EASTER

This abstract was started a week ago and has evolved slowly.  When the painting began, my purpose was to just play with the paint on YUPO, using the Atelier Acrylics which lift even after they have dried. 

Today after taping it up across the studio, I was surprised to see the face.  The word 'FORGIVENESS' was added vertically to the right side of the face then subdued.  It's also printed backwards so it's nearly impossible to see.  Using Caran d'Ache crayons I added some other scribbles and other meaningful words as well as lightening the eyelids and adding a highlight on the lower lip. 

Easter is my very favorite day of the year because of its significance for me.  Happy Easter!

"GOOD FRIDAY" Atelier Acrylics and CAran d'ache Crayons on YUPO 20x26"

JONATHAN

Our nephew, Jon, lives in London and is an accomplished musician, song writer, and music mixer. His group, ADULTS, CHILDREN, AND ELDERLY (ACE) plays in several venues in England, and he is their awesome drummer. This painting, done on gessoed watercolor paper, celebrates his creative spirit. Jon is so gifted artistically as well as being truly brilliant. The gessoed paper surface was randomly stamped with an 'ART' stamp before it dried. Several colors of fluid acrylics were flung onto the upright paper and allowed to drop off before the watercolor portrait was painted. Thanks goes to Nick Simmons for his ACRYLIC FLINGING demo at our workshop here in the studio last month.

Many years ago, I squirted staining watercolors onto an upright sheet of 300# Arches which had some miskit 'combed' onto it, then explored what I could make out of the colorful splashes. Below is the result of that very special painting.

GONE

Saturday morning, a young man died whom I'd been praying for. REALLY praying for.

There are no answers that explain why a vibrant young father should die. The doctors' expertise along with the many thousands of prayers in the past month did not prevent his death.

The bottom line for me was that there was no one to blame but God. He could have stopped this and didn't. That hurt so much. Of course I told Him what I thought - loud and clear - how angry I was and just how I felt, many many times today.

This painting, done a couple of years ago, seems to 'hold' what I'm finally feeling now. The sense of despair is vanishing. Finally, after all my yelling, something healing is taking the place of the anger and blame. There's a perfect peace..... no answers to explain..... but His pure tender presence, deeper and new, full of LOVE and HOPE. The deep sadness and pain remain, but the blaming, the resentment, the anger are gone, removed so gently by Jesus.

We won't KNOW, will we, until we see HIM face to face? Until then, it's faith.

"THE WAIT" Oil on Canvas 6 x 10"

THINKING OF SPRING

It's snowing a beautiful, swirling snow right now. And we didn't have our Tuesday class AGAIN! Boooo.

This painting reminds me of the hope of spring (which is a hope we really need here right now) and was painted about 15 years ago with that in mind. Lots of negative painting was involved to define the trees in front of the cave like area after spritzing and splashing paint to create a soft, pale background.

It seemed strange to paint ''''negatively'''' to produce not only the positive shapes of the trees, but also the cave place that I viewed as a tomb. The tomb is an empty one, but with a positive message to show the power of resurrected life, and for me, the trees represent the strength He gives us.

How many artists paint, frame, then unframe, a painting? That's what happened to this one. It was carefully cut up into one and a half inch squares with the idea of reassembling it someday into a collage. At the time it just never 'spoke' what I thought it should say.

Now looking at this photo of it, I'm a little sorry that it was cut up. It was never reassembled and is long gone. Thank goodness the hope's stayed here.

"HOPE" Transparent Watercolor on 300#CP Arches 22 x 30" Recycled

PLAYING WITH PAINTING

The summer of 1993, I traveled out of state to my brother's to house sit for him, dragging along all my paints so I could enjoy a precious week of uninterrupted painting. First thing I did was load up three oiler boilers (from Cheap Joes) with my three favorite colors at the time - permanent rose, phthalo blue, and hansa yellow.

After randomly applying some miskit to the paper to save some curving white shapes, I headed outside to squirt and splash color on the full sheet of Arches paper. I spritzed the colors to make them run and so enjoyed all the dancing they did as they dripped and flowed together. This is what watercolor does the best, and I loved watching it happen.

Next, I hopped into the hot tub (vacation, remember?) and turned the multicolored, in-progress painting all around to discover how I could proceed. When I turned the paper vertical, I saw that the paint had flowed to create what resembled the profile of a man. His nose was maybe a little too big, but the profile was there for sure, looking downward. The problem was that I also saw a crown of thorns above his head, partially created by the miskited areas. No matter how else I turned the painting, the only thing I could actually see was this profile with the crown.

I slipped into shopping clothes, grabbed my brother's car keys, and drove in the direction of Walmart. NO WAY was I going to paint a religious looking painting. I'd had enough of religiosity recently, enough for a lifetime as far as I was concerned.

As soon as I entered Walmart, I KNEW the name of the painting. THE COST. And I knew I had to go back and paint it.

Back at my makeshift studio, I took out my watercolor pencils and enhanced the hair and crown area, created a beard, and developed more of a mouth. I found a mirror to look in to see how eyes would look in agony..... (and I had a measurable amount of agony going on in my life at that time to help me sense it for the painting.)

Finished. I looked at it again from the hot tub. I was struck by the beauty of the pink drips falling from the crown. It took some time before I could understand the meaning of the name of the painting.

Now I know that I no longer have to strive for 'perfection.' I can stop trying to accomplish perfection as if my life depended on it. When I make mistakes and do things wrong, I know that I am forgiven. That cost has been fully paid.

Many years later, when I look at those fluid, magenta drips, I am still struck by a sadness or agony, but I also feel a wonder, an awe at the touching beauty I see ... very strange and conflicting emotions that somehow work out ok together.

This isn't a religious painting but a painting about being freed. I'm thankful for being given this gift to paint, but I'm most thankful for knowing God's pure love and acceptance through His most precious gift, Jesus Christ.

"THE COST" Transparent Watercolor & Watercolor Pencils on 140#CP Arches 22 x 30" NFS (Available as a Lithograph Print in Several Sizes)