The Refrigerator Door

Wonderful Peace

2011-10-21T21:18:00.001-06:00

"Peace"
12X28"
Mixed media, acrylic and calligraphy on masonite

I haven't had much opportunity to do art projects lately, let alone post anything about the few that I have managed to work on here and there. But it was so amazing how the Lord used this piece, I just felt I had to take time to share.

This piece is actually a paint-over. I liked the frame, but didn't care for the picture--funny, because the picture was one that I had painted. I wasn't sure at first what to paint, but at the time I was battling a lot of anxiety and seeking the Lord's peace to reign over my spirit, soul, and body. The Lord spoke to me then about seeing all my anxious moments as individual opportunities to trust Him:

Philippians 4:6 (New King James Version) "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thansgiving, let your requests be made known to God;"

So we (the Lord and I) started to work on this anxiety thing. And for a few months this painting I had started sat unfinished in my kitchen.

Then one day the ministry I work with had a visitor. This person was expressing a lot of anxiety and unrest in their life. As he continued to share, I heard the Lord very clearly direct me to finish the painting and give it to him. I hadn't touched the painting for awhile, and I wasn't sure what else to do with it. But the Lord directed me to put several verses about peace and guided me through the rest of the painting process.

I did not share with this person what the Lord spoke at that time, but I worked to finish the painting before this person's next visit. When he returned, I waited for an opportunity to present the painting. As the conversation went on, this person begin to share how the Lord told him to look up all the Bible verses that have to do with peace. I could hardly believe it and asked him to repeat what he said! It was the perfect segue to give him the painting and explain what the Lord spoke and what the Lord directed me to paint. The painting blessed him, and I was blessed knowing that only the Lord could arrange such a thing through His Spirit. Talk about an opportunity to trust Him!

Concepts

2010-11-02T12:37:00.003-06:00

"Concepts #3"
10X14"
Watercolor

It feels like for-EVER since I last posted something here! I have missed sharing art with others. It's not that I haven't wanted to post anything; I have merely been waiting for God's direction and timing for art projects. I'm not sure that I can say I have returned or that I will be posting regularly again, but for right now I have something that I can share.

God has taken me through quite a process in the last couple of years. In fact, my previous post was shortly after I moved out of my rented art studio and had sold the vast majority of my supplies. I thought it was just a downsizing. Then I felt the Lord directing me to get rid of all my previous artwork. It was a painful purging. Although I was able to give some of it away, most of my paintings and drawings ended up in the trash. I started to wonder if God was calling me to give up the art stuff for good.

See, I had all these nice ideas of how God was going to use my art. The only problem is, they weren't God's ideas. He had to take my nice little box of concepts and smash it to bits. Again, a painful experience, but very necessary. Now I wait for His leading and His inspiration. And that has lead to a much happier, much more successful art venture than would have happened had I pursued my own ideas.

Angels

2009-08-01T21:31:00.002-06:00

"Angels"
18X21"
Mixed media

It's been a long time since I've posted any work...that's because it's been a long time since I've DONE any work. I have been quite busy in the last year seeking the Lord and trying to determine His direction for my life. My art has been put on a back burner for a season, only to be taken out as God allows and gives inspiration.

Now to be honest and fair, this piece isn't even entirely my doing. In fact, most of the work was done by other artists. Anyone with any sort of exposure to art will recognize the two cherubs. The burlap and wood background was done by another local artist here in El Paso. The thing that I contributed--well, not I, but the Holy Spirit--was the calligraphy of 1 Peter 1:12: "...(the prophets) were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things which angels desire to look into."

This whole piece came about as I was moving out of my art studio. I was packing things up and throwing out trash when another artist in the building stopped by. He wanted to give me this angel thing, but I was reluctant to take it. After all I was trying to move out and get rid of things--I didn't want to have to find space in my car for more artwork!

A couple of hours later as I took a pause from cleaning, I stopped to look at the piece again. That's when the Spirit brought to mind the verse in 1 Peter. I had just barely looked it up in my Bible when one of my studio neighbors stopped by. I was so excited about adding the calligraphy to the piece that I shared my idea with him. This was the conversational spark that gave me an opportunity to share the truth of the Gospel with him! Although I was sad about having to give up my studio space, I am grateful that I had this chance to speak into someone's life.

Now to wrap this up, I would like to address the subject of angels. I have watched people become very fascinated with them over the years, sometimes to the point of obsession and worship. I have seen people listening to and consulting "angels" rather than God, and it has disturbed me terribly. We human beings have been given a wonderful, blessed gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. The angels don't get this; we do. The angels are God's servants, and as the verse in 1 Peter points out they desire to investigate this gospel message. It is a mystery to them, but God wants to reveal it to us. So don't get into consulting angels or listening to other people that do. They won't be able to tell you everything you need to know, but God can. And He will if you'll ask Him.

Beauty in the Storm

2008-10-30T19:48:00.005-06:00

"Beauty in the Storm"
12X16"
Watercolor

This is a picture that God gave me recently. I prayed before and during its painting, and I am hoping that it will minister to many people. I am grateful that He has allowed me to be His vessel in this way.

"...The Lord has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet."--Nahum 1:3 (NKJV)
I have been through quite a number of storms in my life during the past year, and I wish that I could say that they get easier to weather. They don't. But I have started to appreciate their beauty and power. Storms are sent to mold us and shape us into the purpose for which the Ultimate Artist created us. He wants to wash away the things in our lives that keep us from Him, and He wants to display His power in the midst of our situations to spark our worship of Him. It is not an easy process, but it is worth it if we let God do His work to bring us closer to Himself.

High Places

2008-09-26T21:11:00.002-06:00

"High Places"
12X16"
Watercolor

I recently read the book Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is wanting a deeper relationship with God. It is a beautiful allegory of a believer's spiritual journey as they follow Jesus. I couldn't help but think of the story as I was painting this mountain scene in a watercolor class. I absolutely love how it turned out, and I am so glad to have a picture to remind me of all the wonderful lessons in the story.

Seeds

2008-09-26T06:27:00.007-06:00

"Seed #1"
9X12"
Pen & ink

What kind of seed is this? It could be anything--a seed of hope, of faith, of love. Or, it could be a seed of bitterness, envy, or greed. The possibilities are endless, and it's not always clear what the seed is until it is planted and begins to grow.

My garden this year was full of surprises. I couldn't remember what my husband had planted in the buckets strewn around our front patio area. I patiently watered the soil and waited for something to sprout. After a few months, I was finally able to make some determinations about which plants were weeds and which were plants that I wanted to keep and nurture.

It was a very good life lesson. Of all the things that get planted in my heart, some are worth keeping and nurturing, and some need to be pulled out by the roots. It's not always easy to tell which is which, and that's where I have to rely on the Holy Spirit. He shows me which plants in my heart are the plants of hope and faith and love and which ones are the weeds of bitterness and selfishness and greed. The Master Gardener is always at work uprooting the weeds in my heart and nurturing the flowers and fruits.

"Seed #2"
9X12"
Pen & ink

Okay, I Tried It

2008-09-21T08:38:00.009-06:00

"Deeper In"
9X12"
Colored pencil

I've never really been big on abstract painting. Most of it just doesn't make sense to me. But then I came across an article a few months back that made me think, "Don't knock it 'til you try it..." So I did. I took a picture of a flower and started messing around with the shapes and shadows, and I came up with a sketch that developed into this picture.

I wasn't trying to come up with any concrete forms, but when I took a second look at the sketch, I saw a figure in the bottom right corner. It looked like the figure was escaping into the other shapes. I liked that idea, a person escaping into something bigger and deeper. The idea of finding a hiding place and disappearing from all life's cares really appeals to me right now. There's a lot of things that I could disappear into, but honestly, the only thing that is bringing me any lasting peace at this point in time is going deeper in my relationship with God. All the other things that I've been using to escape have left me restless, dissatisfied, disappointed, and completely miserable. God has something so much better, and one of these days I'm actually going to embrace that reality at a heart level, not just in my head.

All that from an abstract painting...maybe that's what I've missed out on for all these years. So now I'm going to encourage everyone else to attempt two don't-knock-it-'til-you-try-it activities: going deeper in your own relationship with God and abstract painting.

Walking in the Rain

2008-09-20T20:36:00.004-06:00

"Rain Walk"
8X10"
Colored pencil

I was browsing through some of my projects and old files on the computer and realized that there are quite a few pieces of art that I have not posted on this blog. Over the next couple of weeks, I hope to post some of the old stuff mixed in with some of the new.

I love walking in the rain, especially in spring and summer. Now that I am in the desert, I usually don't get to see much rain. This year has been quite the exception, and I have not minded...even when I have had to bail water to keep things from flooding. This drawing was something that I started for fun, and I really liked how it turned out.

New Life, New "Peace" of Art

2008-09-08T22:09:00.007-06:00

"Swallowed Up in Life"
9X12"
Pen & ink

It's been awhile since I've posted anything new. That's not because I haven't been creating anything--I've just been going through some major changes in the last couple of months. After spending some serious time in prayer to find out what God wanted me to do now that I'm on my own again, I felt that I needed to leave my job and dive into full-time missionary work.

Does it sound crazy? Perhaps, but it's not the first time I've made such a move. The first time I quit a job and pursued missionary work, I worked with a ministry to youth and homeless veterans while I was also attending art school. Not only did this give me the skills I needed to create all the wonderful art on this site, it also gave me the opportunity to take the trip on which I met my husband. It's been an adventure that I would not trade for anything, despite the hardships that I experienced.

This time around, I'm not really sure what God is leading me to do. I am helping out a couple of ministries and praying for God's direction. During one of my prayer times, I felt a strong desire to be totally swallowed up in God--all my past accomplishments and failures, all my hopes and dreams, all that I love and despise, everything. I wanted to shed my checkered past and walk into a completely new life. That's where this painting comes from. It represents the prayer of my heart during this new season of my life. Against all human logic and reasoning, I have a tremendous sense of peace about my new path...even if I can't see where it will take me right now.

Tears in a Bottle

2008-06-02T15:39:00.003-06:00

"Psalm 56:8 (Put My Tears in Your Bottle)"
9X12"
Pen and ink

I have found great comfort in this verse as it is written in the New King James version:

"You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?"

If you're tempted to think that God does not care about your grief, think again. Jesus came down to earth and got to experience the human life in all its misery. He knows what we're dealing with, and he knows about our grief. In fact, prophecies about Jesus call him "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). It's comforting to know that in our darkest, most painful times, we are not alone in what we are experiencing. Someone notices...and that same Someone cares.

Consider the Lilies

2008-05-10T12:31:00.005-06:00

"Flower"
9X12"
soft pastel on Colorfix paper

I was getting quite bogged down with the cares of this world this week and neglecting my spiritual life. By the time Friday rolled around, I was feeling pretty down and tired. I didn't want to waste the entire evening watching television, but I felt like I needed to do something to take my mind off of everything for awhile. So I sat down to do some drawing/painting practice (yes, artists, like musicians, need to practice if they want to improve their skills). I painted this flower and then did another drawing and then went to bed.

I woke up the next morning still feeling run down on all fronts. I started to pray and was too distracted. I was feeling restless, so I decided to go for an early morning stroll. While I was out, I felt my mood brighten with the sunshine. I kept seeing all these wildflowers all around, and it cheered me up. I stopped to look at one particular flower, and then God spoke to me. He started reminding me about Matthew 6:28-30:

"...Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (NKJV)

Wow. God puts so much beauty and detail into something that is so temporary, and I am so much more valuable to Him. So what am I doing, worrying about all this craziness going on in my life right now? My burdens were lifted away at that point, and I walked the rest of the way home praising God. And thanks to my "practice" the night before, I now have a visual reminder of this entire experience.

Floating

2008-04-15T14:23:00.003-06:00

"Floating"
8X10"
Colored pencil

I have been reluctant to post anything new, because so many people have responded to my previous post. I am grateful for all the support I've received from friends, family, and other artists. It means so much more to me than I could ever put into words.

Although this drawing may seem like someone drowning, it is not. There have been times when I thought that I would drown in my grief. I am amazed at how much I miss my husband after knowing him for so short a time. But God has been so gracious and good to me. I have spent much time in prayer and worship during the last few months, and He has given me such an amazing sense of peace. It is so amazing, in fact, that it is beyond comprehension. During one of the times of prayer, I had this vision of floating on a river. It was so peaceful and relaxing that I just wanted to stay there and never leave. That's where this drawing comes from.

You may be reading this and reading my previous post and wonder, "How can you worship God and have such a sense of peace at a time like this?" The only thing I can tell you is this: I believe in a God that holds the entire course of human history in the palm of His hand. Being outside of time, He knows every beginning and every end. He alone knows the why's and wherefore's of my husband's passing. I trust that He has a greater purpose to accomplish, a purpose that I may not understand for many years to come, if ever. And that's okay. He gives me peace and grace to make it through each day, and for these gifts I am truly grateful.

Broken

2008-01-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

"Broken"
5 1/4X8 1/4"
Pen and ink

I haven't posted for a long time, because I had a very tragic event happen. My husband died. In fact, he died very suddenly and unexpectedly the day after I drew this picture. I had no idea of what was coming at the moment I was drawing. I was simply messing around with an earlier idea I had for a painting.

Now this picture has come to symbolize how I'm feeling. I am trying to hold myself together, but I am in pieces. Nothing feels right. I could fall apart at any moment...and I frequently do. The nights are the hardest. We were married for three years and ten months, but in that whole time, we were never apart except for work and times when he went to run errands by himself. There is a part of me missing that I cannot retrieve. I am in pain, but there is no medication to ease it or make it go away. The world goes on as if nothing has happened, and I am shattered.

Me and My Shadow

2007-12-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

Shadow Self
6.5X9"
Watercolor

I caught a glimpse of my shadow one day. I had just taken a shower and my hair was hanging down in an interesting way and my big fat nose was sticking out. I'm not sure why I found the shape of the shadow so interesting, but I made a quick sketch and then decided to paint it.

I had originally planned to make a series of progressively darker shadows against my face in profile. But then I decided that it might be more interesting to come face to face with my shadow. The sketch just looked like somebody staring off into space, and it bugged me a little bit. I found that this was a good exercise, trying to duplicate the shapes of the right-hand face in reverse.

I guess you could call this a kind of self-portrait, although I wasn't trying for a photo realistic depiction of my own face. The blue eyes and the curly, light brown hair are definitely my signature features. As for staring at my own shadow, I have to admit that I do contemplate the darker side of my being from time to time. We all have a darker side, one that we usually try to hide away from the rest of the world--secrets and thoughts that we wouldn't want anyone else to know about. I like to think about this darker side of myself as a reminder that I'm not as good as I'd like to think I am....or as good as I'd like other people to think that I am. Keeps me from getting too full of myself.

Back to Work--Part 2

2007-12-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

"Meditation"
8X10"
Colored pencil

Here's another project that has been sitting around waiting for me to finish my novel. I've been working on it for quite awhile. It was inspired by a very relaxed and peaceful period in my life that happened around the middle of September. I have worked on it during lunch breaks at work, at home during quiet mornings, and at a local park when the weather was especially nice. I can't really say right now if I ever intend to finish it. It not only gives me a sense of peace to look at it, but it also is very relaxing to work on. I decided to post it here, in case anyone else could benefit from the same sense of peace that I get when I look at it. With the busy holiday season upon us, it's always a good idea to take a moment to just breathe and relax.

Back to Work--Part 1

2007-12-03T18:21:00.002-07:00

"Lady in Waiting"
6.5X9"
Pen, ink, and watercolor

Now that my little noveling adventure is over, it's time to get back to work. I have a couple of projects that I put on pause while I wrote. This lovely little thing was one of them.

After testing several colors with this line drawing (see earlier "Ladies in Waiting" post), I decided to do something slightly different. I still wanted to paint the dress red, even though the dress that inspired this whole thing was black. But instead of sticking with a single color for the whole picture, I decided to work in some greens. I liked the effect much better than any of the colors I had used previously.

What I love most of all about this painting, though, is the happy little accident that occurred with the tree. When I started painting the leaves, I initially let some of the strokes go over the branches. I didn't like how that turned out once the paint dried, and I was afraid that I'd ruined the whole thing. However, I decided to go back over the trunk with another color. As I started to brush water over the branches in preparation for the new color, I noticed that the leaf strokes started to disappear and merge with the trunk color. Hah! There was no need to even mix up the new color. I already had the effect I wanted. So hurray for happy accidents!

My Latest Creative Achievement

2007-11-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

To be clear, the logo you're seeing here is NOT my own design. I have not worked on anything except a couple of bulletin board graphics for the last month. But I did have to do something incredibly creative to earn the logo you see here. I had to write an entire book in 30 days or less. And I did it...in 28 days. Yes, an entire book complete with characters and plot. Not too shabby...

Why in the world would someone want to undertake such a ridiculous task? I can only answer for myself: Because it sounded like an amazingly fun and crazy thing to do. Besides, I ran across an old journal entry about a week before I started this little adventure, and I discovered that writing a book had been a dream of mine for awhile. Mission accomplished.

I learned some interesting things during this month, things that I think will carry over into my visual art. One of the most important was letting go. In order to crank out 50,000 words of fiction in one month's time, one cannot worry about coming up with the perfect phrase or amazing plot twists or flawless spelling and grammar. No, the quantity of the writing becomes the ultimate goal. I was amazed to find that in worrying about the quantity of my writing, a surprising amount of quality crept in.

Another good lesson I learned was to get lost in the process and don't worry so much about the end product. Although I had a basic idea of how my story would go and what my characters would do, I was surprised at the twists and turns that the whole thing took. Characters that I hadn't considered before suddenly appeared and added another dimension to the plot. Things happened in the story that I wasn't expecting. I think the whole thing would've been ruined had I thought it all out ahead of time.

So what happens now? Well, if you're curious about my story, you can read a brief excerpt on my author page (while you're there, check out the rest of the Nanowrimo site). I will probably let the book sit for awhile and do some editing before I let anyone read more of it. In the meantime, I'm going to start diving back into my visual art with a new approach and see what I come up with. Stay posted for all the exciting new developments!

Turkey Time

2007-11-05T18:44:00.001-07:00

Turkey
8.5X8.5"
Marker and colored pencil

Yep, it's that time of year again. Cooler temps, leaves falling, Christmas advertising, and my favorite thing of all...turkey time!

I haven't been doing too much artwork in the last couple of weeks. My focus for this month is actually novel writing. Yeah, you read that right. I am writing a novel. It's National Novel Writing Month, and I've decided to participate in this crazy fall ritual. Rather than explain it in detail here, I'll send you to their website for more information (http://www.nanowrimo.org/). Click on the "About" tab to learn what it's all about.

Okay, so if I'm writing a novel this month, where did this turkey illustration come from? Well, as much as I'd like to take a month off from work to write, it's just not possible. I still have to do my job. As part of my job, I was recruited to do a bulletin board display on food safety. I needed a really cool color graphic to put with my display, so I decided to draw (and color) my own turkey. He looks so friendly and beautiful that I may just have to go vegetarian this Thanksgiving. Who could eat such a delightful-looking bird? Besides, my husband and I need to finish off last year's Thanksgiving leftovers that we froze before we attempt to cook another bird.

So, while I'm on a holiday and novel writing hiatus, I hope you enjoy the turkey...both the one pictured here and the one that you will probalby be eating in a couple of weeks. Happy Thanksgiving!

Meteor Shower

2007-10-13T08:37:00.000-06:00

"Meteor Shower"--sketch
8X6"
Pencil

Sometimes a painting sits around in my brain for a long time before I get around to executing it. This sketch is an example of one such idea.

I went with a friend to see a meteor shower about five years ago. Since we were living in a major city at the time, we had to drive to a park outside of the city in order to see anything. The sky was very clear that night, and there was a slight breeze through the trees. It was late September, so a few of the trees had lost their leaves. It was an amazing experience, something that I have always treasured.

I wanted to paint or draw something to capture my memory of the event right after it happened. But every time I sat down to do something, I just couldn't get the picture to look the way I wanted. Well, within the last couple of weeks, I started thinking about this painting again. I realized that now I have more artistic tools at my disposal than when I first had the idea for this painting. So I sat down and drew this sketch. The scene has changed slightly from my original idea, but I like it better this way. Sometimes a good idea just needs to ferment in the brain for awhile before it's put down on paper.

Ladies in Waiting

2007-09-29T14:03:00.000-06:00

"Lady in Waiting"--four drafts
8X10"
Pen, ink, and watercolor

My husband and I went out to a little shopping area near our town recently. It is a beautiful place that is full of inspiration for paintings and drawings. We didn't realize, however, that a huge festival taking place there during the very weekend we decided to go.

The place was packed, and there were so many people milling about that I couldn't even find a spot to sit and sketch. As we were walking around, though, a woman sitting on a bench caught my eye. She had a parasol and the way she was seated created an interesting shape in my mind. So when I got home, I drew a pen-and-ink sketch of what I could remember. Then I added a tree and added some decoration to her parasol. I wanted to add some watercolor, but I wasn't sure which colors to use.

Thank goodness for the marvels of modern technology. I made some copies of the sketch onto recycled paper, so I could experiment with some color combinations before I made the final painting. Above are the four ideas I came up with--it was so much fun! #1 was actually the last one I painted, but I think it comes from another painting idea of mine. #3 was interesting and left me with a lot of green paint, so I splashed the extra paint onto #2. I was going to come back and add more to #2, but I liked the minimalist effect of the color. #4 came from just trying something different. I have my favorites, and I think I know what I'm going to do now. But it might be interesting to see if anyone else has an opinion first.

Alligators, Crocodiles, Caimans

2007-09-14T09:17:00.000-06:00

"Charlie"
8X10"
Watercolor

This is the time that I wish Steve Irwin, the crazy crocodile hunter guy, was still around. I know that I've heard explanations before on the difference between alligators, crocodiles, and caimans, but I can't remember a darn thing. I can tell you that I got the idea for this painting after I watched an interesting program on a particular species of cayman. The question of whether what I painted accurately depicts a caiman or not will have to be debated by reptilian experts. I just happened to like the scene of an alligator/crocodile/caiman floating along in the water with his eyes and snout just peeking out above the surface.

I decided to title the painting "Charlie" after a story that my husband told me. He had mentioned hearing about some kids that were swimming in some kind of pond or waterway in Florida. An adult saw that there was an alligator in the water and started yelling at the kids to get out. The kids seemed unconcerned with the giant reptile. Their casual response to the frantic adult? "Oh, that's Charlie. He's here all the time."

This Charlie has been with me for a few weeks now. I've been painting him slowly and carefully, letting the paint dry between the various layers. I'm usually not so patient in my painting, but Charlie helped me to see the benefits in it. Below, you can see Charlie in his early stage as a pen-and-ink sketch:

Sleeping Dog

2007-08-23T08:58:00.000-06:00

"Let Sleeping Dogs Lie #1"
16X20"
Acrylic

Abstract art hasn't really been my thing, but there's one kind of abstract sketch that I keep using. I call him "Sleeping Dog", and he was inspired by a former roommate's Labrador retriever.

In one of my drawing classes, the teacher had us draw with a piece of charcoal taped to the end of a 3 ft. stick. I guess this is a common tool to help students learn perspective, but I noticed that it also helped to create some interesting drawings. Not only did we have to draw in class, but we were encouraged to draw at home. The subject matter could be anything you found lying around the house.

During one of my drawing sessions in the living room, the dog came in, plopped down on the couch, and promptly began napping. Caught up in the creative moment, I decided to sketch him with the stick. I liked how the shape turned out, and after the drawing class ended, I decided to do the painting pictured at the top here. Since my roommate had moved into another apartment by this time, I gave the painting to her as a housewarming gift.

But that wasn't the end of Sleeping Dog. He resurfaced last year when I decided to participate in a patriotic-themed show. I altered the drawing slightly, and you can view him below in his transformed state. I'm sure he will reappear in many other forms, as the inspiration strikes.

"Sleeping Dog Does America"
24X12"
Acrylic on Masonite

Revisitng Old Friends

2007-08-23T08:47:00.000-06:00

Untitled
9X12"
Pastel

I took a rather long hiatus from visual art to pursue my musical interests. When I started to get back into visual art again, I decided to take a pastel class at the local art museum. It was a little scary at first--I had never worked with pastels before, and I hadn't been in an art class since 7th grade. I wasn't sure what to expect.

The teacher was excellent, and the students were friendly. I got over my fears fairly quickly and really enjoyed the class. The painting featured in this picture comes from one of the assignments we were given. We had to make a black-and-white copy of a picture we liked, and then we had to recreate the picture using color. I found a picture from the movie Sense and Sensibility, and I wanted to paint it for a friend of mine whose favorite actress was featured in the scene. I didn't get the resemblance that I wanted, but I was still very happy with how the picture turned out.

There was an older woman living in my apartment building at the time. I would try to visit with her whenever I could. She enjoyed looking at my art work, and she would always tell me that someday I was going to be a famous artist in New York City. What artist doesn't want to hear those kind of predictions being made about themselves? I may not be famous yet or in New York City, but I think of this time in my life--and the neighbor lady--very fondly. I ended up giving this painting to her, since she was such a fan. I really loved learning about pastels in the class, and I still enjoy the medium very much.

Scowling Owls

2007-08-15T09:09:00.001-06:00

"Unamused"
8X10"
Pen, ink, & colored pencil

A colleague sent me some pictures of an owl awhile back, hoping to inspire me to paint it. The owl had built a nest in a drainage area near her husband's place of work. It was seen and photographed regularly, and I believe that it was even being fed tamales, which it apparently liked.

One of the pictures did inspire me, mainly because of the expression on the owl's face. For some reason, owls always appear to be scowling. Is it because they're nocturnal and don't appreciate being disturbed by us daytime creatures? Maybe this one is upset because she's not getting enough tamales. I don't know. I just decided to do a quick pen & ink sketch of this one to capture the expression. Make of it what you will.

My Hopper Quest Continues...

2007-07-25T09:16:00.000-06:00

8X10"
Pencil sketch

I've been reading a lot about Edward Hopper, hoping to glean something from his paintings, processes, and life experiences that I can use in my own work. I was particularly impressed by a statement of his in which he talked about art revealing something of the internal life of the artist. I also was amazed by a magazine article that showed several of Hopper's preliminary sketches for one of his paintings. What he started out with and what he ended up with were significantly different.

So I took all this in and decided to try a little different approach to my next painting. I thought about what was going on in my life and how I could represent that in a painting. I decided that I wanted to paint something that would convey the fragile nature of hope and faith. Drawing this scene was a very meditative experience, and I found myself losing track of time and place. Now that I've completed this sketch, I'm going to do two more with this same theme/subject before I start on the actual painting. I'm excited and a little nervous to see what happens.

A Hopper Obsession

2007-06-14T11:32:00.000-06:00

"Waiting"
16X20"
Oil on canvas

This is not a recent painting. I think I painted it sometime last year...or maybe the year before. I can't remember. I decided to post it here, because it represents my latest obsession: I want to paint like Edward Hopper. Why, you might ask, am I so interested in painting like Edward Hopper? There are a couple of reasons.

First of all, I love the man's use of light. He loved to paint sunlight, and he did it very well. Whether the light was part of an outdoor scene or streaming indoors through a window, Edward Hopper captured the dramatic effects of sunlight, or any other type of light for that matter. The lighting in my painting here is not nearly as dramatic as Mr. Hopper's, but for my artistic journey it does represent a big step in the direction I wish to go. Hopefully future paintings will show further progress.

The other reason I love Mr. Hopper's work is that he is able to say so much with so little. My favorite paintings of his are rather simple subjects, solitary figures in very ordinary settings, and yet each of these seems to have an entire novel behind it. I wonder if any writer has ever been inspired to write a book based on one of Mr. Hopper's paintings? Perhaps I should put down the paint brush for awhile and take up the pen?

At any rate, if you have not seen any of Edward Hopper's paintings, I suggest you check out the online exhibit from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. You can view the paintings and get a rare glimpse of the artist's sketchbook. I think I'll go take a look at it again right now...

Prayer for the Dying

2007-05-08T15:13:00.000-06:00

8X10"
Pen and ink

It started with the butterfly...

I was just having fun with pen and ink. The butterfly turned out so nicely that I decided to give it a background. And then the unthinkable happened--a disturbed young man went on a shooting rampage in Virginia. I wasn't planning on doing any painting or drawing to comment on the event, but when I tried to decide on a background for my butterfly, the cemetery kept coming to mind. It just seemed so appropriate. We all know that life will go on after such a terrible tragedy, and nature seems best suited to remind us of that fact. In the ugliness of death, if we take a moment to be still, we may just see something emerge that is beautiful and life-affirming.

Card Games (continued)

2007-04-02T13:42:00.002-06:00

"Card Games"
6X9"
Watercolor and ink

I just couldn't leave "Card Games" alone. Since it made such a nice black-and-white drawing, I had to experiment with color. After all, love and jealousy are very colorful emotions. I'm not sure which of these versions I like better, so I'm hoping that other people out there in cyberspace will contribute their opinions.

Card Games

2007-04-02T13:21:00.000-06:00

5 1/2X8 1/2"

Pen and ink

Talk about your unplanned projects...

This image started out as a simple sketch for a painting idea. I started with the outline of the cards. Inspired by the designs on the face cards, I started messing around with the background. Then a happy little accident occurred and took things in a completely different direction. Well, it wasn't really an accident, but it was certainly unplanned.

When I finished drawing the Jack of Diamonds, it looked to me like he was scowling. Now, why would the Jack of Diamonds be scowling, I wondered. It must be because he noticed something going on between the Queen of Clubs and the King of Hearts. In fact, he must be insanely jealous. He's gripping his sword, and I'm wondering if he isn't about to use it on the King of Hearts. Hmm...

A New Yorkie

2007-04-02T12:40:00.002-06:00

"Yorkie"
8X10"
Pencil

I must confess that I am more of a cat person than a dog person. However, when I came across a picture of two beautiful Yorkshire terriers recently, I fell in love. No, I did not immediately run out and get a dog, but I did spend some time drawing one. For me, that is a much more rewarding experience than actually owning a dog. After all, I don't have to feed the drawing or take the drawing for a walk or let it outside to do its "duty". Plus, I don't have to hear any barking...except for the neighbor's chihuahuas.