement in areas of our lives, that aren’t critical, but we think they are.

I have had to concentrate on loosing up and learning to enjoy life.  For so many years I was in a cult that taught, don’t, don’t, don’t.  But I have realized there are actually more do’s and more things to celebrate and be happy about, rather than constantly be looking over your shoulder afraid the devil (you know that little red thingy with horns and a pitch fork) was going to creep into your life somehow.

Loosen up, enjoy life, enjoy the creation that God made for us to enjoy.  That’s what I say to myself.  I’m sure there are others that have to tell themselves the same thing for one reason or another.

In Romans 8 it says, “…. to be spiritually minded is life and peace”.

Have a wonderful and creative day!

Art: He Smiled

Took this painting into work one day to show the man who supplying the wood for me to paint on what I was doing with it.  He said he would like one.  I asked him the normal questions, what would you like for me to paint for you, do you have a photograph of something special and on and on I went with my questions.

As we were talking another man walked up and said I’d like to have a painting.  He is an older man that is probably past retiring age, but cannot afford to retire.  He works two jobs.  He has also had some severe challenges with his health recently.  I asked him my normal questions about what he might like to have painted. He didn’t have an answer for me, but said he would think about it.  He did however ask me how much it would cost.  I told him we’d talk about it later after he decided what picture he’d like me to paint.

 As the days went by he would stop by to say good morning and oil my machine for me, as he had always done. I would ask him if he had come up with any ideas for his painting and he would just look down toward the floor and shake his head, no.  Then one day he said to me that he would just like to have something painted by me.

Well, what an invitation to give a painting away.  What more did I need than that nudge God gives me.  So I began thinking about it.

Just a few days ago, he came by my machine, didn’t speak, didn’t even look up.  His head was hanging so low, it was obvious and concerned me, something was wrong.  As he made his rounds again later that day, I walked over to him and asked if he was feeling ok.  I commented that it was quite obvious something wasn’t right, he wasn’t smiling as he usually did.  He just looked up at me, still all slouched over and said, as I looked into his red, sad eyes, “Honey, my self esteem is just about gone, they have just about destroyed it”.  I wasn’t sure who, they, were, but it didn’t matter, he was hurt.

I took the painting to work with me again, the one he had already seen and first sparked his interest in wanting one. I told him I’d just like for him to have it, how much he meant to me and how much it would mean to me if he would accept it.

And he just smiled.  He took the picture and rode off on his little cart, smiling.    Even if the smile is just for a moment maybe that moment will come again and again whenever he looks at my painting.

So this painting is now hanging in the home of a man, I hardly know.  But knew enough to know that he needed compassion.



Thank you God for the opportunity and privilege to make someone smile.

Art: A Struggle

I was hoping that I could come up with some excellent pieces and have a display at the Renaissance Center here in Tennessee.  But I am not sure this will make the cut.

I was in hopes that I could live my life in such a way that would be pleasing to God.  But I am pretty sure I have not and as hard as I have tried, pretty sure I will not be able to accomplish that.

I wanted to be serious about this painting, well, as serious as I could be and plan it every step of the way, hoping for a better performance and outcome in the end.  I can see a lot of areas that just didn’t come out the way I intended.

I have wanted to please God, to do something to glorify Him.  Whether it be my actions, thoughts or my treatment of others.  And I think pretty deeply about things before I say them, trying to be in control of my mind instead of letting my emotions guide me.  Still there are so many areas in my life and my character that are just not quite there.

I chose particular colors in this piece wanting to get it as realistic as I possibly could and end up with a bright and beautiful, happy, thought provoking piece.  Something that would pull the viewer in and help to create those wonderful thoughts.  Don’t think I accomplished that either.

I have desired to be someone who might through the observance from another person might make them wonder why I am the way I am.  But, really, I don’t seem to be different than anyone else.  Just struggling along like everyone else, sad one day, worried another, happy for a moment, content for an instant.  No matter how hard I try, negativity still creeps in and takes hold of me sometimes.

This might seem like it would get a person down.  But it just makes me wonder, how can I do things differently so that the outcome would have a chance at being better.  I know there are many things that only God has the answers to and that is just something that has to be accepted.  And in accepting that, if you are in tune with Him, you know He is guiding your steps and you will arrive when and where He knows is best for you.

As for me, I’ll just keep on trying.  Trying to paint better, trying to live a life as pleasing to God as I can, knowing that He loves me, no matter how disappointed I am in myself and He is in control of it all.

Keep trying!  Maybe we should look at it not so much as a struggle, but as an adventure.

Art: Yellow Roses on Barn Wood

I’ve been experimenting with different techniques, canvases and medium for a couple of years now.  Right from the start, wood seemed to be my favorite.  There’s just something about a more simple, down to earth approach that gives me a great deal more freedom in the creative process.  I admit, it’s not for everyone and it does have limitations in the marketing process.  But I would trade all that any day for the freedom to play with my ideas and step out of the traditional circle.

Barn wood has history behind it, which is just a thrill for me.  To think that at one time these pieces of wood were a part of a farm where cows got milked or tractors were parked, horses spent the night and had their foals or maybe even pigs or chickens lived, has so much more meaning to me than a piece of traditional canvas.

It’s sad that these beautiful buildings are being torn down.  But since they are why not use them.  I see people doing all kinds of creative things with the wood from barns.  There is just so much character in the wood.  I am hoping that I can keep painting on this wood for the rest of my days.  If not, I think I will still paint on wood of some sort.

I am finally finding myself as an artist.  I know I still have quite a bit to learn and am so thankful that God has given me the desire to create.  I hope that through my art someone might take a moment to reflect on the beauty of His world He created for us to enjoy and admire and thank Him.

Art: Giving or Selling

 

 

More and more I keep feeling like I just want to give my art away.  I had a lot of questions for myself about that.  Well, how will I ever make any money that way? That was the main question.  Money!  Don’t really like having to have it or starve, but it is unfortunately, a fact.  I’m not that crazy about eating but I know I have to.  I’d rather buy art supplies or give to someone who is struggling.  I have struggled most of my adult life and I know how that feels.  I know how it feels to have someone help you that did not do it in God’s name, but to, in the end, get what they could from you by holding it over your head that they helped you.  So having struggled, I have this urge to help others or give in some way, even if it just brings a smile to their face and nothing more.  And perhaps that’s why I struggled, so I could learn.

I’ve tried to sell my art, but honestly I haven’t put all I’ve had into that, because I wasn’t sure if that’s what I really wanted to do with it.  So I’ve decided that I don’t think selling it is really what I want to do with it and here’s one example why…………….

God gives us ideas, it’s up to us to follow through.  This idea about not selling my art has been tugging at my heart for quite some time.  I had someone in mind a couple of weeks ago that I’d like to give a painting to.  I was thinking if I give it away I won’t get any money for it.  I could use the money.  But God kept tugging and tugging.  This lady where I work is one of the sweetest ladies I know at this time in my life.  She is constant, she works hard and suddenly, I just kept thinking of her and how I’d like to give her something.  I knew she loved flowers, so I started painting with her in mind.  I struggled and struggled with giving it to her the whole time I was painting it.  Even up to the very minute I handed it to her I was wondering if I was doing what God wanted me to do with this urge to paint and be creative He has given to me.  I was really stressed about it, what if she didn’t like it?  Some people would think it was kind of weird to just walk up to them and give them something out of no where for no reason.  And I just almost backed out.  But……………………..

When I gave her the picture, I explained that I just wanted to give her something and that I thought a lot of her.  She cried!  She love it and was appreciative of me thinking of her.    Here’s what I gave her………

 

As I walked away, she was showing it to others with tears still in her eyes and I was thinking about how that reaction was worth so much more than any amount of money.

Thank you Lord for leading me to do this for this lovely lady.  Thank you for showing me that there are more important things than money.  Yes I would like to quit my job at the factory and just sit and paint.  I’m thinking that is not what God wants for me right now, maybe later, but not right now.  One day when I retire, I will be free to go to art and craft shows and sell art to help me make it financially through the rest of my life here on earth.  But for now, I am learning the meaning of giving and how to be fulfilled through the act of giving.

So I’ll just keep giving the originals away to those who touch my life or those God lays on my heart.  Hmm, I wonder who my next victim will be?

But here’s a pretty neat idea.  I have a little spot online where I upload pictures of my art.  There, people can purchase prints if they like.  So far, no sales.  For awhile I stressed about it, but you know what?  I’m thinking that’s not what it’s all about any way.

 

Matthew 6:19-21

New King James Version (NKJV)

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven

¹⁹ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Art: Growing Beautiful Among the Crowd

 

 

As I was working on all these little flowers I was thinking of what a profound statement they make about God’s love for us just by their beauty.  They don’t have to say a thing, they don’t have to do anything.  The air, sunshine, rain and nutrients in the soil do it all for them.  Some flowers get planted by people, but there are an abundance of flowers that spread and pop up just during the course of nature, growing wild and beautiful among the weeds.

I think God gave us these beautiful flowers just for our pleasure and the sustenance they give to some of the insects and birds.  Only God could have made something as beautiful as the flowers and butterflies and all the other ingredients of nature.

As we strive to be all that we can be for the Lord, sometimes you may feel a little lost among all the people everywhere.  But with the Spirit living inside you, you should strive to stand out and let our spiritual beauty stand up and make a silent statement about God, like these flowers do among the weeds.  There should be something different about us that others take notice of as we go about our everyday lives.  God has made us beautiful on the inside when He place His spirit within us.  Share that beauty with the world.

I have three beautiful children that I personally think stand out from the crowd.  God feels that way about each of us, we are His children. 

Here are a few close up shots of different parts of this painting.  I hope you enjoy looking at them.

 

                                 

 

                                  

 

 

If you would like to see more of my work please go to my website or my facebook page.  Thanks for looking.

Art: Sometimes Experimenting Pays Off

 

This turned out to be pretty simple.  This is pencil on wood.  I wondered if I could get the surface workable for my pencil and then I wondered if I’d be able to seal it good enough without a shine and tada, it worked.

This particular piece of wood I purchased at the store.  It was already pretty smooth.

1.  Wipe away all dust and fuzz.

2.  Paint it the color you want with an acrylic and water wash.

3.  Once dry, apply two coats of white gesso, letting the first coat dry before applying the second coat.

4.  When the second coat is dry, lightly sand.

5.  Gently render your illustration with any “B” pencil.  (For me these pencils blend easier)  If you haven’t applied too much pencil or too hard, you can even erase with a gum eraser.  You can also blend with a stump if you like.

I was a bit concerned about the eyes because I had applied more pencil there and it was shiney.  But once I completed the project with step 6, it took away the sheen.

6.  With the rendering laying flat, spray with two to three thin coats of Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating, letting it dry between coats.  I did this outside and laid the piece in the shed to dry and air out.  (Take my word for it, this stuff does not smell to good.)

And that’s it, I attempted to smear the pencil and it was sealed tight.

This would be great to give a gift to a man.  You don’t need a frame or glass.  I’m thinking I will try colored pencil or watercolor pencil next.  I’d like to see what happens.

Let me know if you do this and I’d like to see it.

Happy painting!

Art: You Just Can’t Duplicate Perfection

Paintings that mimic nature are pretty, but no matter how hard I try, I just can’t get certain aspects of the natural scene like it really is.  I believe that also says a lot about us as human beings trying our hardest to live a sinless life, we can never do that.

But does that mean I’m just not suppose to try to keep painting better?  I don’t think so.  Does that mean that I’m just suppose to stop trying to get my life lined up more with God expects of me?  I don’t think so.

I’ve seen a lot of paintings that come pretty close to being perfect and they are amazing.  Don’t know for sure if I can ever attain that skill, but I’m going to keep on trying because God has put that desire in me and really, it’s all I know how to do that gives me a sense of accomplishment.  I would like to honor and glorify Him through my art.

There will never be another perfect human.  And knowing that can sometimes knock the wind out of your sail.  You might think, what’s the use in trying?  Well for me, His Spirit lives within me.  That means He is my Mentor, my Guide, my Heavenly Father.  So He has put it in me to keep on trying to do what I think is pleasing to Him, to try to do what He would do in situations, to love, to share, to show compassion, to care.

I thank Him for giving us the beauty of nature.  I can challenge myself to try to paint a picture as beautiful as His Creation.  I thank Him for filling me with His Holy Spirit to guide me in the way I should go.

I hope you enjoyed looking at my painting on barn wood.  If you’d like to see more of my work go to my facebook page or my website.

If you’d like to follow my blog, occasionally I give away my art work, if you are signed up then you will receive an email each time I post.  Then you will be informed when I am giving something away.

Have a great day!

Art: Challenges

 

 

I began to think I had bit off more than I could chew,  I don’t know if I’m just tired of working on this or if I’m done.  At this moment, I would say, done!

This was a challenge for me from the start.  I had to practice patience.  Most of the time I like to work on things that produce results quickly or I lose interest.  But I thought this was worth it, so I continued on, struggling though, in fact, I almost put it aside.

This is my precious barn wood I have been wanting to get to try painting on for quite a long time now.  But I couldn’t just sit down and start painting on it, I found that out on the first day I tried.  If I wanted to use the rough side I had to prepare the surface first.  I had to make a special trip to get clear gesso.  After coat one, which is suppose to dry completely before coat two, I waited.  That night I put coat two on.  The next morning I sanded and put coat three on.  I waited till I couldn’t wait any longer and began painting.  It’s quite remarkable what a little patience will get you.  The surface was just like I needed it.  Still a bit rough, but still smooth enough for me to try it out.  The clear gesso didn’t affect the barn wood look to much, you can still feel and see the wood design behind my painting, which is what I wanted.

Being self taught, I struggle somewhat with just how to go about everything, so I thought since I put so much in preparing my canvas that I should probably give each step some extra thought.  Even though I can see things I’d like to change, I was pleased with the whole experience, except that it took me 2 and 1/2 days to complete the entire process.

Which made me think, can you imagine the patience that God has to have with each one of us.  But He loves us enough to keep on working with us.  Some of us (me in particular) take so many wrong turns before we ever get it!  One after the other, after the other.  I can imagine God rolling His eyes and shaking His head, but He doesn’t do that, He just loves us and continues spinning His potter’s wheel until we get it.

Thank you Lord for helping me with my lack of patience so I could complete this painting.  I was hoping that in someway  you might be glorified through this effort.  That would be the best thing ever.

See the steps this painting went through:

 

                         

 

                         

 

                                            

 

Hope you like my painting on barn wood and thanks for visiting my page!

It’s the Simple Things

 

 

Now I know this might not excite you, but it excites me quite a bit.  I love to paint pictures, but I am just not to excited about painting on canvas.  So I thought maybe I would try wood.   I picked up some wood prepared for painting at the store and figured out that wood was definitely the thing I wanted to paint on.  But still, there was something that just didn’t satisfy me.  So I looked further. 

After putting out the word at work that I was looking for some weathered wood, a month or two  went by, several said they had some and would bring it to me, finally I had someone come through.  Now, I actually have real barn wood in hand and it’s like Christmas all over again for me.

Honestly, it felt like a gift from God.  And it is literally!  When painting on this wood that actually came from an old building of some sort, I think about all the years it’s been around, all the folks that have possibly handled it and now it’s mine to pass on to someone else.

Using this old wood as a canvas for my art is perfect.  God created this wood, He grew the tree, He formed the lines within the grain and it just puts me in the right frame of mind to start painting a scene of something He created, a beautiful landscape, a skyscape or seascape or flower.

It’s the simple things that God has given us all that seem to go on without notice that intrigues me.  Each small line in a grain of wood, all the different butterflies, the clouds in the sky, a puddle of water with little pebbles scrattered here and there, a gentle gust of wind out of nowhere on a windless day, a single flower standing up just a bit taller than the others.

Such simple, beautiful and miraculous wonders that speak of God’s Love for us.  Thank you Lord for showing me You love even me!  If we would just take the time to notice, He whispers to our hearts every moment of every day about how much He loves us.

When God Nudges–Don’t Hesitate

 

 

This is an illustration I have wanted to do for several years.  I have started a couple of times and each time I went wrong with it somewhere and just never finished.  Last week I broke out the pencils and was successful with a drawing of my boots.  So I decided to try this again.

It has a special meaning to me.  It’s an illustration of a lesson God walked me through.

I seem to always be thinking, coming up with neat ideas, but up until this lesson I rarely ever acted on any of the ideas I had.  Course, I know that as many ideas as I have, it would be impossible to act on all of them, but this idea was different.

There was much tribulation in my home with my children.  My daughter and I were at odds.  Just so happens I was taking a class at church called “One Month to Live” based on a book written by Kerry and Chris Shook. It was hard to concentrate on the class with things at home like they were.  But this one particular night, we were talking about acting on the things you want to do.  After all what if you were told you only had one month to live?  But I’d always had some excuse for not acting on my ideas, not enough money, not enough time, they would think it was stupid and on and on.

The idea?  Send my daughter roses at school on Valentine’s Day and tell her I love her.  I almost backed out as I was driving home because I was afraid she would be laughed at by her friends when they found out the roses were from her mother, not a boyfriend.  But I did it anyway.  The next day at work I made the call, ordered the flowers and said thank you Lord for this idea and thank you Lord for helping me not to back out.

I received a thank you from my daughter and this story along with it.  At school that day the flowers were to arrive, others were being called to come to the office because they had been sent flowers.  My daughter made the comment to her friend that she wished someone would send her flowers. No one had ever sent her flowers.  Next person called, was my daughter.  I am sure that no one knew how significant that was to me, knowing that had it not been for my Lord, I would have backed out of that idea and completely missed that moment.  It meant so much to me and proved to me just how much He loves me and wants me to be happy.  I think our Father does this to all of us all the time.  He gives us ideas and wants us to follow His lead.  How many opportunities have you missed by not acting on an idea, an idea that God Himself probably placed in your heart and on your mind.

When God nudges, don’t hesitate, He loves you.

Landscape “Out of my comfort zone”

 

 

I really have to thank God for helping me through this particular painting.  This is what I love to do more than anything, but it’s been so long since I’ve tried.  I’ve been dancing all around it for quite awhile now.

And there were quite a few obstacles to overcome.

First, I sawed and put together the wood slats myself, so it’s not perfectly square.  And the slats don’t fit together smoothly.

 

Then there were some places in the wood that, even though I love the grain showing through, were a bit unsightly and distracting.

                        

I just kept asking God to help me know what to do, help me stay relaxed and help me to know that it doesn’t have to be perfect.  Besides, I wondered how I could go wrong painting a picture with the beautiful colors and the creation He had made Himself.

I use photographs of actual places I found in magazines.  About five to be exact, and put them together to make the scene.  So I put a lot of studying into it before I even started painting.

I knew it wouldn’t be perfect and it isn’t.  I struggled down to the very last detail with that intense, anxious fear that someone would snarl their nose at it, because it wouldn’t be, “ perfect”.  Even with all of that, it began to come together, slowly.

From the hills in the back ground under the sky,

and the tree line at the bottom of the rolling hills with the red barn,

and the sweet country mountain road,

to the bright orange tree in the foreground, I struggled.

I wanted to add an element of surprise to it, something that made it mine, and I struggled with that too!  I thought someone would look at it and say, why, why would you do that?  But I did it anyway, I put glitter in spots, it made me so happy, I knew I had to do something else.

So I did, I put copper tacks across the top and across the bottom.  And that really made me happy. 

And so my painting is done. I learned a lot and I have to say, God held my hand the whole way.  I thank Him for that, it made me feel that it was just as important to Him as it was to me.  He gave me the ideas and created the trees, hills and beautiful sky that inspired me.  He helped me through  all the fears I faced even including this very post where I am actually showing it and sharing about my lack of confidence.

Thank you God for giving me the courage and the freedom to try, even down to the copper tacks.

No More Bah-hum-bug Valentine’s Day

 

 

I know Valentine’s Day is approaching.  I try to stay in sinc with the special days coming up and gear my crafts toward them just in case I might possibly be able to sell something on my craft site.

Even though I didn’t want to think about Valentine’s Day, I felt I had to.  Valentine’s is about romance and love.  Only when my children were small did I have the privilege of experiencing love.

But now, I am experiencing life on my own, alone.  Sometimes I catch myself feeling sorry for “me”.  I hear people talking about what they are going to get their sweetheart for the special day coming up.  I see hearts everywhere advertising Valentine’s Day.  His and her this and her’s and his that.  I try to ignore it all, but it’s really not possible.  So yesterday I did a small craft and it said “I will always love you”.  But, I wasn’t impressed with it or what it said.

This morning I was trying to steer away from the theme, but it kept creeping in.  I found out why as I began pondering what I was going to put on this canvas.  All these “love” things kept popping into my head and my response was, no, no, no.  Then a song came on the radio…………………………….

Yes, there it is……………. “my heart is spoken for”.  Covered by His love divine, child of the risen Lord.

My heart is spoken for

I do have a Valentine.  My Valentine is my Comforter, my Love Divine, my God, my Heavenly Father, my Teacher, my Friend, my Tear Catcher, my Shoulder to lean on, my Counselor, my Creator, my King.  My Valentine is the greatest Valentine of all, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, my Rock and my Savior.

 

So………………………..

 

God is preparing you for flight……….

As we experience different aspects of life we grow, learn and begin to be able to say what we feel and think.

When my oldest was about 2 years old she obviously wasn’t feeling well and I kept trying to figure out what was wrong.  When I would try to communicate with her, asking her where it hurt, she would say “my tummy hurts”.  But when I finally decided it was time to go to the doctor, we discovered she had pneumonia.  She was telling me the only thing she knew to say, she wasn’t familiar with the location of lungs or phrases like, it’s hard to breathe.  But she was telling me as best as she could.

As she grew and learned she was more able to tell me exactly where she was hurting or uncomfortable.  This is just an example of common, basic learning and necessary for life.

But as we become older a more spiritual education begins to take place, an emotional journey I guess you could say.  A journey that God is in complete control of.  Whether your parents are believers in God and teaching you His Word is really of no consequence.  God is preparing you for flight, a flight of your own.  Whether or not your parents, or those who are in control of your life have it all figured out spiritually or not really doesn’t matter.  God is in control of it all.  He is preparing each of us for flight into this world as a spiritual being and our flight when we leave this world to join Him.

Rebellion, vanity and greed can get in our way of even the easiest lessons in life, as they can the spiritual lessons also.  Earthly and spiritual life lessons continue on a daily basis as long as we are alive.  The spiritual lessons will go on and on.  I’d like to get them as they come along so I can continue on to the next one.  But certain things in our lives keep us from getting it the first, second, third and sometimes even more times than we care to admit.

But through all the lessons and things we learn, we become better at articulating our spiritual feelings.  Here is where our wings come in to play.  When someone is hurting, you can say, “Can I help”?  Maybe you have gone through something similar and can lend a helping hand or just an ear.  Your wings are flapping now with the understanding of why you went through something, it was simply to help someone else and Glorify God in the process.  And you realize that God was preparing you for flight for this journey quite sometime ago.  Through the lesson, you learned how to help another.

Isn’t that what it’s all about?

If you like this art or enjoyed the story, click here to purchase a print.

The Butterfly Glorifies God

 

No matter how hard I try I just can’t get away from the “butterfly”.  I really wish I was one I think.  I am 99 % sure that every one would have to agree, butterflies are beautiful.

Most of all the process of metamorphosis is amazing.  Ever since I became a Christian I always think of metamorphosis when I think of the change that takes place in an individual when they accept Gods invitation to come into their lives.

We are born as humans learning all about the world, people, relationships, rules and regulations, acceptable and unacceptable behavior just as the caterpillar is crawling around.  We get our education and hopefully we have someone who cares enough about us to introduce us to God’s Word.  But even if we don’t, He has a plan.  People who have never even read the Bible have been known to accept Him as their Lord and Savior.  What a Wonderful Holy Spirit.

But as we begin that turn in our spiritual lives, the caterpillar is spinning that cocoon around itself and we are spinning round and round with decisions as God begins to deal with us to reach us, offering us His Love and Freedom. 

Upon opening the cocoon from certain death if the caterpillar stayed there or excepting Christ as our Savior in comparison we are freed from death and the chains that sin grips us in.  We step out into the same world as a new person, but with so much more potential to become even more beautiful, inside and out.

So upon exiting that cocoon, God gives us wings to fly.  We are free as individuals to work out our own Salvation and free to fly as high as we possibly can for Him, the One who gave His only Son to free us.

And there are so many other ways to compare the metamorphosis process to our Christian lives.  I believe God gave us the butterfly for more reasons than something beautiful to feast our eyes upon.  I believe He gave us the butterfly to help us to understand Him better.                                       

 

The butterfly glorifies God.