Peace

This pirate ship is for my grandson. He is a big pirate fan. The illustration came from a book about pirates illustrated by David Shannon. I found it at a thrift store.Shannon chose to do his version in acrylic. I chose pen, ink and watercolor. I hope he doesn't mind me stealing his idea.

I found this dove image on pinterest a few days ago and the graphic design really  spoke to me. People of many colors working to coexist on the same small planet. It is a pretty image. My disabilty came about when a  person of color attacked me. Peace is something I struggle with. My life used to be so much different. I struggle to accept my current circumstances and my position in the world. Somedays it is difficult. I drive a car that is almost fifteen years old. I struggle with bouts of self-pity. My spiritual life has been the most affected. I really struggle with bitterness when I think about where I was twenty years ago and where I am at now. My concept of a loving God took a beating, pardon the pun. How does a person come to accept that a violent individual can change ones life in an instant? Depression can be a very difficult thing to come to terms with. It is late. I 'm tired.

      Forgive me for my bout with self-pity. Happy holidays and God bless. Dale

All Things Work Together to the Good...

I drew this many years ago. My hand was the model. I drew it because the quote really hit me. God made you and I and we are the stewards of our planet. We are here to try to experience its beauty and to care for it.. How do we do this? How do we stop our rampant consumerism and put Mother Earth first?
    Something was on my mind today. My disability is the result of a random act of violence. Tonight I received a survey about racial equality and the fairness of our system. My assailant was a person of color and the crime is unsolved. I struggle with letting this go and being the best person I can be. Yet, I have horrible dreams. I suffer from PTSD. It is a difficult proposition to forgive this person.. Somedays I struggle to the point that the only thing that I accomplish is being able to not take my feelings out on those I love.
     Yesterday I did a blog entry and deleted it. It was too harsh. It was about violence. I tried to let it go. I had to pray for my assailant.Sometimes it is very difficult. There is just so much hatred in our world. I accepted Jesus Christ into my life many years ago and recently renewed my commitment. I have a lot to live for. I have those in my life that I cherish.

     I am an artist. My reason for being an artist is so that I can focus on the beauty of God's world and I don't have time to hate. I CANNOT HATE. This is my goal. Somedays I succeed, many, many days I fail."Hate robs us of the sunlight of the spirit". -Bill Wilson

       Don't hate. Stop the violence. Happy Holidays. God Bless. Dale

Trust the Lord With All Your Heart

A good friend told me how they used to decorate their dorm room with rainbows as a way to introduce some positive energy into the space. I thought about how much the spectrum of colors affected my mood in a positive way and decided to do an experiment. I just wanted to use rainbow colors and see if it made a difference in my well-being. Honestly, I am not sure that I am satisfied with the result although mostly it is because it is so different from what I am used to. The colors strike me as being too bright. So from my point of view the experiment was a failure. It is fun to play around with color but it can also be frustrating if things go awry. It seems that I have had success with the colors of the light spectrum in the past, but their intensity was more subdued. Sometimes it seems to me that a gradual increase in intensity is the answer rather than going right to maximum strength.
     I have not been posting as much because the rainbow project has been my principle direction and I am really not too happy with it. Right now there has been more time expended on my experiments. Nothing  new, although I think that I am going to try doing a  few shell watercolors. But I have plenty of shells but nothing that is just downright exciting. Living in a landlocked area makes shell-hunting impossible. A trip to the shore is in order but it is a long journey and an overnight stay is required. Photos don't work for me. And it is really the idea that it is so exciting to go to the beach for inspiration. There is nothing like it. Even late Fall is a great time to walk the beach if you love it the way I do. Trusting God to provide the means to make an escape to more inspirational  surroundings is absolutely  necessary.
 Well, gotta go. Hope that the holidays are starting to provide a little excitement. I am looking forward to them.
God bless you. Dale

All Art Requires Courage

A new watercolor influenced by a website that posts a lot of quotes. I spend a lot of time reading quotes, this one I think is by Matisse. It is my interpretation of what Matisse meant. Matisse had a lot of rejection in his life, he was not considered a good draftsman.Matisse was famous for his linework, so many of creations were stylized images, but for many years he was not recognized. . His type of work has always excited me. Matisse was also famous for his use of color. One of the paintings of his wife was done with half her face green, the other half red.
 My response to Matisse's work is not especially good, the real essence of the drawing was its ability to move me to respond to the many quote sites that have sprung up.
     So lately I  have stopped painting realistically. Not totally, my recent shell watercolors attest to that. A trip to the seashore is one of  the things I enjoy most in my life. I just can't afford the expense anymore. So I paint shells and remember. The Bible says that: "For with God nothing will be impossible." Luke 1:27. Perhaps I will figure out some way to get to the ocean and fill that terrible longing in me to smell the sea air and see the gulls flying over the water. To take photos of the sunset. And to walk with my wife on the beach. Perhaps.
     Sometimes when one has a God-given gift there is a lot of guilt associated with asking for recognition for something that has been with me since the day I was born. Somehow it seems presumptious, especially in light of the scripture that says: Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink,nor yet for your body, what shall ye put on. Is not life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Matthew 6:25-28. What I mean is that when I think of trips to the ocean I often think about the cost involved, but God has always provided for my needs. And it is my belief that He cares enough to make sure everything necessary will be provided for. It is a promise. I am learning the Bible. I hope that I am credible and that God guides me. I was reading Romans a day or so and the message was: Do not be wise in your conceits. Do not assume that you have all the answers. Keep your opinion to yourself. I am still learning that particular warning it seems. I hope that you have a wonderful week. God Bless. Dale

(In order to see the image clearly, click on it. This is also approximately the same size as the painting. )

Grace

Hi. I did this on Saturday just for fun. Leonardo Da Vinci said always carry your little pad, so when I walk I am always thinking of quotes. This one seems appropriate. There is something about doing my own ideas that gives me so much pleasure. God gave me life. God woke me up this morning. Nothing I have done since the day I was born was enough to get this new day. It is a gift. A free gift.
     Somedays I get cranky and I forget that I am in the middle of a miracle. Picasso said that everything is a miracle, it is a wonder that we don't melt when we are in the middle  of a bath. Einstein said that there are two ways to look at life: we can either look at it as if nothing is a miracle, or that everything is. It is a wonder that with everything going on that there are not more miracles. Yet the thing that really makes me think is the idea that I am here. How can that be? I don't have to look at the night sky or at a bug, all that I have to do is consider that I, me, am here. And honestly, it scares me. What was enough to deserve this magnificent gift? How did I get so lucky? I asked someone this question when I realized that I had been given salvation and the only thing he said was : "Why not?" And for over twenty five years this answer has been enough for me.  I think, therefore I am. God gave me life because of His awesome power. Because He could. I know that means that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. My Creator is an Artist who creates universes. A very dear friend told me one time that God gave me the gift of art so that I could tell people about Him. He gave me pencils, and brushes, and paint so that I could tell the world about the Glory of God. Today, I know what she meant. Thank you Joan, thank you Mom. God Bless You... Dale

If you click on the image it will appear clearer.

Broken Shell

This is a broken shell painted in watercolor. It always makes me feel good when I tackle  this object. I guess that my wife and I picked it up at the shore years ago and perhaps because this was the only trip to the shore we've made together, it has a special meaning to me. The shell has been drawn in every possible way: watercolor, pen and ink, colored pencil,  pastel, and conte crayon. I don't think I have done it in acrylic yet. Anyway, this attempt has a few flaws and it is not one of my best. The color works but there is a problem with the rendering. It was done in pencil so changes could have been made. Sometimes I get in a hurry to see the finished product and overlook certain compositional shortcomings. Sometimes I get so anxious when I am presented with a problem that I rush right through it. It is a very old character defect and would probably explain why I never chose to improve my art skills and do more with them. I have not learned to deal with stress in a healthy way. I had some bad habits and learned that the least offensive one was eating a package of red licorice when I am upset. This one bothers me but so far it has proven to be the least irritating.
     Stress can be difficult. Art seems to be the way I deal with mine when I'm not munching on licorice. Just taking the time to create something that never existed before is rewarding. I'd like to say it always works but some days I settle for the candy. This can be problematic because I have some days when I just can just eat too much. Well, I will sign off, there are some demands on my time that need to be tended to. Hope that this missive finds its way into peaceful surroundings. God Bless. Dale

Experiencing the Divine.

Kat has found his way into the laundry basket for a warm place to go as the weather turns cooler. Today the high is 56 degrees.  He is nestled in this spot and is reluctant to relinquish it. I have a reluctance to move him as well, he seems to have found the place where our dog does not bother to check up on him.
     This week has been interesting. Someone invited me to join their blog and I have a new member to my site. These are firsts. I have been keeping this blog since 2009. It feels good to know that others  take the time to approve of something that means a lot to you. My interest in my Savior has taken on new meaning. It is such a personal thing, how does one share it? How do you tell someone that your relationship to Christ has given you new life and peace? How do you say, thank you Jesus for giving me new hope for the future? My early life was marked by trauma. My disability is an extension of that in some ways. To see myself moving towards a fuller, healthier life is both motivating and anxiety-producing.
    I finished a small five by seven inch watercolor titled "Broken Shell." I will post it tomorow. I have done this image  a hundred times. Pencil, pen and ink, colored pencil, pastel, watercolor. There is something that just amazes me about it. Boredom is not a feeling I experience when drawing it. I found it at the ocean six or seven years ago. To me there is something new about the experience everytime I translate it. It is not conscious. I found a quote by an unknown writer that says: " All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness." When I was very young I was aware of this phenomenom. 4-6 hours would disappear and I would be caught up in the experience. One artist once said that  the trick to being an artist is to be able to carry the experience into adulthood.
     Sometimes it is difficult to know what things separate you from God. What things prevent you from experiencing the best relationship with God? Rembrandt was a artist who drew hundreds of religious images. Perhaps to me a broken shell is a way of saying, this is an image that moves me to experience God's glorious creation. I can consciously remember the beauty of the shells that I found at the ocean that day and the exquisite sunset, so in a way when I paint a shell I am experiencing or re-experiencing that divine moment. Rembrandt  found beauty in the crucifixion, to me it is God's creation of a shell. Is my idea of beauty different from Rembrandt's? Should I do paintings of Christ's sacrifice to bring me closer to God? Perhaps I will start to create images like other artist's did as a way to testify to my love for my Maker. When I was younger I copied Rembrandt's etchings because something spoke to me.  In time, after many years, my images became different. Nature moved me. And it still does. It would be interesting to hear what Rembrandt would say about his idea of beauty... What would he say about his love for God? Something to think about.     GOD BLESS. Dale