"Hospitali-tea" - A Sneak Peak at a Commissioned Painting Series based on a Children's Farmhouse Theme

Flower and Butterfly Detail from "Hosptitali-tea"     16" x 20"     Acrylic on Linen

 

Oh what joy I've found in doing this project that was commissioned by my church's Antioch campus for their youth department. It's something I get to do alongside one of my best friends, which makes it all the more exciting to do, and the theme is "Welcome to the Farm," which as you can imagine is right up my alley!

I'm having a blast with the imaginative process of this commission - and the fact that in the end there will be such a large number of works to add to my portfolio is a massive plus! At first all I felt was overwhelmed by the idea of jumping into something like this, but I knew God wanted me doing it, despite how hard it could and would end up being, both related to time and physical effort. But somewhere along the line, He showed me the true blessing of it all- that all the artwork I'd done in my whole life had built up to this moment where I could give back to something far greater than myself - where I could give back to my church and more importantly serve my Creator. He showed me the story of Behaliel and Oholiab, two master craftsmen who were gifted in many different trades in the arts, so that they would one day be able to build the temple, God's resting place, and make it a place of sheer beauty befitting the greatest King ever! I don't know if you know the pure, unadulterated joy of creating with the very one who created you, but it's beyond spectacular, trust me on this!!!

I've prayed so often that God would allow me to become gifted like those special men in that way, that I might be able to serve Him with it, and I have seen such growth in the moments when He takes the wheel and steers for me. It's like you get lost in this creative zone, and if someone were to ask you how to do it again, honestly, I'm not sure I could, because it was so thoughtless, so "in the moment" - almost like I'm floating on air and I'm not even in control at all, but that God IS, that I'd be hard pressed to recreate the exact same thing again. I think that's partly why I never did well doing my work in school settings - I could never ever get totally lost in it, and that's when I do my best. Same thing around certain people - I have to be insanely comfortable with you to be able to paint - otherwise I fidget and get nothing done, it's the oddest thing. I wonder, do any of you out there struggle with this in your own art, from photography to graphic design, it doesn't matter what it is, but do you ever feel this way too? I'd love to hear from you!

I've still got a long way to go before I'm finished with this project, and this here painting is only a few brush strokes itself away from being done, (these little butterfly pictures are just a little sneak peak at it) but I have a feeling I've found my calling for sure! It's definitely children's books and illustrations for me that lie in my future - now I just have to figure out how to get discovered! Hhhhmmmm.... That could be interesting...

Well, I really hope you have a wonderful night (or day for my far away friends) and if you ever hear of someone needing an artist for their new children's or fantasy book, maybe you could send them my way... Hey, a girl can hope, right?

Butterfly Detail on "Hospitali-tea"     16" x 20"       Acrylic on Linen

The Mysterious "Pastel Mountaintops"

"Pastel Mountaintops"     3" x 5"     Pastel on Paper

This "pastel painting" as it were (I never quite know what to call them - they end up feeling more like paintings in the end than a drawing, so I'll go with that) is one of a few I did what felt like only a year ago, but apparently I've been slacking on posting up my work even longer than I thought! Anyways, I remember creating this piece, and being quite happy with the color palette and how the colors tended to harmonize with each other, but for the life of me, I have no idea where on earth I took my inspiration from. I'm not sure where these mountains are from. It's possible these mountains may actually live somewhere quite far away in fact, on the way to Montana or the like, and either been painted on that drive or done at home (or at a hotel or destination while on vacation after being captured by phone). Or perhaps they are from one of what feels like my MILLIONS of Doctors appointments I've been through over the last few years - seriously, I literally would have 4 or 5 a day 3-4 days a week for months on end - no joke - it was so bad!!! If so, then the mountains would be our very own little beauty called Mount Diablo, one I never get sick of seeing, even if it gets harder and harder to with all the development going on around here.

I remember when I was little we could see it from our house in Brentwood, a clear, gorgeous shot with orchards in the foreground and from spring to fall we would go up there and jump ginormous rocks or try to catch the ridiculous amounts of blue-bellied lizards and tarantulas that lived there. It was such fun! I haven't been there for ages though, and sadly the best view left of it that's accessible for most people is from Kaiser - gee, isn't that ironic? Maybe I just don't get OUT out enough... Still, it's always a treat to see snow on it, that's for sure, even now as an adult! I suppose I'm just going to be left wondering whether or not this is that. Especially since I've no idea where the original picture is or if there was no picture at all in the first place and I just drew it while my lover boy drove me around (love ya Ty!) - which is quite possible... Oh well, sometimes having that bit of wonder is actually more fun than knowing for sure, and either way, the best part for me is making the artwork and having something to look back on, so I guess it's a win-win!