This year, was one of firsts. We had our first [...]]]> I’ve bee meaning to write this for at least a week. I’ve been a little busy making lots of Christmas gifts, so it’s been a little hard to find a moment, but I finally git a chance, so, I didn’t want to waste it.

This year, was one of firsts. We had our first garden, which didn’t yield much….due to the rain. The boys got bikes, and learned to ride them. Both boys are in school full-time, so now I am finally able to devote time to art. I even converted what would be the dining room, and made it into a studio.

More importantly, I participated in my first Arts and Crafts show. It was a local show, right here in Dublin, where I got a booth, and displayed my art and my photography. In my mind, selling one piece would be enough, and I did just that. God knew just what I needed. I sold an original, as well as several photo prints. It was a joyous experience, and one I would gladly do again.

But, imagine my surprise when, a couple months ago, I received a request for yet another painting. Not a commission piece, but a request for purchase of one of my originals, displayed on my website. It was thrilling, and humbling at the same time. This gentleman purchased the gift as a surprise Christmas gift for his girlfriend. That’s what I call a romantic. Not perfume or roses, but a painting! A one-of-a-kind present.

So, I’d say this has been a successful year. For me personally, and for my family. I can’t wait for next year, and what it will bring. I hope to make more art, and in turn, sell more art.

There is so much, that you don’t even know where to begin.

Yesterday, my day was no different.

I was invited by a friend, to go to the Barnes Foundation.  I know, it doesn’t sound like a museum, and [...]]]> Going to a museum for an artist, is like going to a an all-you-can-eat-buffet for someone who is starving.

There is so much, that you don’t even know where to begin.

Yesterday, my day was no different.

I was invited by a friend, to go to the Barnes Foundation.  I know, it doesn’t sound like a museum, and truthfully, it’s not a normal one, either, but  it was so much more, and for this “starving artist”, it was just the right dose of inspiration.

If you’re not familiar, you can read more about the Barnes Foundation at an art  + history blog I found.

Apparently, it’s in some trouble, because some people think it should be sold, but that goes directly against the wishes of the late Mr. Barnes.

This place is an estate, a school, a gallery and a museum all rolled into one.  It makes me think of  The Frick Collection, in New York City.  Barnes intended for people to learn about many aspects of art, by comparing art from the ages, and lots of different kinds of art.  He assembled each wall with care and thought.

The most frustrating about it, is also it’s asset.  There is too much art on each wall. Yeah, right?!   Well, things aren’t all at eye-level, making it difficult to really look at the art.  But, at the same time, it’s nice to see a renoir, a van gogh and  a modigliani on the same wall, and compare and contrast them.

It was mind blowing.  It’s no Met, but yet it has hundreds of Renoir’s, and dozens, literally, of Cezanne’s.  My favorite piece yesterday, was “The Postman” by Van Gogh.  What I loved about it was it’s colors.  I don’t remember having seen this one before.  There were tons of color on his beard, even though when you step back you see gray.  it also seemed unusual for it to be a head-on portrait.  Van Gogh seems to have more 3/4 views of his subjects.  But the most unusual thing was the “art noveau” style background, with flowers and his name “vincent” almost thrown there.

The biggest surprise was the work of Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot(the piece to the left was not at the Barnes, but it gives you an idea).  I’m sure I studied some of it back in art school, but I loved the work.  Many of the paintings were little, maybe 8″x10″ in oil, portraits of women, reading , and they had incredible detail and realism.

There were also Picasso’s, and Matisse’s and many other things.  If you’re in or near Philadelphia, go and check it out, before it all goes away to other places.

Now I have to make some art too.

I’m almost done with the barn and corn watercolor.

I spent some late night hours painting today, and it was fun.  Sometimes it takes me forever to get to the “drawing board”, but once I’m there, I love it so much, I wonder why I do this to myself.

Another thing about this painting is that, [...]]]> Getting close.

I’m almost done with the barn and corn watercolor.

I spent some late night hours painting today, and it was fun.  Sometimes it takes me forever to get to the “drawing board”, but once I’m there, I love it so much, I wonder why I do this to myself.

Another thing about this painting is that, I am using a new surface.

Instead of the typical watercolor paper, I am using an aquabord.  It’s a composite surface that acts like watercolor paper, but it’s mounted on a masonite board.

I’m still unsure whether I like it or not.  It sure is different than paper.  The good news is that it doesn’t buckle.  The other thing is that if I do it right, I don’t even need to frame this piece.  The thing that is hard is that the surface allows you to go back into the color and lift it up.  But it doesn’t soak in the water and pigment, and so it takes some getting used to.

Here’s what it looks like as of now:

After some coffee and a nice shower, I had renewed spirits and strength.  I decided to paint, and film myself in the process.

Of course, after watching it back(I didn’t even finish watching), I was bored to tears, and decided that if anyone [...]]]> Yesterday I felt a brutal headache, and didn’t think I was gonna accomplish much.

After some coffee and a nice shower, I had renewed spirits and strength.  I decided to paint, and film myself in the process.

Of course, after watching it back(I didn’t even finish watching), I was bored to tears, and decided that if anyone would want to watch it, it would have to be much, much shorter, and speedier.  Enter video editing, where you spend too much time accomplishing nothing.

I finally got it done last night, and it’s now ready for publication.  So, if you want to waste (you’ve been warned!) 2+ minutes of your life, and see a little bit of the process of it coming together, here it is.

If you don’t want to watch it, that’s totally okay as well.  I’ll even put a picture here, so you can still feel like reading this post wasn’t a waste of your time.

Here is a not so great shot of where I stopped yesterday.  I need a few more “go’s” at it before it’s done.  I’m liking it, although I’m not loving the surface.  More on that later.

This morning, I was once again thankful for the joys and beauties of the country.

Willik and I had to stay home, due to his everlasting fever due to the flu.  Last week Fabio stayed home with Phoenix, this week, I stayed home with Willik.  I hope his fever will finally subside, and he will be [...]]]>

This morning, I was once again thankful for the joys and beauties of the country.

Willik and I had to stay home, due to his everlasting fever due to the flu.  Last week Fabio stayed home with Phoenix, this week, I stayed home with Willik.  I hope his fever will finally subside, and he will be back at school by tuesday.

Anyway, since I was here, enjoying my coffee, and getting to enjoy a mostly rain-free morning, I was taking the time to look out the window, and enjoy nature right in our backyard.  Within the hour, I saw tons of birds, and some 7 species.

We saw:

• cardinals
• blue jays
• titmice
• sparrows
• house finches
• robins
• woodpeckers

Again I was amazed at God’s creativity, and my ability to experience it.

So, it is also another reason why I will continue to work on my country life series in November.  Not only did I make very little progress in October, but I want a chance to continue to experience and extend the joy of the life around me.

What birds did you spot today?

This post is a long time coming.

This month I intended to make four paintings at least, of a theme I called “the country life”.

While I have tried to use any spare moments to paint, I found myself doing a myriad of other things, meaning I’m way behind.

The beginning of the month was taken up with [...]]]>

This post is a long time coming.

This month I intended to make four paintings at least, of a theme I called “the country life”.

While I have tried to use any spare moments to paint, I found myself doing a myriad of other things, meaning I’m way behind.

The beginning of the month was taken up with some prep and some research for this theme.  I spent several hours driving around, getting pictures of the  country life around me. That was pure delight.  Unfortunately, morning would turn to noon day lighting, and that would be the end of the shooting.  Rain and overcast days also kept me from more photography.

Other things came up, such as working on a sculpture I’d committed to paint for our church’s kids’ choir, weekly bible study, helping with some kidztown stuff, graffiti retreat weekend, and today, a sick kid at home.

I’m excited to be done with this first painting.  It was a joy to paint, although interrupted far too many times.   I look forward to your comments and criticisms.

I’ve already started working on the next piece, and promise to put a progress update on here soon. Hopefully it will get done much quicker.

If you are interested in purchasing  this piece, or any other, write me and we can discuss prices.

If you would like to see more of my work go to gallery and click on individual pieces to get a closer look.

I also  do commission work.  Drop me a line if there’s something you would like to have as an original piece of art.

Mondays are for errands… but I managed to get some inspiration amidst the mundane. I drove for a couple hours, in probably a 12-mile radius from our house. Unfortunately, it got close to noon, so it was just getting too bright, and I was getting less of the beautiful morning light, but I managed to [...]]]>

Mondays are for errands… but I managed to get some inspiration amidst the mundane.
I drove for a couple hours, in probably a 12-mile radius from our house. Unfortunately, it got close to noon, so it was just getting too bright, and I was getting less of the beautiful morning light, but I managed to catch some things. Most importantly, I have enough to get started on a painting today. I am excited!
Hopefully there will be another update this evening.

Fun question: If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
My answer: In the mountains, right by Asheville, North Carolina or somewhere in Italy.

P.S. If you’re reading this on facebook, can you take the time to go to the actual blog and leave your comment? Since I’m not on facebook this month, it would be easier for me to see all your thoughts on my own blog. If this is your first time leaving a comment on the blog, click the link “leave a comment” or you could click on “(#) comments”.

(grahite pencil, aprox. 8″x11″ on moleskine sketchbook)

This is for a international moleskine exchange, where each of us draws a self-portrait,  then sends it to the next person, and they draw themselves and the person whose book they have.

Inspired by Sara’s picture in the woods, I drew her, and myself [...]]]> I finally finished one of my entries…

(grahite pencil, aprox. 8″x11″ on moleskine sketchbook)

This is for a international moleskine exchange, where each of us draws a self-portrait,  then sends it to the next person, and they draw themselves and the person whose book they have.

Inspired by Sara’s picture in the woods, I drew her, and myself as a lurking tree. It was fun.

I confirmed my love of working in pencils.

For the 4th week now, we’re starting to get overwhelmed by this amount of greens, though I have to say, we’re probably eating the healthiest ever….  I love the convenience of getting super fresh veggies, all in a span of 5 minutes, and not having [...]]]> This is becoming as much a food blog, as anything else.

For the 4th week now, we’re starting to get overwhelmed by this amount of greens, though I have to say, we’re probably eating the healthiest ever….  I love the convenience of getting super fresh veggies, all in a span of 5 minutes, and not having to pick out anything myself.  It’s all there, already in a box.  All I have to do is divvy with Sue, and then start to plan my meals.

I’m finding that sharing the “whole share” was the best decision we could have made.  It’s just right for our family of four.  If I use one item everyday, or combine a couple smaller items, we pretty much have one thing every week.  Now, if you’re a vegetarian, or you cook 3 meals a day, the whole share would work better, but this way, we’re either having a salad, or a side or main dish made with veggies.  It’s awesome!

This week we had(my half)…

• napa cabbage
• swiss chard
• 2 beets
• 2 endive
• a pickle
• escarole
• romaine lettuce
• and huge spring onions!!!
• snow peas(Sue kept them)
• tiny broccoli(Sue kept it)

I had some cabbage left over from last week, and today I had time for cooking.  So, I decided to tackle a more adventurous recipe.  I found it in Napa Cabbage Gratin, thanks to Slashfood.  You can look there for the recipe.

I forgot to add the nutmeg, but it was de-lish anyhow.  The cabbage gets sweet and tender.  I added a little half and half, because I had a large amount of cabbage, and not enough cream.  My non-picky son really liked it.  It was our side dish, but could easily have been a main dish for a vegetatian meal.

I’m really excited about roasting the beets, and also using the beet greens as I do spinach.  I’ll keep you posted on the results.  In the mean time, go make something yummy.

I hope next week we start getting some veggies with color.   But who knows what will happen with the lack of sun we’re having…

Now that the boys are done with school, I will have a bit more time at home, and will hopefully come up with some other interesting dishes.

I can’t believe how big he’s getting.

He’s had a great year, and has transitioned very well.  He enjoys the new house, especially the backyard, and will soon be enjoying the much desired tree house, as Fab is getting read to build it.

He has made [...]]]> As of Sunday, our first born, Willik, is 8.  Happy birthday Willik!!

I can’t believe how big he’s getting.

He’s had a great year, and has transitioned very well.  He enjoys the new house, especially the backyard, and will soon be enjoying the much desired tree house, as Fab is getting read to build it.

He has made friends easily, done a superb job with school, ace-ing everything on the report cards.  He played soccer this spring and had a great time getting back into it.  He’s very tall, loves to smile, and still will read anyone under the table.  (Just this evening, he started and finished a whole book, Magic Tree House’s Christmas in Camelot)  He retains all kinds of trivia, and continually wants to share it with all with us.  He will talk to anyone who will listen.

He is extremely generous and sensitive, very much a perfectionist, and has grown a lot emotionally and spiritually.

He had a great birthday, which ended with me making a cake I’d never made before.  Carrot cake with tart chocolate ganache icing.  This was Willik’s request(it’s my mom’s recipe) and it turned out yummy.  He took a version of these as cupcakes, as a treat to celebrate his birthday at school. 

The list of goods were:

Finally, yesterday, the last day of week 3, I was able to [...]]]> This week has been so busy, I have barely had a chance to think, much less cook creatively.  We also had a birthday(another blog entry) and several days of eating out.

The list of goods were:

• strawberries(finished by the next day)
• snow peas
• cucumber
• napa cabbage
• endive lettuce
• red lettuce
• tuscan kale

Finally, yesterday, the last day of week 3, I was able to make something new and creative.

I made Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Soup (Here’s the recipe I came up with after doing a little research…)

Ingredients:

1 medium/large butternut squash

1 large onion, chopped

4-6 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces

1 medium bunch of kale, cut into long thin strips

chicken broth( at least one carton)

1/4-1/2 cup of cream

Instructions:

Roast butternut squash( I did this a couple days ahead).  Cut in half, remove seeds, brush on a little olive oil and roast in a 375 degree oven for 45minutes-1 hour.  It should peel right off the skin and basically look like it’s been pureed. Set aside.

In a dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pan, cook the bacon.  I like to cook it til it just starts to crisp up.  Remove the bacon to a bowl with a paper towl to absorb the excess grease.  Leaving the rest of fat in dutch oven, add chopped onion.  Cook for about 7-10 minutes til onions are soft and translucent, on a medium heat.

Add kale, let it cook down and shrink and soften.  This will also pick up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

When the kale and onion are soft and gooey, add pureed squash.   Stir it around a bit to get it incorporated with the other ingredients.  Add chicken broth.   Cover, and let it simmer.  After a few minutes, check for thickness, add a good bit of salt and pepper, and taste.  If it needs more liquid, add water.  Let it simmer for a few more minutes, and at the last minute, add the cream.  You can even use milk, or half and half,  if you have no cream on hand.  Give it a minute, for the cream to heat up, taste one more time, and serve.  Garnish with fried bacon.  Yummy!

The kids liked it!  The roasted squash is really sweet.

It’s been raining on and off, every day here!

I brought my cardboard box back for the farmers to re-use it, and I was told I was the only one who brought the box back.

This week there were some of the same things [...]]]> This week, when I went to get my share, it was pouring down rain!

It’s been raining on and off, every day here!

I brought my cardboard box back for the farmers to re-use it, and I was told I was the only one who brought the box back.

This week there were some of the same things from last week, and some new veggies

• spinach
• swiss chard
• endive
• pac soi(sorta like bok choy)
• handful of snap peas
• napa cabbage
• red lettuce
• pickles

Because there were more pickles, and I had yet to use my pickles from last week, I decided to look for and make a batch of refrigerator pickles.  I did lots of research, and decided to make my own spin on it.  They turned out good, but a little too sour.

Specifically, he has a buckle fracture on his left little finger, in the middle phalanx.

Aren’t you glad to be able to learn about anatomy through my son’s tragedy?

Anyway, he broke it while playing with his uncle, down in Maryland.  Tossing a football around, [...]]]> The news around our house is that Willik now has a broken pinky.

Specifically, he has a buckle fracture on his left little finger, in the middle phalanx.

Aren’t you glad to be able to learn about anatomy through my son’s tragedy?

Anyway, he broke it while playing with his uncle, down in Maryland.  Tossing a football around, and then receiving one that bend his pinky back.

Willik seems to have a history of having bad injuries down in Maryland.

I, myself don’t have a very good memory of Maryland.  I actually have Maryland labeled as a hot dog state.  That’s a blog entry for another time.

Anyone have a bad relationship with any states?  Please leave a comment.   If you don’t have any bad relationships, leave a comment about good one.  Just leave a comment!

If you don’t  know what a CSA share is, it’s when you “buy” into a farm, and help support the local farmer, and then every week, throughout late spring, summer and early fall, you get a weekly share of vegetables, herbs, and maybe fruits from [...]]]> Last week, our first csa share started.  From Myerov Family Farm.

If you don’t  know what a CSA share is, it’s when you “buy” into a farm, and help support the local farmer, and then every week, throughout late spring, summer and early fall, you get a weekly share of vegetables, herbs, and maybe fruits from whatever is harvested that week.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting the start of our shares.   One of the funnest aspects to me is the surprise.  I won’t know from week to week, what the share will bring.  I am splitting a whole share with a friend, that way we’ll see what it’s like and see how it works for our families.

Last week we received several things:

• mizuna
• bok choy
• tat soi
• red lettuce
• swiss chard
• pickles
• cucumbers
• mint
• sage

It was so exciting figuring out what to make.

We’ve had brown butter pasta with swiss chard and tatsoi and sage.  We’ve had sliced cucumbers.  Yesterday we had shrimp mizuna with thai rice noodles.  And today we are gonna have the lettuce in our salad.  I will also be making refrigerator pickles.

I can’t wait for this week’s share!!!

Something in me really wants to paint and draw, but I sabotage my own efforts by [...]]]> Have you been there?  I am there right now.  I know I should be creating things, but I don’t seem to be able to.  I have ideas of grandeur, but even picking up a pencil seems like too much effort.

Something in me really wants to paint and draw, but I sabotage my own efforts by coming up with reasons why it can’t or won’t happen.

Here are some reasons:

• I don’t have enough time to get in a zone
• I will be interrupted by my kids
• I don’t know what to create
• I need to cook/clean/do the laundry
• I don’t have a studio or a proper place to work in

If it’s not that, I end up spending too much time on the computer on facebook(which I’m currently taking a break from) or even looking at art, photography, tutorials, ideas for other projects, and I do just that– look, and don’t do or make anything.

Is anybody familiar with this behavior?  What do you do when you get there, to just kick-start your creativity?  How do you get out of the mire?  How do you overcome accomplishing much, with little time?

I think since doing the mural for the church, I have been in this creative desert.

I have been praying alot about this next step as it concerns my art and my time and efforts.  So maybe now I need to start acting…..

Would love your thoughts….

Although I make it a point to rejoice in those things, often my memory is such that soon after, I might forget the details within the event.

On Sunday, Phoenix tied his shoes by himself for the [...]]]> When the kids are little, a large part of the time is spent teaching new things, or celebrating milestones accomplished.

Although I make it a point to rejoice in those things, often my memory is such that soon after, I might forget the details within the event.

On Sunday, Phoenix tied his shoes by himself for the first time.  I was actually napping on the couch, after a busy mother’s day weekend, when he shouted, I opened my eyes, expecting something terrible, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear, and see, his sneakers tied correctly!

Now, we’d been working toward this for some time, and I had promised him a prize once he could tie his shoes, so I had to deliver.

He got a bubble sword.

Check him out in action:

With spring coming, comes much excitement over the backyard.  We’ve been enjoying it almost everyday, for about a week.  It’s reminded me of why we wanted to get a house with a big backyard.  Something I’d been longing for, for so many years.

Another reason for a big backyard is having a garden.  When we moved [...]]]>

With spring coming, comes much excitement over the backyard.  We’ve been enjoying it almost everyday, for about a week.  It’s reminded me of why we wanted to get a house with a big backyard.  Something I’d been longing for, for so many years.

Another reason for a big backyard is having a garden.  When we moved in, there was a garden bearing fruit.  I enjoyed many tomatoes, and a good many other veggies as well.

Now it’s my turn to get to the joy of planting the garden.  Inside, I’ve been planting seeds, and watching them grow.  Outside has been where the real challenge lies.  I’ve been raking leaves which are still in our yard from the fall.  It’s a big yard, with big trees, so there are tons of leaves.  I’ve raked during the past 2 afternoons, and I still have lots to go before the garden is clear of leaves, and ready to be tilled and sown.  It’s a lot of work, but it’s so exciting to have the chance to do it.  I’ve had help from my mother-in-law, and I’ve also put the kids to work.    It’s been a good tool to curb the fighting.

I think in a week or 2, planting outside will happen.   I can’t wait to see my garden come to life.  More importantly, I can’t wait to eat a mouth-watering fresh tomato.  I should have plenty of them, so come and visit this summer, and you can eat some too!!!

Here’s a photo of my growing tomatoes…

Yesterday I had a great country adventure.

After seeing a sign last week that said “Fresh Brown Eggs — Drive In” ,  I made a mental note to return as soon as I could. Yesterday was that day.

After both boys were in school, we drove about a mile down this quiet road, passing nice spacious properties, [...]]]>

Yesterday I had a great country adventure.

After seeing a sign last week that said “Fresh Brown Eggs — Drive In” ,  I made a mental note to return as soon as I could. Yesterday was that day.

After both boys were in school, we drove about a mile down this quiet road, passing nice spacious properties, with barns, horses and other such things.  We arrived at the sign, and turned into a long driveway.  As we made our way down the driveway, we saw several sheep, and even a few baby lambs on either side of the driveway.  They were all so cute, and it was all so quiet.

I parked, saw chickens in the distance, and the house and car behind us.  Since I couldn’t spot a person, I went to the door and rang the bell.  A tall, distiguished looking man open the door.  He had a white beard and was holding a yogurt container and sppon in one hand, and the lid to the yogurt in the other.  I said I was interested in their eggs, to which he turned and called his wife.  She was tall, white-haired and thin, and with exitement, responded “Great!  I’ll go get them in the basement!”  In the mean time, I stood at the doorway, while the man licked his yogurt lid and made small talk.  She was back with the dozen eggs in a couple minutes, as she charged me $2(what a bargain!).  I only had a 20-dollar bill, so while she made change,  he told me about how the eggs were not “graded”, but were cleaned.

They asked me if I was local, and I told them I was, but was new to the area, which started a whole new conversation about a “folk fest” coming up in Doylestown, which they will be a part of, since he’s a metal engraver.  As it turns out, he showed me some of his work, and I shared that I am an artist as well.  He spoke of our joining efforts because sometimes he needs to engrave a picture, but he’s not very good at drawing.  At this point, I mentioned that my mother-in-law was out there, and so Toni(the lady) went out to talk to Patti, as I finished talking to Peter about the art, and his being featured in Early American Life magazine.  We headed out, and I joined Patti and Toni; who then went on to tell us lots about raising chickens,  and raising sheep, as we asked several questions, trying to take it all in.  I had already asked permission to take photos of the animals, so I kept on snapping as we talked.  I got some wonderful shots of these creatures, and dare I say, might have made a new friend, in the community.  I hope to take the boys out  there to see the animals, and meet the farmers.

When I came home, i promptly looked at the website for their business “The shepherd’s Croft“, where I learned more about them, and their farm, and their sheep.

Patti and I made an omelet for lunch, using only 3 eggs, which fed both of us thoroughly. It was delicious!

Yay for meeting the farmers and living in the coutry!  Thank you to the Kellers for being so friendly!

I don’t shop much for clothes, or shoes or make-up.

I don’t get my nails done, I don’t get massages or go to the spa.

In a rare moment, I buy something for the kitchen.  That is something I use, but it will benefit the whole family.

Of course, there are [...]]]> I don’t buy stuff for myself very often.

I don’t shop much for clothes, or shoes or make-up.

I don’t get my nails done, I don’t get massages or go to the spa.

In a rare moment, I buy something for the kitchen.  That is something I use, but it will benefit the whole family.

Of course, there are things I want, but being as I don’t bring in any “mula” for the family, I don’t feel like shopping for myself is really warranted.

That’s not to say I couldn’t name 50 things I would want, if given the choice.

The things I want more often, though, are things that relate to making art of some kind.  This is where I usually end up spending.

So, when I earned a “monetary thank-you ” from our  previous church, Graffiti for doing some design, I decided that this time I would be self-indulgent.  I decided that I would buy one of 3 things I’ve been wanting to add to my photography gear.  Choosing between a flash, a new lens and a tripod was a hard choice.  Each had it’s merit, and would be so useful.  But in the end, I chose what would be most fun.  A new lens.

I bought a Sigma telephoto lens.

I’ve had it for 2 days, and I’m already loving the ability to snap a closer look at the birds in my yard.

I will be posting pictures on my photoblog early next week, as soon as I get a chance to preview my photos, and pick the best ones.  Stay tuned for a more thorough review.

Thanks Erin for the video

Drum roll please….

The old Jerusalem unveiled…

13feet x 36 ft latex/acrylic on muslin

54 hours of work, more or less, from start to finish, including the time when I first drew the scene on paper, based on what Pr. Randy gave me.

This is what he first gave me..

It was alot of fun [...]]]> Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys…

Drum roll please….

The old Jerusalem unveiled…

13feet x 36 ft latex/acrylic on muslin

54 hours of work, more or less, from start to finish, including the time when I first drew the scene on paper, based on what Pr. Randy gave me.

This is what he first gave me..

It was alot of fun and alot of work.

I had great help from Darla, Pastor Tim, Pankey, Katlyn, Samantha, Andrew, Beverly, Nancy, Becky, and Joanne.

I used a variety of old latex paints left over from other projects.  I think I went thry some 20+ different half-used gallons of paint in order to make the colors needed for this project.  I did use 3 different new colors for the buildings.

I painted on the floor as well as on the wall.  I spent several hours on a ladder.

I can’t wait to see it surrounded by the other things which will make up the stage scene.

Thanks for all the prayers and encouragement.  I felt them.

I pray it brings God glory.

I often have a hard time keeping track of how long it takes for me to do things.

But yesterday, my time was limited, so it was easy for [...]]]> Often times, I find people have a hard time getting a sense of how much time it takes to do certain things, especially when it comes to art.

I often have a hard time keeping track of how long it takes for me to do things.

But yesterday, my time was limited, so it was easy for me to see how much time was spent on something…

I spent about an hour and a half at the church, while Phoenix was at school.

This is what I did…

It doesn’t seem like much, since all I was doing was adding in all the brown shading and details, but you have to remember that this section is approximately 36″ x 24″.

Unfortunately the morning has gone, and I’m still at home.

I will have to spend the rest of the day there.  My arm will tire, and I hope it will be mostly done by this evening.

Check back for updates.

Thanks for keeping up with my progress.