"Addison's Walk"

My mother and step-dad just returned from a four week jaunt across the pond to some wonderful-sounding places: Bath, London, the Cotswolds, and finally Cambridge. They had time to really enjoy each place and to do some things that my mother had always dreamed of doing. They are in love with England, and I am trying not to be too jealous. It is somewhere I have always felt a fondness for even though I have never been there, and I still hold dear my dream of traveling there someday. I am looking forward to seeing their photographs and hearing their stories ...their adventures fresh and filled with delightful people and places.

Last year they were there for a shorter trip, and it was my mother's first time there. She came back thoroughly smitten with the places they went and people she met. She took some lovely pictures and has graciously allowed me to use some for reference in my artwork. One thing I am particularly drawn to (being the architecture lover that I am) is the beautiful golden tones of so many of the buildings in and around the Cotswolds. The photograph from which this painting was done was taken on their trip last year, and the house in it has that beautiful golden glow. It was a beautifully composed photograph, and I couldn't resist painting it.






"Addison's Walk"
16" x 20"
acrylic on canvas

For a view of the photograph from which the painting was doneClick Here.

News, news for fans of the original Victoria magazine...

If you've been around my blog or website any length of time, you know how I feel about the lovely Victoria magazine. I began subscribing in 1987, the year the magazine was introduced, and still have all my copies. I have carried them from pillar to post through six moves.



Nancy Lindemeyer, who was the original editor of Victoria magazine, has started a blog. She was the primary influence in shaping that beautiful magazine back in its original heyday, and she will be sharing about the projects she is involved in and writing that she is doing now. So, if you are a kindred spirit and would love to check it out, here's the link:

Nancy Lindemeyer's Blog

Fresh From the Garden... errr, Drawing Board

I will post the artwork from the show in future posts, but thought I would post this piece I just finished yesterday. I have begun experimenting with pastels and love the way they worked for the soft petals of this rose:



I pray that you are all having a blessed week!

Blogging Break Longer Than Intended...

Hello world and especially hello to all my wonderful blog friends. You all have encouraged my heart so much with your well-wishes while I was away. Life has settled down a little now... let me see... where shall I begin?

Since I have been gone, I have participated in not one, but three art shows. They were spaced out just enough for me to recover then get ready for the next one. I have also been working on some commissioned pieces in between. And finally, I now have a high school graduate for whom we are trying to get "all our ducks in a row" with college plans. This has been a full and blessed spring and summer. I have enjoyed the break from blogging, but I have missed you all terribly.

A brief report on the art shows... the first one (the one I posted the link to in the previous post) was my first show ever. It had ups and downs, but all in all was a great learning experience for me. I didn't make much money, but I felt that the education was worth the time and expense I put into it. I gave away tons of brochures and cards and had some wonderful comments about the artwork.




The second show was a total disaster from start to finish... from the setup at 6 am where I was assigned the space next to a fresh stump of a giant oak that smelled like soured sweat socks.... to the wind blowing sand all over my artwork and eventually blowing over my painting with the most expensive frame so that it slammed into the sidewalk... to the judging that totally seemed "political" (and me a "newbie")... to the unseasonable 98 degree temps... to the fact that it was held in a locale that had a number of softball fields and plenty of parking -- only the parking was all taken up by softball moms and dads and grandparents -- leaving no spaces for those who would be attending an art show... and I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, I ended up in tears and will NOT be participating in this particular show again. (I am sure that the Lord had something He wanted me to learn, but so far the only thing I know for sure I learned is that I will definitely not be doing that show again!) :)




The third show was a beautiful show at Aldridge Gardens, which I did a drawing of last year. The weather was perfect, all the artist's booth spaces were in shaded places, and the crowd was there for only one thing: to see the artwork. It was a huge blessing, and on top of all those things I actually made enough to recover my costs for the show.




I have learned so much during these events and feel all the wiser about what it takes to be an "art show artist." I am not sure whether it is something I will continue to do. It is certainly not for the faint of heart, but I wanted to really put myself out there and let the Lord lead. I am trusting Him for the fruit of the work and money I invested in doing the shows. And for now, I am glad they are over. Summer has given me some time to experiment with new things, but also to work on some commissioned pieces.

I have a LOT of catching up to do in my blog reading, so please bear with me as I catch up. It has been a while, so it may take a while. :) I hope to be posting some of the new artwork I have done in future posts. I love you all!

Blogging Break

I am hanging out my Blogger Is Out sign, so that you will all know that it's just a temporary break. I truly hope all my blogging friends are doing well and avoiding this nasty flu that has been going around here. I am still in high gear getting ready for the art show coming up and will post pictures later. Here is a link about the show:

Mountain Brook Art Association's 28th Annual Spring Show

...and a link to my Artist Bio on the Mountain Brook Art Association website.

Love to all!

A quick update ... good news/bad news

First of all, let me say how much I appreciate those of you who have checked in on me to make sure I am all right. Let me ease your mind and tell you right away that I am fine. Life has gotten a little too busy lately for me to really blog as I would like to. And I certainly haven't been around to all of you wonderful blog friends checking in on you as I would like to. Some of this is due to computer woes (bad news), but most of this is due to the fact that I am going to be in an upcoming art show (good news). As an artist who works primarily on commission, that means that I don't have much of an inventory of things to put in a show. I am so thankful that I am receiving commissions regularly, and those works have been shipped off to their new homes. But I need things now to put in the exhibit, and so I have been spending every available minute at the drawing/painting board. I would appreciate your prayers as I get ready for this, as it will be the first time I have ever participated in an art show.

I thought I would share a couple of my newest pieces. The first is a watercolor from a photograph that a dear friend of mine took while doing ministry in a particular area of the hills of Kentucky several years ago. They were providing aid to some people who had lost homes or possessions in a flood. He took a picture of this abandoned barn and graciously allowed me to use it for reference.



The second one is much more whimsical and was done with Prismacolor pencils on matboard, and is called "Great and Small."



Once the show is behind me, I hope to be back to blogging as I would like. Until then, may God bless and watch over you all!

About my other grandfather...

A while back I posted about my grandfather -- my mom's dad -- and what a special relationship we had. Well my other grandfather was very special to me, too. He was a World War II veteran and one of the "Greatest Generation." He must have seen some real atrocities in that war because he never would talk about it. I am really sorry about that now that he's gone, as there is so much I'd like to ask him about his experiences. Because I was very much a surprise to all my grandparents, and all of them were at a young age, I am sure it was not an easy thing to be a grandfather so young. But he loved me and had his own special name for me. When he would hear me coming he would smile and call out, "There's my little squeegee." (It was only many years later that I learned what a squeegee is, but I always think of him when I hear the word.) He sang in the choir and was in church every Sunday for as long as I can remember. He had a lovely voice, and I would often walk in to hear him singing a hymn.

When I was in elementary school, he realized a dream he had held for a long time. He built a pond just a few miles from town so that he would have somewhere to go fishing when he got off work each day. As time went on, he made improvements to it, such as adding a couple of piers and a boat dock. But the dream was not just about the pond, and a couple of years later he began to build a cabin there. It was a two bedroom, one bath "camp house" with large kitchen and den great room and a huge porch. It had a basement and a patio under the porch with a couple of porch swings. He loved this place, and it became his haven. He tended the fish, tended to the landscaping, and just generally put his heart into it. It truly became a beautiful place. I loved to go out to it particularly when I was in junior high school. I wasn't much for fishing, but I would paddle around in the boat, or find a spot to read, or just go for a walk... all the while enjoying the beauty of God's creation.

Now that my grandfather isn't with us, the lake has passed on to my father and his sister. It is there for all of us to enjoy, but it holds such beautiful memories for us all of my grandfather and how much he enjoyed this "dream come true." Each time I am there, I expect to hear him singing or whistling a tune... and I can almost hear him call out, "There's my squeegee!" For Christmas this year, I did a sketch of the place for my dad, who was very moved by it. I gave a print of it to my brother who happens to live just across the road and around the bend from this place.

Ever feel like Habakkuk?

Of course, at this point you're probably asking, "How exactly did Habakkuk feel?" Or maybe you don't even know who he is. Well, he was a prophet who was really not satisfied with how God was running things... and he complained about it. Really complained...

"How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted."

Yep, I'd say that qualifies as complaining. But God was not put off by Habakkuk's complaints. Instead, He answered. But His answer was not the answer that Habakkuk wanted. So what did Habakkuk do? You guessed it... he complained again. So the Lord told him plainly of the judgment coming upon Habakkuk's people. Again, this was not what he wanted to hear, and yet this time he did not complain. Instead, he prayed. And he asked that God - in the midst of His wrath - would remember His mercy. And then Habakkuk began to remind himself who the Lord really is and began to praise Him saying, "His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from His hand; and there He veiled His power."

After he recounts the many ways God's power and might have been shown, he comes around again to the fact that God is about to judge the people and says, "I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us." But the last few verses of this interesting book are the really amazing to me and are filled with Habakkuk's knowledge that only God is his strength and hope:

"Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
He makes my feet like the deer’s;
He makes me tread on my high places."

This small book helps me also to process my complaints but to realize that God is my strength and my hope.

More commissioned artwork:

Thinking Happy Thoughts

Sorry for the gloomy previous post... computer issues can really get the better of me sometimes. As thankful as I am for them, sometimes I loathe all the baggage that comes along with them (and I am quite sure I am not alone in this!) But we will leave that subject now and move forward.

Lamentations 3:22-23 are some of my favorite verses in Scripture. "The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." I am so thankful that God's mercies are new every morning. His unfailing love never ceases, and He is more faithful than we can even wrap our minds around. Despite the circumstances of our world, our nation, our city, our own family, He is in charge of my destiny. As His child I have no need to worry or fret about what the future holds because I know that He holds my future. I am His child. I am loved by the King of kings. Nothing in all creation can separate me from His love. These truths are straight from scripture and are there so that we can remind ourselves that when things seem to be going awry in our lives, our lives are securely held in the hand of the One with all the power. And His hands are hands of love. This not only allows me happy thoughts, it gives me deep, abiding joy. I pray that it will encourage you as it has me this Monday morning. Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

And here's another commissioned work from the Christmas season of a home in Birmingham:

Dear me, where does the time go?

Do any of you feel this way? Surely, I am not the only one. I thought that by the second week of the year I would have recovered from Christmas and be ready to tackle all that this new year has to throw at me. But no, I am seemingly more behind than usual and in dire need of an organization session. So far I feel swept away in the current of the infant year, and this is not at all what I had in mind for my fresh new beginnings in 2009. My "To Do" list just keeps growing and somehow I don't seem to find time to tackle the things on it.

One of my biggest problems is something that should have been a blessing... getting my computer screen fixed. My Dell (gr-r-r-r) Inspiron 6000 (which turned 2 years old in February 2008) laptop screen began to go all pink on me around this time last year. Yes, it was not even 2 years old at the time. Then it just would go completely black. Because I do web design, I could not be without it. So for many months I used it with an external monitor while using my son's laptop for times I needed something portable (which, it turns out, was the majority of the time.) My wonderful, precious, patient son has put up with this for most of a year. I decided that it was time to de-sequester his computer.

So off to the nearest computer repair place I went... then after a $30 diagnosis fee and a new screen to the tune of $166 (did I mention that the computer was LESS than two years old when the screen went out?), I thought I would have a "new" computer. What I actually have is a new computer SCREEN. However, my battery only holds a charge for about 30 minutes (if that), and when I boot up my operating system does not "recognize" my adapter... you know, the Dell A/C adapter... the one that came with my computer... the computer that was less than TWO YEARS OLD when all this started! If I take out the adapter while the computer boots up, then I don't get the error message. But then I must be ready with the power cord so that the battery doesn't give out. Then by inserting the cord slowly and turning at just the right angle it will begin to charge the battery and provide power to the computer.

I have spent the past week cleaning up my son's computer from all the files, photos, e-mails movies, etc. that I had put on it over the past year and trying to make my Dell work like it is supposed to... loading files, reconfiguring 10 different e-mail accounts, etc. This has proven to be more of a challenge than I bargained for... I will spare you the other details. They would put you to sleep. (Insomniacs may e-mail me privately.) It really is amazing what a time-sapper computer configuring can be. Oh, and did I mention that as I was walking out of the computer repair shop feeling so good about having my PORTABLE computer back, the fellow who worked on my computer told me in broken English that I had better be very careful when moving around my computer and that I might not even want to open and close my laptop because the HINGES ARE WEARING OUT! So my laptop, which is supposed to be portable, is actually not all that portable because I CAN'T CLOSE THE LID! How's that for twisted irony?

Yes, it's been a frustrating week and worst of all, I don't have all my blog links so I haven't been able to make the rounds. Hope you're all doing well and that you'll forgive my absence (does it really make the heart grow fonder?)

One of the other things on my "To Do" list was to post the commissioned artwork I had done which could not be posted before Christmas. So here's one of them:






Love to all!