My Thoughts About Shadows

 I am so glad you came back. I told you I was going to

paint my answer to the question,

"What does the shadow concept mean to you personally?"

First, darkness and shadow are not the same!

Darkness is the absence of light-Carlsbad Caverns.

Darkness does not force the light out but just the

opposite. Light dispels or forces the darkness out.

Shadows only exist where there is LIGHT and SUBSTANCE.

Invisible doesn't make a shadow.

 So here we go. I painted this sweet little pear. 

Nice shape but flat as a pancake. 

"The earth was void and without form, and darkness was over

the surface of the deep..." Gen. 1:2 (no presence of light)

I added a soft little shadow on the left side of the pear.

As a artist, determining the light source or direction is

important to know where the shadow will fall.

"...and the Spirit of God was hovered (overshadowing)

over the waters." Gen1:2

 To increase the feeling of shape, more shadow was added.

Just a little note- I used purple (not black) for my shadow.

Purple is a royal color.

Ex 13:21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a 

pillar of cloud to guide them on their way.

He made a shade or shadow for them in the heat of the desert.

Shadow and light go together!!! 

You can't have one without the other!

Just a little note. 

Gen 1:3 "God said 'Let there be light' and there was light"

Then in verse 16 And God made two great lights; 

the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: 

he made the stars also.

 ¹⁷And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to 

give light upon the earth,

 ¹⁸And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the 

light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

  ¹⁹And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Did you see it? Day one -He created the light 

but it was several days later when He created the sun and moon.

He is the light!

I lifted a couple of light areas on the right side 

or light side of the pear. But, notice in the picture above,

the pear is floating. What is needed to anchor it?

 Ta!Dah! You're right!!! A shadow.

The shadow is the shape of the pear. Even in the images

above, the first shadows follow the shape of the pear.

The last step - stronger shadow closer to the pear
and brighter light on the light side.

I have also thought about my children while contemplating
"shadow". When they were little, all 3 of my sons were
like my shadows. They were close and right by my feet.
They wanted to see what I was doing, help with whatI was doing, or maybe they just wanted to be where I was.
I want to be that way with my Heavenly Father.
 I want to LIVE in HIS SHADOW!

My friend and fellow blogger Renee has
a great post about Psalm 91.
If you have a minute, check out "If Then".

New Study - Psalm 91

I am so glad you stopped by!

On Wednesday we started a new study.

Psalm 91-God's Shield of Protection by 

Peggy Joyce Ruth.

My friend, Melissa is going to be leading a group

of ladies ranging in ages 18 to 60.

60 years old - that would be me - the most vintage

lady in the group.

In the first week of homework, referencing 

Psalm 91:1 and Acts 5:15, she asks the question,

"What does the shadow concept mean to you personally?"

Her answers 

#1 Shadows can be good

#2 The concept of protection and healing 

with a direct reference to shadow

#3 The shadow came and went 

as Peter came and went

I think I am going to go paint my answer.

Hope you come back soon and see my answer.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Will abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Come Away-Come Away With Me

My friend, Venson asked if I could paint his vision.

He was listening to "Come Away" by Jesus Culture

and could see Jesus sitting on the edge of a cliff-the highest

point in Colorado City. He could envision Jesus

extending his hands and asking the people

of that city to "Come away with me".

This city has had a lot of violence and tragedy. Last year

it was in the national news. Hailey Dunn went missing

and still has not been found. As I painted this, I could feel

His heart as He calls to His beloved creation.

There are buildings where there is no light at all, some

have dark windows and only 1 or 2 lights, and some

have lights that are shining brightly.

This is 16"x20" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas.

"...declare the praises of Him who has called you out

of darkness into His wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9

One of my FAVORITE scriptures!!!

Water Can and Pansies

 

Water can, pansies, and a trowel. I still have spring

on my mind. This is another small work (5"x7").

We still need rain in the mean time

I can still dream. 

Speaking of dreaming, I am going to be 

participating in a Kim Klassen photoshop class.

It is called Beyond Layers, a year of artful inspiration. 

I have enjoyed her tutorials, layers and textures.
Our first pre-assignment is to write down
our dreamiest dream. HMMM!

2 Pink Calla Lilies

Yesterday I spent the afternoon transferring

photos from my hard drive to my external hard drive. 

Then I put them in folders so I can find them easier. 

I found a photo of 2 Pink Calla Lilies. These were

growing in our flower bed a couple of years ago.

Last year was too dry for the lilies.

But, it reminds me that spring will be here soon. 

I know winter is not over yet but I was inspired 

so I grabbed my palette and brushes this morning.

5X7 watercolor on Arches 140 lb. paper

On January 2, 2011 I painted a prayer, 

"Send Your Rain"

"Let us acknowledge the LORD;
   let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises, He will appear;
He will come to us like the winter rains,
   like the spring rains that water the earth.”

Hosea 6:3 

2 times Hosea says, "Acknowledge Him"!

That means - pay attention to what the prophet said.

Still need the rain! Still praying! Still pressing on!

Orange Lilies in a White Pitcher

I am so proud of my watercolor students. They are

doing so good! I really felt like they were ready for 

this piece. We didn't just jump straight into the piece.

We painted leaves,

and we painted the white pitcher.

I love the simplicity of this pitcher.

The orange lilies were from my niece's wedding,

the leaves were from the oak tree in our 

front yard, and the doily is from my 

stash of vintage crochet.

We took our time and painted for several

weeks.

My favorite teaching quote:

Tell me, I will probably forget.

Show me, I might remember.

Involve me and I will never forget.

And we have learned - practice, practice, practice

paint, paint, paint!

Above all, we have fun 

and enjoy each other!

P.S. If you can't attend my classes or workshops, 

visit My Etsy shop and look at my instructional dvd's.

A Long Way From Home

My good friend, Renee has moved a long, long way

from home (home being West Texas).

She is settling into her home (temporary) in North Dakota.

Let me say again-a LONG way from home.

One of the first things she did in her new "land" was

to seek out a place to worship, 

which can be like trying to find a new family

.

Along the way she took a few pictures 

of some great, perfectly aged churches. 

When I saw her photos on her blog I

asked if I could paint this great window.

The window nor the building is the important thing.

The important thing is worship and the freedom

to gather with others to worship.

But the hour cometh, and now is, 

when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit 

and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship 

him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

John 4:23-24

Thanks, Renee!