The Door

 

I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  John 10:1-11

Icon Alley

  "If you can dream it, you can do it."  Walt Disney

      Other than taking a few courses in Art Appreciation in college, I have not had extensive formal training in Art.  I have always enjoyed sketching and composing studies of the human body, still lifes and general landscape scenes.  I have only begun in the last two years to devote my energy and thought to creating and painting art.  I have learned that with all things that I have imagined, I can at least do something and sometimes I can do a lot.  After all these years of focusing on the military life, family and career, I have finally arrrived at a place where I can devote an appreciative amount of time to paint, create and dream.  I have studied with a Master Professional artist and she has helped to rechannel my focus and fine-tune my abilities to create descriptive fine art.  That is just the beginning; I have to continue to dream and envision all those things that I want to create and then just do it! 

  This is a mixed media painting beautifully framed in a smooth and ridged ebony frame.  The frame is complemented with a thin gold edge on the inside as well as the outside edge.  The canvas size is 11X14 inches and the frame is approximately 3 inches wide. 

HOPE Prevails

     This particular work is classified as a Mixed Media which is using more than one element and technique to create an artistic expression in a composition. The technique is paper mosaic cut into different sizes and shapes and then adhered to the primed and painted canvas. I used acrylic paints in different consistencies before and after the application of the mosaic pieces to create a meaningful and symbolic portrait of Jesus on the Cross. 
     This painting is strikingly framed in a nailed distressed frame that is glazed in a dark charcoal and hilighted with a fine layer of metallic gold. 

"Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say that I am a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.  I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one."  John Lennon

The Mouth Speaks

   This piece was created in response to a challenge to stylize and compose a moving work of art that conveys a symbolic gesture depicting loss, disenchantment and yet demonstrates hope. In my mind, I readily pictured a young woman, attractive and determined to remain steadfast in her beliefs.  The symbolic notes in this painting are the contrasts of darkness to light.  The colors represent mortality and rebirth and the yellow brings to light optimism and hope.  She holds her heart (values) close and is determined to hold fast to her beliefs. "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." Luke 6:45

Mr. Personality

     It is so true what people say about cats-you don't own them, they own you.  So it goes with our cat, who is really not our house cat.  He comes and goes at will, literally walking in one door and helping himself to fresh cat food and treats, and then asking to be let out another door on the other side of the house. 
     His name is Boo or Boots, as our twenty-something son calls him.  Boo was born on July 4, 2009; he came to us when he was 7 weeks old because our son wanted to rescue this tiny fur ball of a kitten.
Boo has been our constant companion in this house, sleeping in our bed, eating our nibbles and begging for as much attention as he can get.  He is definitely a people cat, always wanting to communicate and rubbing up against all the visitors that come to our house.  He charms the friendly and sometimes rowdy teenaged friends of our daughter and he always shows off his best side when I have my lady friends come over.  He loves to play hide and seek with the grandkids, and no matter what,  he decides when it's time not to play! 
     I have decided to capture Boo in this painting that shows that he can sit still long enough for me to steal a picture.  I asked him to smile and so it seems he has.  This painting will go to our son's apartment in the big city, because Boo has opted to stay in the country with us. 

Dedicated to Svetlana

     Yesterday, Robert and I took our Sunday drive and this time our target was the annual shoot for spring flowers.   Robert is the driver, navigator and pointer on all of our jaunts out to the country roads.  What a wonderful drive that was!  We not only found bluebonnets galore, but some other scenes that were even more special and visually exciting. 
     We found spring everywhere in all it's shades of green and freshness.  The day was typically windy and there were masses of rain clouds overhead with the sun peeking out every now and then.   I felt the sprinkles, as I would jump out of the truck to capture that must have picture, but a few drops of water did not dampen our efforts to collect our gallery of pictures.
     I would like to say that these fabulous pictures were mostly taken in Mound, Texas. This is no longer a town, but a community that keeps watch of the beautiful verdant rolling hills and the country roads that seem to unfurl into all those special spaces that only God can create. 
.  Eventhough the day was blustery, with the wind gusting at my back, I enjoyed the sights, fragance and the quiet of these country spaces.  As you can see from the pictures there is a solemn richness to the colors and the light of spring. So I hope that you will take the time to look around you as you drive the roads of Texas or anywhere you might be and enjoy this scenic and special time of rebirth. 

 Spring is the Period
Express from God.
~ Emily Dickinson

    
      
    
    

Ingenuity creates practicality!

     For so long I have struggled with storing my canvases properly and neatly out of the way.  I have tried to place them along the wall or stacked flat on some shelf and sometimes on the floor.  Recently, I looked online for art canvas storage and I found a very nice shelving unit that retailed for anywhere from $500 to thousands of dollars, depending on how many shelves and storage cubicles you added.
     After much thought and discussion with my husband as to how we could design and build a storage unit, we arrived at a very practical solution.  We bought a standard 5-shelf bookcase from Wal-Mart and laid it on its' side to create the compartments.  We stabilized the partitions by placing 1/2" X 3/4" stops  [cut to the width of the side panels (11 1/2")] on either side of the partition.  We simply nailed the stops to the side panel on both sides of the partition, so that the partition (shelf) slides in and out easily.

   
    

This was truly inexpensive as the wood stop that we used was actually purchased as a 12 foot piece, then cut to 11 1/2 " pieces. The price was $4.36. Along with the bookcase, the total price of the project to include the nails was $33.00, give or take a few pennies. What a bargain, easy to make and such a great storage unit to boot!
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