From the Archives

I painted this WAAAAAY back, maybe in 2003?  I had just begun to paint, somewhat seriously, trying to decide if I really wanted to do this art-thing or not.  My grandfather, who was an artist himself, and had always encouraged my art pursuits, had died and I was left...bereft, almost.  So, it was a lovely shot in the arm to dabble with something and have it end up looking fantastic in a frame!

This particular piece ended up being a door prize that was given away at a women's retreat held by my church.  I'm mildly concerned about that, because I'm pretty sure I painted it on a block of wood, instead of on a canvas.  Which means, that as our Colorado climate dries out that wood, it's gonna split!  I might need to try to re-paint it on canvas if the wooden one goes south!

I called this "Picnic".

A Home-made Greeting Card

I finished this greeting card this morning, and it will shortly be in the mail.  It's a nice thing to be able to make my own cards....except that it takes far longer than running to the store!  No matter.  It's a good and beautiful thing to pray for the recipient while I draw.  It feeds me, maybe transforms me, and makes me slow down considerably.  Even the small moments like drawing a card, are moments when God is ACTIVE.  And I am thankful for that!

Who Are You?

I just finished a Christmas commission for a friend.  She asked me to do 6 canvases, all 12 inches square, each one speaking to some beautiful truth in the lives of her family members.

It raises a question:  if you were to choose one word, and maybe one image, to describe yourself....or to describe what God has done in your life, what would it be?  It's a curious thought to ponder.  I love how my answer would have been different 10 years ago from what it would be today!  God's activity in my life is SURE.  STEADY.  FAITHFUL.  KIND.  For that, I am thankful.

Oh, Boy!

Yesterday a friend of mine entered the presence of her Savior.  It's a glorious, heart-breaking thing.  Her suffering is OVER.

I was reminded of when my grandfather died.  His suffering was also over.  My aunt wrote this poem in tribute to his passing, and so in 2003 I was inspired to paint a response to go with it.  I picture any who follow Jesus as trapped on this dark earth, passing through significant pain, into God's glorious light, with arms raised in praise.  I find the last stanza of the poem so fitting for the death of my friend!

'Oh boy'

Spoken in dark

moments

at night,

on his narrow cot

the body tired

and sore

weary of this life's

weight.

Gravity, it seemed,

increased

upon the small frame.

'Oh boy',

spoken often enough

that dear friends

knew the phrase.

'Oh boy'

Whispered

in the quietest

breath, last minute,

upon his bed of death,

facing the unknown journey.

Tired,

weariness increased

beyond endurance to see.

And then....

'Oh Boy!'

As he enters the realm of heaven

and stands before his Creator,

in glory

standing among the throngs,

worship upon his lips,

gravity lifted,

arms raised, pain free,

in Adoration.

Oh, Boy!

-written by Diane Hintze

September 2, 2003

I Shall Again Praise Him

Today I turned on the news and my heart immediately broke.  This is my response.  Swept by the winds of a broken world, I KNOW I shall praise my God again.  I sat on the couch and inked this while listening to the news reports.  My Lord, glorify Your name.  Redeem even this wretched story.

Coloring Between the Lines

I spent the  morning coloring.  And I tried real hard to stay inside the lines.  Honest.  I sorta went out here and there.  The whole thing has this delightful childish feeling to it!

This is a re-make of a canvas I did for my church.  I liked it so much, I decided I'd do a smaller, tweaked version for myself.  You notice the "Peace" is in the stinging rain....and the "be still" is in the depths of the sea.  Both places prompt fear and doubt.  The words of Jesus speak today to our hearts just as much as they spoke 2,000 years ago to the literal sea.

Peace, my friends.

A Little Bit of Whimsy

If I were clever with a computer I would stitch these three photos together into one delightful whole.  But I'm not clever that way.  You'll have to use your imagination!

Several years ago my dad come home from a visit to Maine with this piece of driftwood, shaped like the drawings above, and said, "This need a little bit of whimsy".  Then he left it in my hands.

This is the preliminary sketch that I came up with.  The driftwood is now painted and hanging on his wall!

Merry Day One!

On this, the most insane shopping day of the entire year, I wanted to remind you all of God's generosity in His gift to us.  Don't forget!  Without the gift of Jesus Christ to redeem us, there'd be no point to anything!

And, yes, the Christmas season is delightful, and heart-warming, and memory filled...and angst filled, and frustration filled, and opportunity filled!  This is day ONE....practice today being still before God.  Practice today calming your heart while you wait in line.  Practice today not losing your cool in traffic.  And tomorrow, get up and do it all over again.  You've got 4 weeks (I think).  Practice copying the character of God!

God's Fingerprints

I'm in the midst of a commission for Christmas (what a great thing to be able to say!), and I have no pics yet, so I'm going to go down memory lane a bit on this blog.  It's a curious thing to do.  I see areas where I've stagnated and haven't improved AT ALL...but then I see great growth!  It's a delightful thing!

I painted this YEARS ago...maybe in 2003?  2004?  I really have no idea.  I called it "God's Fingerprints".  That seemed fitting for a  peacock's feathers!

WAKE UP!

This is the second rooster I've painted in recent months.  The other one seemed to be rejoicing in the morning sun, calling to anyone in ear shot to rejoice with him.  I think this one is perhaps mildly grumpy, and he wishes we'd just GET UP ALREADY!!  Who knew?  I certainly didn't know that when I started painting him!  Evidently paintings can become their own entity, with their own personality!  So, WAKE UP!!!

Forgetfulness

"Freedom"

6" x 6"

Oil on canvas panel

So, today is Veteran's Day.  And I completely forgot.  COMPLETELY.  I live in a county where it's not a school holiday, so I missed out on that little reminder.  I even went to the post office, but I only drove through the little drop-off lane, so that didn't even clue me in.  I finally figured it out when I tried to go to the bank.

This afternoon, as I put this new little painting in a frame I was reminded (again) that this country is a FANTASTIC place to live.  God has been good and kind.  And I am thankful.

So, to those of you who have served in any of our military branches, I'm sorry I forgot...and thank you!

From the Archives

Oh my word!!  This is so old!  I think I painted it all the way back in 2004.  That feels like eons ago.  I have no idea why I painted a ginormous pot of spaghetti sauce.  The colors are fantastic, though, aren't they?

More recently, I've painted three small oils, but they're still wet so getting a good pic of them is sketchy.  It'll have to wait another couple of days.

Oh, and remember me saying that I was going to fill that sketch book before the end of the year?  Well, I forgot.  Chop!  Chop!  I'd better get crackin' if I expect to finish!

From A Thankful Heart

Evidently there's ANOTHER gnarly tree that I forgot about!

Really, the whole point of this post is to THANK YOU.  To all of you who came to the art sale, it was a delight to see you!  Watching people go from wall to wall...from print bin to print bin...asking questions about how something was painted...it was a great day!  Many of my favorites actually walked out the door underneath someone else's arm, and it just made me grin!  Thank you!

Sketching is Valuable, Right?

I just told a couple of friends that I want to fill my sketch book before the end of the year.  WHAT WAS I THINKING?  That means, realistically, that I need to draw every day.  Which means that I don't get to fritter away hours on facebook (but who does that?  really?).  And it means that I have to be willing to have ugly pages, because that's just inevitable.  So, in between small commissions, and art sales, and the rest of life, I need to be drawing.  A lot.  And maybe I'll have some drawings to post here!

On a side note, it's really disturbing to be happily typing away, and to see movement out of the corner of your eye.  A spider was SAUNTERING across my desk.   Not nice.

From the Archives

I've been getting ready for my art sale, and have been updating my database ... that sounds so professional!  In reality, I have a list that desperately needed organizing, so I put it on my computer and tried to be tidy about it.  In the process, it dawned on me that I clearly love a gnarly tree trunk.  They appear over and over...

I painted this acrylic waaaay back before I knew if I even wanted to be serious about being an artist.  Then came a couple more...

... and even more! ... Surely there's a pixie or two living amongt these trunks!

Zingy

Lemons, anyone?  Just another little one, 6 inches square, painted with a 1/2" brush.  I now have 15 of these little canvas panels lined up in my house.  My dad is busily building frames for each of them, and within a couple of weeks they'll all be for sale!

I frequently wish I had more wall space, then I could just keep everything  I paint and have it all displayed.  But in order to do that I'd have to sacrifice a BUNCH of windows...and that's not happening!  I dearly love the sun shining in my house!  Clearly I love God's handiwork more than my own!

ART SALE!!!

This is the post card that we're mailing out for our 2nd Annual Art Sale!!  Do you want to come?!  Come one, come all!  There will be three artists there this year, along with lots of beautiful artwork.  I'm thinking you could find some fantastic, one-of-a-kind christmas  presents!

If you live too far away to come (like the moon? hahaha!), but there's been something you've had a hankering for, e-mail me at adinashane@yahoo.com!!  If your favorite is available, I'd love to sell it, pack it, and ship it to you!!

Oh, if you want more info on the other artists, you can check out their stuff here:

http://www.loisrosiosprague.com

http://www.etsy.com/shop/kristensimons

Can You Hear It?

Can you hear the bell?  Bdling!  Bdling!  It makes your heart go back to some beautiful day when you were younger and all was well!  It just makes me smile!

Small Stuff

Today I met with a small group of friends...there are 4 of us.  We get together once a week and speak of the activity of God in our lives.  Sometimes we cry.  We always laugh.  And today I took my sketch book.  They are kind enough to not be offended if I'm drawing while we talk.  I see all sorts of drawing problems with this, but it really doesn't matter.  Just holding a pen or pencil is good.

The Final Three

I kept forgetting my camera, so this is the result of a couple weeks worth of work.  It was great fun!  Getting the reference pic for the "Follow Me" canvas was an adventure all it's own, simply because my models, though very cooperative, were a little slap happy.

I LOVE how gnarled the widow's hand turned out.  That's one of those delightful surprises that happen to me all the time.  Clearly the kindness of God!

So this set is done.  All the paint is now in the crawl space where it won't freeze.  My little scaffold is folded up and stashed in the garage.   Time to move on to some small stuff...!

Peace! Be Still!

I'm gettin' there!  Just a couple more to go!

I love this one.  I think because it soo speaks to me.  How often do I repeatedly whine to the Lord, "don't you care?!"  My accusations seem to multiply as whatever storm I'm in intensifies.  "Don't you care?  Don't you care? Don't you care?"  What an absurd question!

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" I think that means He cares.

HOSANNA!!

Number 4, all done!

I had a lovely surprise while painting this one.  My parents and aunt and uncle came by just to say, "hey".  The came from the other side of the mountain, which was lovely!  It's like a breath of fresh air to have your personal cheer leaders come shout, "RAH! RAH! RAH!"

Four more to go!

#3 Done!

This really isn't yellow.  Honest.  It's just hanging back in a corner of the worship center at my church, and the lighting back there STINKS!  It's really black and white like the other two.  This is the image for the story of the lost coin.  Funny...I thoroughly enjoyed adding dirt to the floor!!  

Making Progress!

The first two canvases for my church are DONE!  Only 6 more to go!

It was such a strange thing, working with only tone and no color.  I kept thinking it was awful....and then I would step back and get a far off view...and, wow!  It wasn't awful, after all!

Artsy Fartsy

I am part of a small group of artists called the Artsy Fartsies.  That sounds almost official, but really we just named ourselves for the fun of it.  We live in the same small town, and share a love of all things creative as well as a love for our Savior, Jesus Christ.  This group is salve to me.  They're courage.  And joy.  And impetus.  We get together every so often and tell our art-life stories.  We show each other our work.  We ask for help.  We exult in victories and commiserate over failures.  And we remind each other of the truth that we are artists because God made us that way, and He is pleased when we revel in that.

From left to right is Lois ( http://www.loisrosiosprague.com/ ), a fabulous illustrator.  She is particularly gifted at drawing people.  She did a portrait of my grandpa that's uncanny.

Then Scotty ( http://www.scottstearman.com ), a sculptor.  His work always tells a beautiful story.  Poignancy just oozes from him.

Then yours truly, followed by Kristy ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/kristensimons ), a watercolor and ink artist.  She does stunning, richly colored paintings.  Tight, sometimes whimsical, always beautifully rendered.

I love these guys!

Just Hangin' Out

Some reference photos have a lot of  mileage in them!  I love this pic, taken by my friend Jen.

This is a card I made for a wedding.  Ink and colored pencil and a touch of whimsy.  My favorite part is the hint of blue on the back of the ladybug.

Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three

I decided I needed to practice putting an image on a black background...leaving the black in strategic places, and just adding greys and white.  It requires backwards thinking!

So, what did I learn?  That having the lettering in blue is fine, unless it's on a busy background.  So I need to double check all the images I've got drawn up and see what the backgrounds look like.

Also, does this communicate that it's a stack of black and white photographs?  Because if not, then it's a lot of work for no purpose.  Did you see overlapping black and white photos, or did you see some strange geometric design that made no sense?  If anyone's reading this, I'd love your feedback on this one!

What's Next?

The upcoming sermon set for my church got changed a little, so I spent the last few days coming up with these three new sketches.  The "Hosanna" one is already getting revised a bit in my brain.  I don't want those diagonal lines to be SO straight.  I'll have to free-hand them, instead of  using a straight edge.  That way they'll look more...natural?  I hope so!

I start painting on Monday!  These are pretty detailed so, despite my plan to make them predominantly black and white, I expect they'll take FOREVER.  Deep breath!!!  Here I go....!

World Map

Here's the world map I painted.  The lighting in the room was less than stellar, so the pic is not fantastic.  The project, though was great fun!

As you can see, I didn't end up using all the sketches I did.  The home-owner wasn't in love with the beard on the North Wind that I drew.  She said it gave her the shivers!  Pretty funny!  This guy definitely seem less sneaky!

The home-owner also found it fitting to place the sea serpent beside Bermuda!  Again, pretty funny!

The room had this fantastic heavy texture, which ended up being so much fun to paint on.  I used acrylics, that I thinned significantly, so they tended to run like watercolors.  I love the end product!

Illustrating a Map

I am working on sketches for an old fashioned world map that I'll be painting on a client's wall.  These are the basic drawings that I've done for some of the decorative elements.  It's curious...I've had it pounded into me by some artist friends that I NEED a reference pic for all my drawings and paintings, but getting a reference pic of a sea serpent is...a stretch!  Basically you can draw from a snake...or you can copy another artist's work (which is really un-cool)...or you end up just drawing from your imagination.  Which is what I did.  It's the same story with the North Wind and the sun.

After all, if a reference pic isn't available, what is one to do?