I fell asleep while crocheting, which was what I was going to take a picture of…

So, I took a pic of it this morning, first thing, just to keep the groove alive…

And then, all day I’ve been painting.

So today’s picture has to do with painting.

In January, I vowed to make at least 5 handmade things to the first 5 people who vowed to do the same, and post the same vow as their status.

Today, I finished the first painting which I am giving to one of those people.

It started as a failed attempt to do something, and turned into a great texture for this…

Here’s the painting halfway done…

Here’s where I started this morning…

Tomorrow,when the painting is fully dried and signed, I will post a better picture of the finished piece.

What do you think of it?

right click on this picture, then click on "view picture" then use the + magnifier to look at each piece more closely.

I seem to enjoy a bit of torture, when it comes to coordinating projects for church. I take on a huge project which nearly kills me with the amount of time and effort it takes to get it done.
The last few weeks have been exactly that.
I was asked by the pastor last year, if at day camp this year, I would be willing to do art, instead of craft. I was thrilled with the request, even if part of his reason was to save money.
He talked of a mural, or something big….
Fast forward 6 months, when the planning for day camp started. After talking some to the children’s director, we came up with this idea of individual canvases joining, but having each child’s art, with one big drawing to connect them all…. And that’s what I did.
Unwrapping 350 canvases that were double wrapped was a lot of work, as was doing a number grid system on the back of all of them. I was blessed with many hands, which helped to lighten the work.
Another able-bodied carpenter made a plywood wall that would hold all of these canvases spanning 19+ feet across and 10 feet tall. But then there was the issue of how we would get these to stay on the wall.
We’d agreed on velcro, so my wonderful husband gave up many evening hours by standing on a ladder, and putting 190 feet of velcro to accommodate all the canvases and he made sure that the lines were straight. We also had many hands putting velcro dots on the back of the canvases.
When the wall was up against it’s “permanent” home, then I went to work putting all the blank canvases on the wall. I projected my original drawing and stood on a ladder for several more hours to draw the whole thing. Then 350 canvases had to come down off the wall, so that we could pack them all for the children.
All during this, my parents were kinda enough to keep my boys with them in NYC for the week, so I could do all this prep work.
The moment of truth came last week, when we then started to have the kids paint.
They painted in the black shapes/lines which I’d drawn for them. They were only given black acrylic. Many had never painted on a canvas.
The black dried overnight, and we then had color out for the children. They were artist, and could choose to paint their canvases any way they saw fit, except that they had to leave the black alone, and not leave any white on the canvas. They followed my instructions perfectly. But at this point, I still did not know how it all turned out, and how things would all line up.
Wednesday night, when everyone else was gone, we had about 6 or 7 people who came out to help me put the canvases up. Many hands again made this go quick and smooth, with a lot of good organizing by my sister Raquel, who came up from NYC for a couple days to help me, along with Diana, who is the kinda person I need to have on every large project from now on.
As we put the canvases up, it was amazing to get to see the “mural/mosaic” wall unfold. The pieces were all lining up. Even some colors lined up. The black lines were there, and they met up with the next canvas.
The children did not know what the “BIG PICTURE” would be, but I told them I was going to be surprised as well, with how it turned out. And I was.
I could not be more pleased with it. It was a joy and a pleasure, and all those hours of planning, prepping, worrying and prepping, and planning were worth it.
I hope the children do continue to think of themselves as artists, and I’m glad I had a part in helping them see that we are all part of something bigger, and God instilled creativity in all of us, because He is the greatest artist ever!!
Here are some pics of the mural. If you’re in PA and want to see the real thing, drop me a line, and I’ll take you to it. It’s much better seeing it in person. But make it quick, because I don’t know how long it will be on display.

Oh, yeah! When this was over, we also made sketchbooks and had drawing lessons on shadow and light, and drawing a friend!
It was a great artistic week for 300+ children! And I loved every minute of it!!

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.

(click it to see it large)

Here is a chance for you all to see it too.  Let me know what you like, and if there’s any last things I can improve on.

You can also see the scale of this thing with me standing there.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers.

So for the first time in a loooooooooong time, I had a big chunk of uninterrupted time.  And I decided to work on my painting.

It felt really good to have that time.  I felt like I was able to start to get into a zone.  I’m looking forward to more days like that.

Here’s a close-up picture of some of my progress..

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There’s still much work to be done to get it finished, but this day felt like a nice chunk got done!

And thank you Mrs. Hitch for taking Phoenix!

The barn/garage has lots of little problems, and it would take several thousand dollars to make it work.  We’re not sure it’s worth fixing.  In the meantime, we had to spend money on a car instead, so no studio for me there.

But as many of you know, I was given a gorgeous, huge easel.  But what to do with it, when I don’t have a studio.

Well, as it stands, the only place it fits right now is in the dining room.  And the dining room, is the only room with no furniture, because we did not yet purchase a dining room set.  And I think for a while, we will not purchase one, and I will continue to use it as a studio…

So, this is how my free time was spent today.  Painting.  Fun times.  This is what I should do everyday.  Then, who knows what the end of the year archive will look like….

This painting is referenced from a photo taken in Venice, almost 10 years ago. I started this painting last year, before the move. then I worked on it for a few hours last week. Hopefully it will be finished by the end of the week.

But it makes me thing of St. Francis.  In paintings like these:

More updates on the painting as I get more done. Any comments or early constructive criticisms welcomed and encouraged!