Attempting Mosaics

Nicodemus.  From John chapter 3.  He was a leader of the Jews, a respected man, someone who had studied and knew God's Word.  And yet He came to Jesus with questions.

 

Jesus walking on the water in John chapter 6.  Defying all that we call true.  Surely you would sink, right?  Surely you would be horrified and afraid of the wind whipping up the waves! Surely Jesus was more than a man.

Healing the man born blind from John chapter 9. The people said it themselves, "never has a man born blind been able to regain His sight!" That was before Jesus.  Nothing is impossible for the Son of God.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, as He states in John chapter 10. No one else will ever care for me like He does.  No one else has the authority to do so, nor the heart, nor the will, nor the ability. He laid down His life for me.  Who else is like my God?  No one.

Jesus knew Peter would deny Him. He knew all the disciples would run. He knew that Judas would betray Him. And He continued on down the path toward His own crucifixion, and my redemption. Knowing it all ahead of time didn't deter Him.  I'll say it again, there is no one like my God and Savior!

In John chapter 15 I see Jesus' promise to me, and His plea with me: Abide in Me, and I in you.  Because without Him I am nothing, I can accomplish nothing, and I have no hope in this world.  Jesus spoke the picture of branches being unable to bear fruit unless they were actually attached to the vine. 

Whom do you seek, indeed? The Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He asked them this simple question. I wonder how many of them REALLY found Him that night? How many of them realized that they were arresting their own Savior?  The story is in John chapter 18.

The story of Jesus restoring Peter after his denial is found in John 21. Jesus asked Peter 3 times, "Do you love Me?"  And Jesus told Peter that despite the denials, He had important work for Peter to do.  Set everything else aside and love Jesus more than all of it.

I found grace in painting these this last fall. I had been struck with the beauty of a mosaic and decided I wanted to try painting something similar.  These were hard, but so very rewarding! Like others for my church, they are 8' square and they hang all around our Worship Center.
 

PREENING

Clearly the Lord loves color, right??  I had just finished painting another canvas with a lovely range of colors, and ended up with all this left-over paint on my palette.  And I could NOT let it dry out... and I could NOT scrape it off and throw it away.  So I went hunting for a reference picture that had lots of color in it.  And VOILA~!  Thank You, my Father for color!  Thank You for giving me eyes to see it!

The Many Faces of Pikes Peak

Not long ago a dear friend told me that she wanted me to paint Pikes Peak for the foyer of her office building.  But what view?  And then, what season?  We puzzled over that one for a long time.  And then we had a brain wave... instead of one painting, let's do three.  Each one a different view, and each one a different season.

They're all pretty big.  Fall is 3' x 4', spring/summer is 5' x 2', and winter is 3' x 3'.  My painting space in my house is small, so I ended up painting these in my garage, which was an adventure (because I had to figure out the right lighting, and then what do you do when a car drives by on the dirt road and dust is flying all around your wet paint?).

My wonderful husband hung them all for me, which also proved to be an adventure (because he discovered that the walls in the office foyer weren't quite true... there was an odd hump that we had to overcome).

All in all, though, the end result was lovely.  I got a picture of them all hanging, but it just doesn't translate well... they look puny!  Untrue!  For those of you who live in Woodland Park, Colorado, just go visit the Coldwell Banker building and you'll see these hanging right inside the front door.

(psst!  You can click on the pics if you want to see a bigger version!)

Something New

Late last  year one of my pastors came up to me and told me that they were going to begin preaching through Hebrews in the new year.  Ok! That was something to ponder.  How do you paint something to go with the book of Hebrews?

I eventually decided to go with what I've heard called "Illuminated Calligraphy"... think ancient monks copying out the word of God, and decorating it with all sorts of fabulous images, with stunning fonts.

That's what I tried to achieve.  It took me months to design each canvas, but it wasn't until I was actually beginning to paint that I realized I may have made a mistake!  The images and the text were all so small that I found myself painting most often with either a 1" brush, or worse, a 1/2" brush.  That's pretty doggone small when you have to cover an 8' canvas!!  So I learned.  Large brushes are far, far better!!

Even so, small brushes and hand cramps aside, I'm pleased with the outcome.  God's word is so very rich, with such unmistakable truth.  I'm honored to get to try to display it for my church family to see.

Freesia

As I type this the sky outside is gray, gray, gray.  I think I just saw a snow flake.  It's brrrrrr cold, and the wind is blowing.  And I am SO SO SO LONGING FOR SPRING!  Every March or so I find myself not able to bear the sight of our outdoor thermometer.  The gray skies are almost heavy.  I'm not quite brave enough to run around outside barefoot, but it's so very tempting!

And every March I remind myself of MY GOD'S FAITHFULNESS.  The sun always rises.  And then, it always sets.  The bluebirds will come back.  The hummingbirds will make another appearance.  And the thermometer will begin to climb.  All because God has ordained it to be so, and He keeps His promises.  Always.

So take heart, my winter-weary friends!   Spring will come!

SING! SING! SING!

 Yes, another roster!  I just can't help myself... I love painting chickens!!  I painted this one for my son for a Christmas present.  I know roosters don't technically "sing", but I called this one "Sing! Sing! Sing!"  because his body language just shouts praise to God!  This song was running around in my head the entire time I painted... (and truthfully, I couldn't remember the words, so in my head it sounded something like "Sing! Sing! Sing! Da-da dum de da da dum dum")...

"We will sing, sing, sing
And make music with the heavens
We will sing, sing, sing
Grateful that You hear us
When we shout your praise
Lift high the name of Jesus"

-Chris Tomlin

PETER

Today I was perusing old paintings, and this one caught my eye.  This guy (girl?) lives under our deck, and has survived for several years now.  That's sayin' somethin' where foxes and coyotes roam free!  I managed to get this picture by tiptoeing out the back door, camera in hand.  He/she was having a yummy lunch. 

I realize this is a painting of SPRING, and today it's COLD, and Christmas is just around the corner.  But I love spring all year 'round, and I'm already longing for it!

I painted this for my niece in celebration of her first-born.  And I love it.  Particularly the light coming through his ear... oooh, that pink!!

CLOUDS OF MERCY

I was recently re-introduced to the hymn by William Cowper, "God Moves in a Mysterious Way".  I say re-introduced, because surely I've sung this?!  But I only remember the first phrase!  The entire thing is beautiful.  This painting is based on the second verse.

"God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants his footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust him for his grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower."

Did Someone Say Food?

Clearly I love to paint chickens.  I've lost track of how many I've painted!  I think, though, that this one is my favorite.

I painted it for my nephew as a house-warming gift, and it cracks me up!!!  And it's JUST like my nephew!  Seriously.  He's curious.  And alert.  And inquisitive.  And eager.  And fully engaged in life.  And he really would pop his head into the kitchen and say, "did someone say food?"  HAHAHAHA!!!  I love it!!!

Here Fishy Fishy!

I've always dreaded painting water.  I see the work of other artists and it's oh, so beautiful!!  But they're REAL artists, right?!  And so I've just avoided it like the plague.  It's one of those things that I had worked up in my mind as being impossible.  All those swirls, and reflections, and odd blotches that make no sense at all.  But you never learn if you never try, right?

So I tried!!  Actually this is my second attempt.  My first attempt was when I was maybe 14 years old.  I painted two baby swans swimming in a lake.  And it wasn't half bad for a teenager!!  But it wasn't particularly fabulous either (even though a kind neighbor lady loved it and hung it in her house).  After that first attempt I just sort of put water waaaaay on the back burner.

Until a couple of weeks ago.  I had this reference photo of a fish, and the water was lovely (all those swirls, and reflections, and odd blotches that make no sense at all!!).  And so I tried it.  And it's not half bad for a 50-something year old!!  Truth be told, I'm quite pleased.  And truth be told, I prayed all the way through it!!!  Thank You, My Lord!

Coloring Pages

 

 Not long ago I was at a friend's house and she had this lovely grown-up type book of dot-to-dots... and they were indeed lovely.

I was about to run to the closest book store... which is about an hour away!... and buy myself one, when I realized that, while I'm not that comfortable making my own dot-to-dots, I AM comfortable making my own coloring pages!!!

So I got to work!!  And it's not even work, it's great fun!  The drawing is one level of fun, and then the coloring is like adding whipped cream and the cherry on top!

The Flowers Sing Praises to God!

Eight canvases.  Each of them eight feet square.  Finished!!  I seriously thought this would take me A MONTH!  But the Lord had His hand on mine, and the paints flew off my brush!  I finished in 2-1/2 weeks!  I am stunned.

I should have taken a picture of my paints... I had every color known to man.  The church has this lovely wheel-y cart in the kitchen that I load everything on to, and I could barely push it, it was so heavy!

I am thanking the Lord this afternoon.  I have seen His kindness AGAIN.

It's Camp Season Again!

Once again, I got to paint for Camp Elim's summer programs.  What fun it was!  They have a western theme this summer, and their only request was the bucking bronco.  After that I could do what I wished.  Lately we've had a pollen STORM coming off of the ponderosa pine trees, so these are COVERED with yellow dust... which I think makes them look weathered and old, and I'm perfectly happy with that!

I never told you about what I painted for their winter camps.  They had a theme that involved a private detective, so I was asked to paint the walls of the detective's office, complete with his logo painted on the outside of the window.  This was GREAT fun... I decided it definitely needed some old wall-paper, which of course I needed to design!

 And then, I don't think I ever showed you the patch designs that they asked me to do.   Camp Elim has a patch program where the campers can earn patches for memorizing Bible verses, and completing a craft project, or sometimes a service project.  As a kid, I remember earning patches when I was a camper.  They've had the same set for as long as I can remember.  But recently they decided to add three to the list of options for a camper to earn.  I am beside myself with delight that I got to design these!

Remember The Warmer Days

Back in the day, when the temps were warmer, and the grass was green, some friends asked me if I'd paint the Grand Tetons on their back fence.  Except as we talked about it, we realized that their neighbor owned the fence... which meant that he may just randomly decide to replace a board or two one day.  And that would leave an unpainted board in the middle of their vista!

So I painted it on two big 4' x 8' boards instead.  It was grand fun!  I had the boards standing up in my garage, all awkward, with lights stretched out along the ceiling so I could see what I was doing.  More than once I almost tipped one of them over onto myself.  What an adventure!

And then, my husband, servant that he is, went with me to hang them on the fence... because he is strong, and I am not!!!  I loved how it turned out!

If you want to see the picture up close, just click on it.