Yellow Sunset

Another gouache, this one only 4x3" in size, on white paper.

There's a splotch where I started a stroke in the lower right corner, but I never carried it through. Right now it looks like a mistake but my intention is to go back in and correct that area. I have an idea how it will look, but at the moment it probably seems to you like I goofed or forgot something...

It suggests to me the idea that although something may look like a 'mistake' in our lives, God may have a direction He's heading that we aren't aware of yet. Is it a mistake? A goof on His part? Well, unlike me God is perfect and doesn't make mistakes, so I can trust that it isn't a problem. I just need to take on faith that He isn't finished with me yet.

Beautiful Storms: edited!

Last night I had a chance to work on this one and I tweaked some of the colors. The first version (as you'll see in the post below this one) just seemed too dark and heavy to me. I wanted the daytime sky to shine, and the distant ridge of moutains to become more evident. So I added a bit, carved some away here and there, and added a bit of sunny color in the fore, and now I'm happier with it than before:

Which isn't to say I didn't like the first version... just that sometimes things change!

Beautiful Storms

Storm Clouds, 3x4.5" on Somerset Black Velvet paper

I'm enjoying these explorations with gouache so much. I have some very blurry images on my computer from a (now defunct, sadly) web camera in the area of my home. The view was of Sandia, showing the progression of weather over the mountain throughout the day in hyper-speed. I loved being able to see the cloud formations come and go. I used one of those images as inspiration for this one.

As it notes in the title of my blog, this is a record of the clearing skies of my life, but we all have to endure storms. I'm so thankful that the Lord uses the trials and troubles of life to remind me to snuggle up to Him a little closer, which is the only real comfort there is for me! As Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." So the rain will fall but I look it as merely scenic when I remember to run into His arms and not be afraid of the future.

"I Care" Keepsake

I had some folks come visit, my humble little blog
And leave a thoughtful comment, 'bout the painting I had logged.
I don't know how to tell them, or even where to start,
Of the wondrous gift they gave me, bringing joy to my heart.
Some days are dark and lonely...I feel that life's a bore
But those simple words of kindness, have brought sunshine to my door.
by James Parker

I opened my e-mail yesterday and found out that Karen Hargett had passed this keepsake on to me. Thanks Karen, I'm honored!

The idea is that I'm to pass it on to another two, and they on to the next two, and so forth. What a nice way to keep a smile heading on around the world! So, in that spirit, I pass it on to:

Maggie Latham

I recently began painting in gouache and Maggie has been such an encouragement and help to me! She's a friend from WC, where I first saw her lovely, soft pastel paintings. She's a multi-medium artist, and does gorgeous little jewels in whatever medium she uses.

Karen Margulis

I always enjoy visiting Karen's blog because her pastels are absolutely beautiful, and she's such a dedicated painter and blogger that there's frequently new work to view! When I decided to start a blog she inspired me... (although I'm not nearly as dedicated as she is!)

I hope you'll take some time to visit the blogs of both these wonderful artists, and leave a comment and a smile.

Drawing Day

Some days you just feel like drawing! This was done in my 8x5" sketchbook from a lovely, shady photo taken from Google Street View of a spot along East Green Lake Way in Seattle. It was done as a challenge for Bill Guffey's Virtual Paintout this month. Take a look at the work and join in!

The Black and White of It

Yesterday I taught a class on the Japanese concept of notan (NO-tahn) , meaning 'black/white'. I find this means of analyzing the underlying distilled abstraction of a composition to be quite valuable. It gets me back to basics, where I can make decisions that aren't muddied up with lots of useless details or frivolous color. Just simple black and white.

The idea is to

• use no line
• keep spaces between shapes unequal
• establish a primary value (50% or more), a secondary value, and an accent value

If you create a good underlying value structure and stick with it to the end, you'll have a strong painting when you're finished. It's the same in life. The word of God is the value structure you need to stick with... as the old hymn says:

On Christ the solid Rock I stand.
All other ground is sinking sand.

Here are a few of my studies, done about the size of a business card using an 8b pencil.

And another composition: