You are so loved! {NEW Art}

{You Are So Loved Art Print}

The giving of flowers primarily shows an act of love. Valentines day and funerals come to mind when I think of moments when flowers are often given, although any time can be special, whether a particular reason or not. It is a caring gesture from one to another.

Love one another. God's greatest commands. If only people of this world followed that one command. Just think how life would be so different. Sometimes it is hard to love others... difference of opinions, jealousy, hurtful words and actions. Someone's negativity can greatly affect us and cause us to react. What reaction do we generally lean towards showing? Is it kindness in return after we have been hurt or is it revenge or even shutting out the other person so we aren't hurt again? I wish I could say I respond in love and kindness just as my heavenly father would and wants us to. But often times it isn't. I am trying to become better at this. I've been slowly reading my way through the New Testament in the Bible. I love how God has given us a life's manual. When we take the time to read His book, learn from His teachings and show it through our own actions life becomes better and full of new meaning. At least that is what I find to be true. Life and situations around me are viewed so differently... better now that the Word is such an important part of my life.

My pencil drawing/charcoal painting, You Are So Loved, was inspired by Him. He blesses the earth with such beauty. It is truly amazing how a simple seed can be planted and it grows into something so beautiful and then can be given to another through a loving action or simply enjoyed where it grows. To me the book of John is one of God's greatest love letters to us. Jesus healing others, comforting others even though he knows what lies ahead for himself. He only did good yet was extremely mistreated. He showed love but was not loved in return. Yet he still died on the cross for each one of us to take away our sins. We are so not worthy of such a sacrifice. When it sinks into our mind of what He did for us because He loves us so much you can't help but want to become a better person and follow His word.

Last weekend we took our daughter to see the new movie Cinderella. It doesn't have quite as a happy feel as the older animated one but it does a great job in showing kindness even when one may not "deserve" it. The big part that stuck out at me was towards the end when Cinderella was leaving the wicked step mother with the prince and Cinderella turned and looked at her and said, "I forgive you." Powerful. For everything Cinderella had put up with you would think she would have reacted with revenge, but she reacted in love. Such a great lesson for young and old alike. ♥

God Loves You print {& other artwork with wood}

{God Loves You Customizable Art Print}

I haven't done an art post for awhile so figured I'd share a few projects that have been going on recently. Above is a new design I created and made available in the shop last month. A name can be added to the bottom of the cross for a special personalized gift; works great for Christenings, baptismal birthdays, baby showers...

I have had so much fun experimenting with wood burning! I worked on the "You are a wonderfully made child of God" piece during the last art group day. It has since been completed and given to a very special girl for her birthday this past Sunday. :)

{special request to bring out the graphics}

The project below has been keeping my husband from Wisp Woods very busy. The finished pieces are going to be awesome but they are quite complicated to make with so many parts, large size and different colors. I'm trying to help out with the staining. I hope the customer loves the final works!

So that's a glimpse of a few of the recent wood projects going on around here.

Lately { Art & Snow }

Here is a glimpse of just a few things going on around here...

{drawing in progress ~ hoping to get this finished at the next painting group day}

A custom request came in for this prayer and I thought it was pretty cute, so changed up the colors and made it into an art block for my Godson's baptismal birthday. It was a fun project!

Loving my extended work space! Unglued is opening a pop-up shop on November 20 in Sioux Falls SD! I can't wait to check it out. I am sure it will be just as amazing as their Fargo shop which is filled with lots of amazing and unique handmade gifts! More info to come.

In other news, the weather has changed significantly. A few flakes came this past Sunday,

more came Monday. This photo was taken before K headed to school Monday morning. School was dismissed at noon since it started getting nasty out and we had blizzard conditions. What kid doesn't like a snow day especially when friends get to come over? :)

 Little B didn't want to leave and instead of putting on his snow gear, put on David's shoes. Such a cutie!

While I was waiting for K to get done with Holy COW yesterday, I was watching the most beautiful snowflakes fall on our vehicle. When I arrived home I had to try to capture the detail.

Aren't snowflakes amazing!?! The intricate details in each one... love it! God did so good! :)

Inspirational Horse Block

Last month I completed my horse drawing and made an art block out of it for a special graduate.

In a very subtle text I put this quote: 

"God made the horse from the breath of the wind, the beauty of the earth and the soul of an angel.

May they forever run with our hearts." ~Bonnie Piper

You can read the words easier in person; my quickly taken photos give you the idea.

These two photos show the protective clear finish I put on. I like giving blocks a fun painted texture. 

It adds another dimension.

Here's another look at the drawing when it was in progress...

I always think its fun to see drawings come alive.

Eventually I will get more of the horse blocks created. It's a fun project!

Spirit {art prints}

Hello all! Looks like we are blessed with another beautiful day. :)

The weather forecast for tomorrow is above 75! I sure hope they are right.

{Spirit Horse Art Print}

Just wanted to share that prints of "Spirit" are now available in the shop. I cropped off the pink painted portion from the original mixed media piece (shown here) so it would go with anyone's decor. Just in case pink isn't your color; not sure why that would be. Ha, ha!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Shine {New Art Prints!}

Last year it seemed my body was just in survival mode. I did not feel creative. All I wanted was to feel better. Although I got a few fine art projects accomplished, no new graphic designs were created for the shop. This year is different. Sure I've had some ups and downs with my health, but my creativity has returned. That makes me happy. My mind is bursting with ideas and plans on what I want to accomplish this year. Now to work in the time to get it all completed...

I've had a "shine" design idea in my head for awhile now and when one of my bible study groups decided to work through Philippians I saw my Bible bookmarked with the shine verse and knew I couldn't put it off any longer. I worked hard on this design. I seriously created over 50 roughs before I was happy with one. And here is the finished piece:

{Girl's Shine Like Stars Art Print available HERE}

For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. 

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, 

in which you shine like stars in the universe. ~ Philippians 2:13-15

Everyone has the ability to do good in this world. We each have a special talent/ability that was given to us from God. It is up to us to do what God has placed on our heart. I believe that when we follow our heart we start to shine from the inside out. I hope this art print will be a positive reminder to everyone who reads it to do good and "shine". Even if other people don't see us shining from what we do, God will and that is all that matters.

{Shine Like Stars in the Universe in seafoam green available HERE}

A simpler version of the shine print that would work for all ages. It would be cute in a boy's or girl's nursery.

Another newish print from this year that came about from a custom request...

{Boy's Christian Word Art Prayer in earth tones}

 A few different color options are available in the shop.

{Grace of God Boy's Christian Art Print in teal available HERE}

Hope you like the new designs. Some new products and fine art are in the works! :)

Guide Me {mixed media painting}

First of all, thank you to those who read my last post and sent emails and texts of support. It means so much to know you care. I normally don't like to share the not so good things on my blog, but felt like I should in case someone else is going through something similar. I also don't mind the additional prayers. :)

Ok, moving forward, many of you probably remember seeing glimpses of this mixed media painting in progress. It has been finished for awhile but I just got prints made and I'm happy with how they turned out.


{"Guide Me" mixed media painting}

"Guide Me" is another one of my views of not being in control. A sailor cannot control the weather/wind just as we cannot control every aspect of our own lives. At some point in our life we realize (hopefully) that there is a bigger power guiding us. Which direction will you go? Only God knows the answer and your journey continues. Allow your sails to move freely. Yes, I find this extremely difficult to do, but I am to the point where I have no other option. I can't even guide my sails. He is in complete control.

"Be Still & Let God" was another one of my mixed media paintings that had a similar meaning.

The original piece measures 20 inches by 16 inches and was done in graphite and acrylic paint on wood. My dad was an avid Hobie cat racer when I was younger and pretty much always took home the winning trophy. He inspired this painting. :)

 

Prints available in the shop.

New Mixed Media Painting { Spirit }

Here is my latest piece...

 

{Spirit ~ 24"x20" graphite and acrylic painting on wood}

I often get images in my head of what I want to create, sometimes there is an immediate story that accompanies the image and other times there isn't. When there isn't a story right away there is usually a stirring inside of me, like a nudging telling me to find what the piece is supposed to mean. On this piece, I knew I wanted a mostly white space with a light, dreamy horse emerging. When the artwork was almost complete I felt pushed to look into the bible for a verse that would go along with the image. Sure enough, this is what I found...

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse,

whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.

Revelation 19:11

"Guide Me" mixed media painting

I'm so excited to say, "Guide Me" is almost finished! Just a couple little things left to add.

I will share more details about the piece once it is complete.

Another Mixed Media in Progress

 

Here is a glimpse of my newest mixed media in progress.

I love when the picture starts coming alive! 

Time to work on this piece has been hard to come by, but thankfully my art group gets together tomorrow, (Yay!) so hopefully a lot of progress will be made. :)

 

Linking up with Studio JRU.

Check out what other creatives are working on HERE and feel free to join in!

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Eye of the Heart {horse mixed media on wood}

{Eye of the Heart}

 

It is complete! I have to admit, I didn't go all crazy with this one like I was planning. My original idea took away from the horse too much. I decided less was more with this one, but I did still have some fun. :) The knot in the wood looked exactly like an eye and I just couldn't cover it up so I worked with it. After doing some research I found that the horse's heart is actually right near that area where the eye/knot is located. I won't go into the meaning of this piece right now, so I hope you enjoy looking at the detail.

 

The white spots are glitter! Something new that I wanted to try and I think it adds so much. Every angle, every light you see the glitter differently, sometimes not at all. Something unexpected and exciting! :)

 

 

Linking up with Jennifer's in the studio sneak peek friday.

Check out what lots of other creative souls are working on and join in the fun!

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Trying New Things {horse on wood}

Working on wood isn't new for me, but allowing the wood grain to show through is. I'm having fun experimenting with this one. The way I finish the horse is going to be completely unexpected... I'm not even quite sure how it will end, but it will encourage some thought from the viewer to make sense of it. Few will probably understand it, but to me it will make perfect sense.

Everything that is new or uncommon raises a pleasure in the imagination,

because it fills the soul with an agreeable surprise,

gratifies its curiosity, and gives it an idea of which it was not before possessed.

~Joseph Addison

Follow Your Heart...

Always... even when it is hard.

Believe in yourself!

Mama Magic

{Mama Magic in progress}

I am enjoying this new style! I love to draw but I love color too, so to incorporate the colorful beams to accentuate the meaning of the painting is perfect. There is a story in almost (if not all) every ordinary subject we come across. In this new series I'm focusing on that meaning... well that is where your eye is drawn any way. In "Mama Magic" the focus is on the mother bird and what is taking place in the nest. Motherhood is so magical... a true blessing. This mother put in so much work on building her nest, the home for her babies, where she will take good care of them until they are ready to take off on their own.

I added some more contrast into the drawing since these photos were taken. (My photos are kind washed out too.) I did the same to "Lit Path" so that one is now complete. Now I just have to get good prints of "Mama Magic" and "Lit Path"... that part isn't so easy. I love making the art but the steps after that, well I tend to put off. Anyone else have this problem? I'm sure I'm not the only one!


Linking up today with Studio JRU. Jennifer has redone her site/blog. It looks amazing, so check it out if you haven't already!

Have a fantastic weekend!

NEW Mixed Media ~ Lit Path

{"Lit Path" by me}

Playing around with another style. After participating in Kelly Berkey's Stretching to Sketch challenge and realizing how much I missed drawing I decided to try yet another style. This mixed media piece involves pastels with a focal point of acrylic paint. I don't have a photo of the entire piece yet, but to give you an idea it's done on a wooden block and I painted the sides black so it really makes the drawing/painting pop. It was definitely fun to try something new and I hope to have a couple more pieces done using this style soon.

Also thanks to the talented Kelly for the sweet blog post about my charcoal drawing gifted to her hubby. :) You can read more about it HERE.

Dispersing ~ New Mixed Media Painting

Wow! It's crazy how much the weather can change in a week. Last week we were painting our house when it was in the 60's to higher 70's and today it is in the 30's with snow! Unlike me, Kaelyn was excited to see the snow and was jumping up and down and said "Lets go sliding!" I'm pretty sure she meant sledding. :) She was not a happy camper when I said she had to wait until there was a little more on the ground. She'll get what she's hoping for soon enough.

Above is my newest mixed media (thought provoking) piece, "Dispersing". It represents our life... the whole growth process. We, like the flower, are always changing. The more we learn about our self and apply the skills or rather talents we know we start blooming. Our goal is to bloom into a beautiful flower. The circles represent the petals than will eventually fall. Its like the memory of us that will be left behind. Hopefully we will have touched others in some wonderful way through our journey here on earth. The flower can be quite a powerful symbol... something beautiful but it won't stay around for long. It grows up so quickly and then disperses its self... so much like you and me.

Searching

"Searching" is my newest mixed media piece. Yes it is totally different from what I normally do. It's modern but oh so meaningful. And I have so many more ideas that go along with this one. So first of all I'll explain a bit about its meaning. My mind never seems to relax. You could say its pretty hyper and thoughts/ideas are always jumping around. Sometimes it about drives me crazy. There are so many creating ideas I start but never finish because I'm just not happy with them. They either don't go in the direction I had in mind or it just doesn't have the meaning... and to get my heart out there through my work is important to me. So with this idea its like my mind was finally able to explode, and oh what a good feeling it was. I first cut out individual circles out of paper. I first thought of using a paper punch but quickly vetoed that idea as I want meaning, and the most meaningful things in my life are the unique items that have a story of their own. Just like you and me, no two are a like. So for this piece the circles represent my thought and the bird is the subject that represents the viewer of the piece. From the title you get the main idea of what it is about I'm sure. We are all searching for something, whether it's the perfect job that fits us, a home, a person to share the rest of our lives with... what ever it may be that is what the red circle stands for. Although our journey may require us to go all over to find it, the perfect fit for us is there. Hopefully we won't allow ourselves to settle before we get to the red dot!

"Searching" was done on 12"x12" hard board and consists of acrylic paint, paper and a bit of charcoal. The background has a lovely white texture but is hard to see in this picture. Prints and the original will be available soon in my etsy shop. Off to work on my next piece!