Final Redeption

The picture isn't really catching it and I had to crop a lot so the picture would load right side up. Anyway, I am now putting it in a frame to take to church tomorrow.
I hope to take photos of the Good Friday show and post here. As I am framing, I am seeing things I want to change.  My daughters understand this completely. Sometimes, I'll even take artwork out of its frame and keep working on it!

So, this painting conveys for me that Jesus is my redemption. Jesus, Messiah,  paid the price for me to be back in relationship with our holy Father. He set me free from sin and death and the death sentence I had on my head. He justified me freely by His grace, death and resurrection. My pardon, my freedom was secured. Thanks be to Jesus!

The arts and literature have the ability to help us see things in new ways. This is evident in the following quote by Canadian critic, Northrop Frye, where he describes the resurrection as a rebellion. He wrote, "The resurrection was a rebellion against the tyranny of death and hell." The captives were set free!

Redemption

So, it is late,so I can't change how this is loading. If anyone is looking at this, you'll just have to turn your head:-)

That is all for tonight.

Boat with 3 poles

Awwww. Summer.

Final Eyes

I am going to see how draping some white fabric around the easel might look for the display. I am  thankful this idea was birthed through prayer.

sunflower in oils

I showed my student some aspects of oil painting today. I demonstrated the underpainting and how the oil works with medium and without. I wiped away my entire painting at one point to show it can be erased and begun anew.

Now to go find a nice Italian meal! With all this sunflower activity, I miss Italia!

Sick- Day 4

I came home from school and crawled into bed for 2 hours. I awoke to a throbbing headache. I got the humidifier and pain-killer going, and I am going to try to begin a sketch while resting in bed. The challenge continues....... in preparation for Good Friday.

Sick- Day 3

It's really an exercise in patience to be sick day after day. Just the thought of making art gives me a greater headache, and I never feel that way. I got dressed again (did not make it to work this morning) late in the day and drove downtown to find chicken soup. I had dreams of a 50s mom with a June Cleaver look welcoming me into her kitchen with hot, delicious homemade chicken soup. Instead, I grabbed 2 cans of organic chicken noodle soup with hopes of eliminating lousy aspects of prepared, non-June Cleaver soup.

I'm going to have to take a night off from art.

Still Sick

Back to bed...........

See Jesus 2

Sick tonight.....but added a little in layers. Different charcoal and soft pastel. I changed the one eyebrow and will continue to layer pastel.

See Jesus

Here is my drawing begun after waking up from my nap. I am working with charcoal and soft black pastel. Heading back to bed....first grade is a blast, but those germs....... I think eyes are amazing.

Close-up of Good Friday

I like my close-up of the painting more than the whole painting. Maybe, it is because the face is easier to look at than the whole of the cross. But, while I was painting the whole piece, I was struck again by the horror of the cross. I am so very thankful for grace. God's loving grace. Now, it is finished and we have peace with God. Jesus gave us an amazing gift!

Pink Pansy Demo

I had a super time teaching my individual lesson today. My student made a color wheel, learning which colors make other colors. I also showed her how to work with oil pastels and demonstrated by sketching this pansy. I lent the pastels to my student, so that's all I can do on this for today! I'd get back to my boats, but I spent my evening going to a very informative dessert for the International Justice Mission and Frontline For Justice. I'm becoming more aware of the number of children and people who are sold into slavery and are sold into the sex traffick industry. Just getting educated on the subject is good so we really know what is going on. There is no place on the earth where slavery is legal, and yet, it persists. I hope to use art to raise awareness.

Four Boats

I need to sleep right now instead of making art. My allergies are overtaking my body. I really want to work on my third boat painting, but I just can't do it tonight.

I am practicing the shapes. I'll try to make a watercolor of this. Four boats symbolizing my four daughters.

Child's Eyes

A sketch drawn during class tonight.

Boat with 3 posts

I drew my sketch and laid down the lemon yellow I like so much. (Maybe this is my yellow period.) I hope to add more layers tomorrow....but, with class tomorrow night, that probably isn't likely. I want to try to speak distance in this one, with the boat having come from a long way. I'd like it to speak rest and peace. 

The St. Patrick's Day festivities went well today. I think the children really understood his life in a new way.

Here is his best known prayer: Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ below me, Christ above me, Christ to the right of me, Christ to the left of me, Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I stand, Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye which sees me, Christ in every ear which hears me.

Back to Boats II

Tonight, after a nap and a jog, I wrestled with this paper. The better the paper, the better the painting. As I added water, globs of paper kept coming    off in little pieces. I scraped off bits and pieces over and over again. I consider this a real practice piece!  I'll try to add final details tomorrow.  Thought for today: Fulfill your ministry. The one that flows out of a sincere spirit of humility and submission; the one that matches the exact role God assigned to you in the worldwide redemptive drama; the one that corresponds with your true spiritual gifts, passions, and talents; the one that is proportionate to the measure of faith that God has given you. - Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership, commenting on 2 Timothy 4:5

Back To Boats

Springtime. Warmer nights, late afternoon walks, bright flowers and boats back on the water. I put a layer of yellow down first and will work up from there. I look forward to do some more on this tomorrow night. I'm still working on grasping the shapes, so you'll see all my attempts...ups and downs. A boat at rest lapping the water is such a happy, peaceful sound. How nice it would be to hear that sound outside my door. 

The real boat and the reflection reminds me of the real thing versus a reflection, gone with a pebble thrown upon it. To me, I see my life as so very fragile. Easily disturbed. Lord, help me to be a reflection of your grace, compassion, mercy with truth given humbly and tenderly. I love because He first loved me. I live because He lives.

Clay Jar Thoughts

Greenware - clay pieces that are not fired. (See to left.)

Bisqueware - clay pieces that have been fired once.

Glazeware - clay pieces that have been glazed and fired  a second time.

Big Idea: God loves us. He wants to be in relationship with us, His pottery.

I think of the greenware as being like us before we believe and receive God's love and rescue plan for our "greenware" state. Greenware is the kind of clay jar that is in a very brittle, easily destroyed state. It reminds me of the time in our life when we have our sin and pain and have nowhere to go with it. Maybe we work harder or longer, maybe we numb up or drug up. But, it is never enough to make us feel at peace with our internal fallenness, with ourselves and God.

We are fragile, although some of us think we are invincible in this greenware stage. We give away pieces of ourselves or have pieces broken off of us by bullies or thoughtless ones. Think of a movie you have watched, and a scene happens which brings tears to your eyes. It evokes something in your own life that is still painful, unresolved. Or, it touches that part of our fallenness, or someone else's wrongdoing who we are in relationship with, and it is exposed in the movie. Laid bare. The moment of intimacy at that moment exposes the real you. And you weep.

Do you turn up the music, watch more TV or work longer or run to an addiction to keep from dealing with your brokenness, internal alienation from our loving God? Are you running from yourself? Your tears? I was.

Bisqueware has been fired in an oven cranked up to about 1000 degrees or more. That reminds me of our giving up, asking Jesus to forgive me of my sins and accepting His substitutionary death for me. And receiving His righteousness. Bisqueware "clay jars" run to a love relationship with God. Jesus' "cure" for my sin allows me to be intimate with God, myself and others without hiding or numbing.

It is like handing over the reigns of my intimate life to Him. It is my rebirth, but it is also my death to self, death to thinking my good works making me OK with a holy, perfect God. I give up coping with, covering up my shame and hiddenness from God. I expose my shame and acknowledge my sin to His love and embrace His mercy and grace.

Being sealed and filled with the Holy Spirit reminds me of the glazeware stage of pottery.  Turn up the kiln even hotter for this stage. Fired, glazed pots are usable for all sorts of service, decoration, beauty and enjoyment. For the follower of Jesus, this is when we walk in righteousness, filled with righteousness, and then we begin to manifest God's character in this life on planet earth.

However, we are always clay jars. We aren't God at all just because we have a love relationship with Him. Some leagalists might think they are God all of a sudden because they are in relationship with Him. Judging others, standing in a powering over position. Boasting comes in again. This is a new alienation, due to pride, distancing from God and others. Legalists' worlds get smaller and smaller.

So, today, Lord, help me. Help me to be transparent, humble and intimate with you and others and usuable for your service. Your glazeware.

Picture of art....clay leaf.

Treasure in Jars of Clay

I taught pottery today. Kylie is a really careful learner. She tries everything I throw at her. Well, not literally throw at her, but you know what I mean. We did pottery most of the lesson. She tried coil, slab and the pinch methods for making objects. It was so much fun to see someone else try art forms new to them. I love facilitating that!

So, tonight I have pictures of my demo pots for pinch pot, slab and for coil pot. We are also trying this in art docent this week in first grade, so it was fun to prepare, in a way, for that class as well. I think I like the pinch method the best. It is so much fun to get one's hands into some fresh clay and squeeze!

As I was forming my shapes, I was thinking about how God forms each one of us. We are His "jars of clay". He is the Master potter. He is the one who built our DNA, our gifts and talents, our desires and deepest longings. The color of our eyes. Our longing for relationship with Him. We are in His Potter's hands.

He is the one who puts us through or allows us to go through firey trials. He uses the trials to ultimately strengthen us, deepen our characters. Just like the light bouncing off the fired glaze; we can reflect God and His love, grace and faithfulness in our own lives after being "fired".

It's not all rosey, however. Sometimes, in this life of being a "clay jar", I have been broken or wounded or "beat up" or messed up big time, and yet, God picks up the pieces of me, the coils and slabs, and by using grace-filled people or His word, to love me, encourage me and help me to heal, I am restored and made better than before.

Your losses, my losses, expected or unexpected,  are huge times of brokenness. But God is there. Using real live fellow jars of clay. Just as marred and repaired as you and me. You can map out these people He has placed in your life to love you, me, and grace you and me. His word is also like the moist sponge on the cracked clay, and restores us.

And when we come to Him, in humility and love and brokenness, with our worship, He fills us with His presence. Now, His presence is our greatest treasure. In 2 Corinthians 4:7 we read about this treasure, but the treasure is kept in a jar of clay - us. That seems like an odd place for a treasure. But, there you have it. Or, have Him.

Another Soul

You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.
CS Lewis


Each person we meet is an eternal soul. They just have different bodies. Their differences show the majesty and creativity of God.
Please help me to remember, keep my wonder and pray.

Bhutan Refugee

Tonight I drew a young woman from Bhutan during my Perspectives class at church. We heard about refugees right in our Seattle area who come from all over the world, including Bhutan. It was fun to look up on a map to see where Bhutan is located. Perspectives has been transforming my outlook in so many ways!    My thought for tonight: God's children are really beautiful all over the world. I especially love people's eyes...windows to their souls.                                                                          

Pinoccio and Italian Ends

Well, my Italian 2 class has been completed. We read quite a bit of the real Pinoccio, not the Disney version. Lots of laughs. The Italian version is a little more violent and silly with lots of back talk and fighting. Pinoccio was so foolish, driven by his passions for fun, food and ridiculously vapid thoughts.

My favorite part was when he sat by the fire to warm himself, and his feet burned off during the night. His Babo (Papa) comes in the morning and asks Pinoccio to open the door. He says he can't because someone "ate his feet" during the night. Papa thinks he is just being disobedient.

He did find deliverance and redemption in the end  He came to his senses like the prodical son. So, to bestow a tiny bit of honor to this silly puppet, I sketch/paint him tonight - with his feet.

I will miss hearing all the Italian and the talk about Italian food. We exchanged lots of authentic recipes and had a farewell buffet of fresh basil, mozzerella, tomato and olive oil...caprise!  A little cena. (dinner) Yum! I would love to take Italian 3 in the summer, but that probably won't happen. Just thinking how much fun and beautiful the Italian language happens to be.

Boat Continued

I have added more pastel...still relearning how it layers. The dynamic created by contrasting light with dark is a small miracle. Echos of "Let there be light!" I really enjoy putting.......

lighting intensity/contrast in work.

It is amazing, fun for me, to experience so many different medium as an artist. People keep looking for a style from me. Maybe 20 boat drawings would make a good series and give them a style. I could do a boat in quite a few different medium. Oh well. Just musing here. No one reads this anyway. OK, so for the next 10 days I will do boats. "Aw, come on." as a former first grader would say. Well, maybe 5 days.

Thought for today: The experience of being understood, versus interpreted, is so compelling you can charge admission--Joseph Pine

Soft Pastel Boat

Tonight I was thinking of Alison and Alice and Jeanne who bought my art so I could pay for my Master's degree. I was making a great deal of soft pastel artwork back then, very realistic. I must admit, I feel like a novice again, but I hope to hit my stride as I put on more layers.

I found some soft pastels at a local art store, and they were awful quality.  I dug around in the garage and found my old pastels from many years ago. They are Rembrandts and very good. I am working on black paper to prepare for a painting. Just seeing how it will look if I make the canvas dark first..

I have drawn the boat countless times on scraps of paper to try to get the proportions correct. I am also suggesting 3 poles. (Easter hint) My idea is that I now have complete rest in Jesus, thus the peaceful boat. We'll see what the layers bring tomorrow! Grace and Peace to all.

Risk Falling Behind in Your Career"

How can we put work in its place? How can I put artmaking in its place? How can you do leisure and rest? Risk falling behind in your career...and artmaking. The only person whose eyes you should have to prove yourself to, says to you, "It is good, it is finished." (Jesus said this on the cross.) Our sense of worth through work or doing stuff will never be satisfied. It will never be enough. However, our greatest need for perfection, worth and value before God has been accomplished for us by Jesus. We now have Sabbath rest because of what Jesus did. - Thoughts from listening to Tim Keller's sermon: http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/work-and-rest.

The religious leaders in Jesus’ time had a long list of rules regarding the Sabbath. When questioned, Jesus does not respond by dismissing the Sabbath, but rather redefines it — by dying on a cross. As Christians, we are able to enter into his rest and enjoy the same rest that God enjoyed after creation, by means of his works, not ours. The Sabbath is a blessing from God and one we will only enjoy if we understand it correctly. - Tim Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church

In response to this sermon, I am going to rest, today, from making art. I still am doing the 365 day challenge, but, it will be with a rest here and there.

Oil Pastel Trees

I really enjoyed experimenting with oil pastels today. I was rather unsuccessful with a drawing of apples, so I watched a couple of teaching videos online about working with oil pastels and tried again. I layered oil pastel better so colors were less muddy. I saw that I could blend once I had enough of the oil pastel in a certain area. It is very different from soft pastels. I'll try those tomorrow!

I had a lovely walk with Vickie on the Burke-Gilman Trail. We basked in the warm sunshine along with bikers, joggers and other walkers. So restorative. Later, we had dinner and nourishing conversation. Vickie's friendship is God's grace in my life. Thank you, Lord for the friendship of Vickie.

My thought for tonight: "Art thaws even the frozen darkened soul, opening it to lofty spiritual experience ". -Alexandr Solzhenitsyn

Pottery with Grandsons

I had a blast tonight playing with my grandsons, Micah and Caleb. We had so much fun with clay tonight. My grandson, Micah, made a giraffe, a car and a pinch pot. I showed him how to do it. I smoothed mine a bit more, but then moved on to helping Caleb with his pinch pot (see smallest one).
Caleb was happiest with using tools on his mound of clay as well as making snakes. Much fun and laughter tonight making art with my grandsons!

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Young Buddist Monk

I am drawing during each of my Perspectives classes at this point, although I took some breaks and walked a precious 3 week  old baby around when his mom let me have a turn. Tonight, we discussed Buddism, what it is that Buddists believe. Quite interesting, and I'd love to have a discussion, spend some time with a practicing Buddist to learn more. It seems that a buddist thinks he or she has a collection of good works and then bad works that tip what he or she will be the next time around, and happiness is dependent on eliminating desire and passion. One's actions determine one's fate. There is no savior in the teaching as far as I understand. Hope lies in non-existence. (nirvana)  Hmmmm. My Italian relatives would have some trouble with the lack of passion aspect :-) I know I need a savior.

Pansies Study

Italiano class tonight was lots of fun. Needless to say, I am not able to add hours to my day, so my painting is unfinished. I will probably draw during Perspectives tomorrow night, so my happy, sunny pansies will have to be completed another day. It will be fun to see the progression!

Spring Tulips

When I see tulips in the springtime, I think of hope and joy and new life. I wanted to paint that new life with vivid colors, happy colors. Winter sometimes seems very long in Seattle, but fresh, cheery tulips brighten even the grayest Seattle day.

My thought for today: Trust has to be earned. Forgiveness may be given whether it’s earned or not – and usually it isn’t - but trust is something quite different. You have to deserve to be trusted. It can’t be demanded or required. A person must earn trust.

Happy Flowers

I have these flowers by my kitchen window. They cheer me each morning. I think my window gets just the right amount of sunlight. I decided to draw them in the same style as the daffodils that I made on Saturday. Maybe I could get some cards made from three or four watercolors in this style. I usually have worked very realistically, so this is new territory for me. I sprinkled salt on the leaves to get the varigated look. Lots of fun! Makes me thing that spring is actually coming. And.....by the way, I have been making art for 116 days straight. I am really surprized, but it shows what discipline can produce. And lots of grace from the Lord!