Monday, November 21, 2011


Whitetail Creek Canyon

Gift for my friends at Whitetail Creek Lodge in Hulett, WY.  This is the view from their deck of the road that leads back to their little piece of heaven on earth.  I love to drive back this road and get serenaded by the neighbor's donkeys along the way.  They always make me laugh.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Working on a 24" x 48" landscape. A few more hours of added color and it will be declared finished, according to my standards -- which when compared to the skills of others might be a bit premature. The more I study other artists' applications the more I realize how much wisdom is lacking in my work, especially when it comes to color. Of course, the fact that I'm literally painting in a corner of my living room under a small "day" lamp that tries desperately to mimic the glory of the sun doesn't really help the situation... but even when I move my easel out into the open I still have difficulty knowing which perfect pigments to work together to get the richest shadows, what yellow will create the golden effects of the sunlight, which blues will meet the depths of the sky.

Every now and again I hit the jackpot and actually squeal with delight. Yesterday's moment of triumph was when I came to truly understand reflections of light and color as I painted the sunset over a canyon wall. The wall came to life when I added the deep blue of the sky into the crevices of the rocks and yellow-orange to the face. Boom. There it was.

And that's the joy of painting, isn't it? The journey from an empty canvas to a conglomeration of color that forms a visual. It's the act of creating something that literally comes to 'life'. I wonder if that's how God felt when He created us...

Unlike God however, I still have some perfecting to do in my work. And with each intent study, each blend of color, each brushstroke, I take one step forward and hopefully upward to that goal of wisdom. And I remain ever grateful to those of you who share your painting experiences. You may not realize it, but you are teachers. Givers of knowledge. Thank you.


Wednesday, September 14, 2011


Therapy

Spearfish Canyon Creek in the fall is as much therapy as one ever needs, I believe.  The sound of the water rolling over the rocks, the freshness in the air, the icy cold when I put my feet in the stream. Reliving it as I paint is almost as therapeutic. 

A Sky for Linda

Gift for a friend, painted from a photo she took of the sky over her cabin in Sundance, WY.  Gotta love these western sunsets.
Going Fishing

Painted for auction at Macedonian Ministries Mission Sunday at Gettysburg Baptist Church. The reference photo (permission granted by the photographer) was taken in Haiti as the men loaded up their vessels to go out fishing. The sails on the boats are patched together using old, worn pieces of fabric, but still able catch the wind despite the tears and frayed edges. Like these old sails, God uses His chosen, tattered and torn as they may be, to do His work. He blows the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit into our hearts and if we are surrendered to His calling, it moves us into motion. And we become fishers of men.

Spearfish Canyon Creek

Gift for my cousin back in PA.

Spearfish Creek

One of a series of paintings I did of Spearfish Canyon Creek, and possibly my favorite of the group.  I was very pleased with the rocks and reflections in the water.
Spearfish Canyon Path
Spearfish Canyon
Back East

As grand as the landscapes are in the west, still nothing truly compares to the fall foliage of Pennsylvania. I painted this for a friend back east who sent me a picture of the colors in her back yard. The only thing I couldn't capture was the crisp smell of autumn that I loved so much.
Pine Haven Sunset

My first Wyoming landscape. The skies out here are breathtaking, the clouds close enough to touch sometimes, the colors as remarkable as a prism. The reference photo was taken outside our back door, the clouds reminding me of cotton candy so much I had to sniff the air for the scent of sugar. The light from the lake at the bottom of the hill was reflected onto the bottoms of the pine branches. The eagles were added as a point of interest, as if there needed to be one.
Maine Birch Forest

I originally painted this in 2007 for my husband, whose favorite tree is the birch tree and who fell in love with the birch forests when we took our trip to Maine. I revamped it in 2011 with darker shadows in the background to make the trunks pop off the canvas, having learned that you shouldn't always paint a photograph as it is, but sometimes have to take certain liberties and apply artistic license to your references to achieve depth and conviction.
Acadia, Maine
Still Life
The Least of These

The youth group of Gettysburg Baptist Church handed out blankets and food to the homeless in the streets and subways of Philadelphia, PA. One man was literally sleeping in a cardboard box, his only possession in the world besides the clothes on his back. All that was seen of him was his hand reaching from the inside of the box to receive the gift. Our duty as God's children is to share the warmth of His love and the message of His salvation. It's as easy and as life-saving as handing someone a warm blanket and a sandwich on a cold, winter's night.
The Tugs of War

The Tugs of War is an illustration of the spiritual battle that rages for the world. Satan's hands, somewhat attractive and alluring with polished nails, try desperately to penetrate and drag to the depths of darkness the earth and all its inhabitants. The hand of Christ however, holds fast to the tree (cross) whose roots are watered by the blood that flows from his wrist and run deep in and through HIS creation. The message is that the war has already been won because of Christ's sacrifice. Satan may be allowed some in the world, but he will never prevail over all. And God will never let go of those who truly belong to Him.
The Way of Life

Painted above the baptistry at Gettysburg Baptist Church in PA, The Way of Life mural literally depicts the way of Life in Jesus Christ. The journey begins in the upper right corner where a star shines above Jerusalem where Christ was born. Traveling left through the black center of the mural, the darkness that is our own sin and hell, the jagged rocks provide the stepping stones to the cross where He died for those sins -- a rough and rugged path which smooths out on the other side where the stone is rolled away from the empty tomb, signifying that we, too, will rise again if we believe. The River of Life flows from the base of the cross and provides refreshment and essential nourishment to the olive trees, symbols of life and prosperity.
I painted this for a woman who designed and lived in a "castle", complete with gargoyles. The tree was a design from medieval times and painted 20' in the air above a very ornate fireplace, and was my first experience with scaffolding. I don't remember if I actually enjoyed it...I just remember trying not to look down. (Or drop my paintbrush.)
Faith

Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. - Matthew 9:22
A self portrait.
God's House 9-11

I painted with permission a photograph taken of Ground Zero after the towers fell. What stood out to me, and what I tried to reveal in the painting, were the crosses within the wreckage. There are three that create a pattern that leads heavenward, a reminder of the three crosses on a hill so long ago that signify and offer healing from the brokenness of our lives, and ultimately lead to eternal life in Heaven.