Introducing....

I can't believe it's been...what...two weeks since my last post?  Clearly I haven't been painting.  Instead I'm collecting supplies, which just saps all creative energy right out of your bones.

So, instead I'll introduce you to my friend, Lois Rosio Sprague.  She's an artist friend of mine with a brand new blog, and a brand new children's book (that she illustrated!) about to be released.  It's called "The Sandal Artist", all about the value of walking in another person's shoes...only it's about much more than that!  I'd put the intro for the book here, but I'm not smart enough to know how.  So instead, here's a link to her blog:

Lois Rosio Sprague

There's a video trailer for the book, as well as her explanation for how she chose her characters.  It's pretty spiff!!

Revel

This is what I'll be painting next.  It's for a client in Wisconsin.  Yes.  I'm in Colorado, and he's half way across the country.  Amazing, but true.  

I'm mildly freaked out about it.  There's always...ALWAYS...that voice in my head that shouts that I'm a fool for trying...and who do I think I am anyways?...and this is a fantasy world I'm trying to live in...and I'll blow it!...AND ON AND ON AND ON.

It's the voice of my enemy.

BUT!!  I am chosen and redeemed by God.  Entrusted with a small portion of His creative spirit.  And useful in His powerful and gentle hands.

So I will paint this.  And it will be a bit of a wrestling match with that voice in my head.  But I will paint it.  May God be pleased.  May He find delight in my heart through the process.  May I discover that I know more of His character by the time I'm finished.

Just a Touch of Red

Every once in awhile I'll be working on an inked drawing, and I just CAN'T STICK WITH ONLY ONE COLOR !  Noooooooo!!  Can't do it!!  So, I had to add some red.

From the Archives

I painted this way back in 2005!

The tree was on my grandpa's property.  In the reference pic you could see the gates of the neighbors property just along the crest of the hill.  I thought it was beautiful how the tree was obviously alive, even though it had a dead section.  God does something more amazing in our lives.  We have dead sections all over, but he BRINGS THEM BACK TO LIFE!  Amazing.

From My Sketchbook

Is this an hibiscus?  You know, one of those bulbs that you can buy at Christmas time from Home Depot.  It grows this long green stalk, and then BANG!  BANG!  BANG!  BANG!  Out pop 4 or 5 beautiful red blooms. Magnificent.

I had this all drawn out in ink, ready to be "decorated" with doodles...but no!  I couldn't ignore all that fabulous red!  So I pulled out my colored pencils and pretended to be in 1st grade again.  Color inside the lines, class!

ADDITION:  I've been informed that this is an AMARYLIS!  I have no idea what an hibiscus looks like!

Following the Leader

I painted this just before Christmas, and frankly...I can't decide if I like it.  A couple of people saw it and talked about my painting of SWANS.  Which means I didn't nail it.  I think their  heads disappear against the water.  Which  means I didn't nail it.  And I'm not in love with the water itself.  Which means I didn't nail it.

The problem is, I don't know how to learn from this, because I don't know what to do different!  I'll have to show it to my artist friends and ask them for a critique....that'll help!

A thought here:  this is why Christ-followers need to DO LIFE TOGETHER.  Because we don't always see our struggles in the right light...we don't often see our own sin...and we need to speak truth to one another!

Window Box

I just drew this tonight.  My fine point pens are slowly going the way of the dodo, so this was drawn with a pen with a much bigger nib.  Details are tough with a big pen point!  This makes me want some roses on my kitchen table...they smell so wonderful!

A Good Read

I just painted this a couple of days ago.  It's a combination of two reference pics.  A couple of summers ago we went camping and Murphy took the ever-present-book with him.  Right in the middle of a delightful morning, there came this butterfly.  Just dropping by.  Checkin' out the book.

Truth be told, the real butterfly was a bit bedraggled.  Really bedraggled.  And I happened to have another shot of a  perfectly healthy butterfly on some purple flowers.  So I combined the two reference pics.  I'm learning!!

Neither Murphy no I can remember what the book was.  It was thick, that's all we know.

Waiting

Could anything be more endearing?!

I took this picture last summer in the McDonald's parking lot.  Evidently the owner of this truck was inside enjoying some fries, while the faithful hound was waiting.  Patiently.  Waiting.  Looking out one window.  And then another.  Back to the first window.  Waiting.

It just struck me that I am called to wait, as well!  It's this delightful and angst-filled thing...this longing...And God instructs me to watch and wait.  Jesus WILL come.

Polly and Murphy

It's hard to believe that I started drawing these funky ink drawings almost a year ago.  I still have a plethora of them to post here!

This is Murphy at the zoo several years ago.  There's a delightful bird exhibit where you can really get in and enjoy the birds...that is, if you don't mind the white souvenirs they leave on your shoulders!

I painted two oil paintings today (aach!!), but they're still wet, so they won't photograph well.  I'll post pics next week sometime.

Murphy's Foot

Branching out from hands...!

This is Murphy's foot.  Even in the dead of winter he walks around the house bare foot, which makes me crazy.  Brrr!!

Happy Anniversary to me!

This is day 365 of my blogging adventure.  Tomorrow I start the second year.  So....did I draw more?  Did I paint more?  Did I learn from my mistakes?  Boy, I hope so!

To all of you who bother to check this blog...thank you!  There's this odd motivating feeling knowing that people check in here from time to time, and I want there to be something new for them to look at.  And several of you comment - either here, or by e-mail, or on facebook - and it's a courage-booster.

You build me up.

2012!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I have no idea when I sketched this, but I'm posting it to remind myself that I am God's creation...a vessel made by Him, for His glory.  My life is not my own.  It's a good reminder for the first day of 2012!