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!

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!

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!

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!

Clover

I seem to be drawn to painting weeds (ha!  a little artist humor there).  I vaguely remember growing up with the idea that having clover in your lawn was a bad thing.  But it's so lovely!  And it's delightful to paint!

This is the last of the little oil paintings that I've done this summer.  Evidently I need to get back to work!  I've got the canvases and the paint and the reference pics...so, Chop! Chop!  I'm such a slacker.

Gerbera

What can I say about this?  Only that I am frequently astounded at the creativity of God.  And that He chose to share some of that character with us.  I find myself longing for eternity, where I hope I get to watch God create.  I don't think there's any promise of that in scripture, but wouldn't it be great?!

Rest

We rush and hurry and rush some more.  Busy, busy, busy!  Gotta get  more done.  Can't forget anything on the list.  Gotta make sure the summer is filled up, overflowing, taken advantage of.  When the list is finished, gotta make another list.  Go, Go, Go!  Gusto grabbing and gung ho!

God gifted me with pink eye.  Seriously!  I've been home for what feels like a very long time.  Seeing nobody.  Cancelling commitments.  Home.  And as I painted this, it dawned on me that being home, with no chance of going anywhere, was a gift from God.  I HAD to be still.

Thank You, My Father.

Dandelion's Cousin

Back in the day, when I was living in the city, I would have yanked this baby up before it had a chance to bloom.  But there's something about going for a hike and stumbling across a grassy area just FULL of these. Once again, my definition of a "weed" has morphed significantly.  As I'm sitting here staring at this one, I'm seeing some tweaking that needs to be done....

Out On A Limb

Have I mentioned how much I'm loving these tiny canvases?  I'm trying to resist the temptation to switch to a smaller brush.  If I painted this with a tiny brush it would be so tight it would lose all it's whimsy!  I love the thought of a breeze coming by, and this little guy hanging on for dear life!  It's the Elitch's of the bug world!

The reference photo for this painting was taken by my dear friend Jen...she has a great eye!