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! :)

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!

Another Painting on Wood ~ In Progress

Chugga-chugga choo-choo! This train project has honestly pushed me more than any other. At first the 4 foot by 4 foot size was a bit overwhelming plus the constant blending of colors... but I'm finally seeing it come together, and that is a good feeling. The clock is ticking... not much time left to get it completed and on its way to its home. Then next on the agenda is to celebrate two special birthdays. :)

Painting & Planning

After a good little birthday break of visiting with friends and spending some time with family this weekend it is back to work on a couple commission projects and planning a soon to be five year olds birthday. She is soooo excited! :)

Hope you all had a great weekend and will have a good week as well!

Bless Her Always Prayer

 



I remember days of searching everywhere for a good kids Christian gift. There weren't many stores nearby that gave me many options and rarely did something say just the right thing... so down the road it led me to create my own items. Thank goodness etsy has made shopping so much easier! :) Here is my newest prayer that is currently available in my shop. The print comes from my original acrylic painting. I've always liked to give the letters a bit of a vintage/worn look to represent a lasting faith. Here's a cropped shot to show the detail:

 

Due to special requests, boy versions (like this one) of the prayer are also available.

Let Go & Trust ~ mixed media

Remember this "Let Go & Trust" mixed media piece I showed in progress a few weeks ago? Well it is almost finished. I just need to sign it and seal it, and hopefully not mess it up during the sealing process. Here are a few more progress photos:

She's coming alive! :)

Now for the pop of color on the bird.

And there she is as of today. I had fun experimenting with the border by adding water to charcoal. It was like turning the charcoal into watercolor. Worth trying out if you haven't before.
One of these days I hope to get better pictures of this piece and my last mixed media in good lighting. I think that is the hardest thing to do. :)

Projects and WIP

This past month has been filled with so many get togethers and projects. It has been great and crazy! I'm hoping August is a bit more relaxing, but who knows... little K will start school! My baby is going to school!?! That time has gone by all too quickly!

Anyway, I thought I'd share a couple of the more interesting projects from the month.

A friend asked me to design and paint a sign to go behind her reception table. Her theme was a rustic/elegant wedding. She supplied the awesome barn door. The grooves and old chipping paint definitely made the project more interesting but I think it turned out pretty nice. :)

My very talented hubby and owner of Wisp Woods, requested the logo I previously designed for his business to be put on a cap. I made sure to get it painted on in time for his birthday. So glad I didn't screw up since I had no time to go get another hat.

{work in progress ~ Let Go & Trust}

Then after shop orders have been completed and if I don't have to run somewhere (which has been rare) I work on my newest mixed media piece, "Let Go & Trust". This one is quite a bit darker then my last... maybe because my mood was a bit darker when I started? I guess that is one thing about being an artist... you can show your emotions through your work. I'm excited to see her finished and get working on the next one! :)

Be Still & Let God {mixed media painting}

Standing back from the piece and seeing if I need to tweak some more, but it is almost finished. Need to put a glaze on once I know for sure I don't want to change anything else.

Sweet Robin from My Creative Peace interviewed me on her beautiful blog today! You can read it HERE.

Linking up with Studio JRU. You can check out what other creative souls are working on HERE!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Pop of Color

{Be Still & Let God ~ mixed media in progress}

The pops of color are being added! Yay! I really hope to finish this piece up over the weekend. We'll see.

Linking up with other creative souls at Studio JRU!

LIVESTRONG Bicycle Painting Complete!

Completed just before the New Year! Yippee! I am so glad to be done with this project. Sadly these photos don't capture all the detail but they at least give you a good idea. For those of you not into biking it says LIVESTRONG on Lance Armstrong's butt. Such a powerful word combo don't you think?

I love the bold black paint on the sides.

The white paint has been a little controversial and honestly I'm just fine with that. Actually I like that because it gets people talking. For me it adds extra interest and it really brings your eye to the detail. It says I am a painting! I like the unexpected. :) Kind of like this New Year... who knows what's going to happen.

Bicycle Painting in Progress

Hello! It has been awhile since I've showed you some artwork so thought I'd share a glimpse of what has been going on (or rather SHOULD be going on) in my studio. Time for just painting has been very limited lately so I've been glad for our art group that meets once a month. We met yesterday and I was able to get a little more accomplished on this detailed project...
It is a gift for my hubby. He knows about it and probably wonders if it will ever be finished. I still have quite a ways to go. Maybe in 2012 it will be complete? :)

Follow Your Heart...

Always... even when it is hard.

Believe in yourself!

Part of My Heart...

belongs to creating art. I've had so many ideas run through my head over the years for paintings and other artwork/designs. I've tried many and never been real happy with the outcome. I think I'm finally getting to where I want to be and I'm so excited! I enjoy creating lots of different art and designs like the typography prints in my shop but they haven't been exactly what I would say I LOVE to do.

This is more "me", its letting go with my own style...

{Proverbs 21:31 ~ acrylic on wood}

it is painting from my heart. I believe God gives us our own unique talents and dreams and He wants us to use them. And well since a very young age I have always loved art and said I would be an artist when I grow up. Because of this I wanted Him to be part of my paintings. Not only did I want to paint a creation of His that I think is beautiful but I wanted to incorporate scripture as well. I literally asked Him to pick the verse He wanted me to use on the painting (after it was almost finished) and He gave me Proverbs 21:31. You may be asking how did He tell you to use that one? Well I asked Him if He wanted me to use one of His verses He would have to help me by picking one that would go with the painting and it would have to be on whatever page I first opened the bible to... and there it was.

"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord."

Coincidence? I don't think so. I'm excited to see what He has in store for the next one! ♥

Celebrate the Arts at the Goss!

There is always so much to see at the Goss Opera House on Kemp Ave in Watertown SD. If you love art and a building with lots of character, this place is a must stop... just make sure you have enough time to browse through all three floors. My cloud painting is currently being displayed on the second floor along with many other talented artists' work. Yay! :)

The show will run through the end of September. There will also be an Artists' Reception on Sept. 30 from 5pm-7pm. So if you are in the area we would love for you to stop by! If you can't make the reception you can visit the gallery Mondays from 9am-7pm, Tues.-Sat. from 9am-9pm or Sunday from 10am-2pm. The second floor artwork changes monthly.
Look, little Kaelyn's painting is also there! (on the right) She's the youngest (3) to have art on display there. :) My mom also has a beautiful watercolor painting on display as well. Thank you to the talented and sweet Corine Beving who invited us to be part of the show! She has a show of her work on the first floor.

Also when you are there, you have to get something to eat or a specialty drink. It just goes so well with the art ya know. :) The boy working created art in a cup for me. (He had to make sure I saw it before putting the cover on, so I made him happy and took a picture of it. Ha,ha!) Gotta love it!

Commissioned Modern Pet Portrait

One of my latest commissioned jobs... one happy dog. :)

Painted with acrylic on a 16"x12" wrapped canvas.

Here is the photo I was sent to work from:

Edges are painted in the pop of color chosen by the client.

Linking up again with Studio Sneak Peek via (in)courage. Check it out to meet some talented souls and see what they've been working on lately. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Little weather update: Our snow is almost gone! Yay! It's actually been in the 50's for a few days. That's like 80's for some of you lucky people. :) Anyway, we're definitely happy for the warmer temps... although Kaelyn now wants to build a snowman. Ha, ha.