Best of 2017

It all started to come together for me in 2017. I began the year by discovering a new voice with abstract landscapes. I also had many challenging commissions and plein air adventures. Here are my top paintings and self-awards for 2017:

From the top left:

Most Groundbreaking Painting: Winter Wandering - Too cold to paint plein air, I took a walk and came back to the studio to paint an impression of a frosty January day. This painting began my journey in a new direction in abstract painting. This was my first painting of 2017.

Most Compliments Yet Not Sold: Silent Sentinels - This new landscape abstract received the most "I love this one" while no one has yet decided to actually make a purchase. It is available here: https://www.mikemoyersfineart.com/product-page/silent-sentinels

Painting Of The Year: Psalm 23 - My personal favorite creation of 2017.

Most Famous Buyer: Evenfall - This little plein air from Radnor Lake was purchased at a show by a well know local news anchor. 

Best Commission: Come to the Table: I'm most proud of this commission for First Presbyterian Church, Franklin. It is a conceptual piece depicting themes of hospitality, community and grace. It hangs in the church lobby near the front door.

Most Challenging Plein Air Painting: Beacons or Resilience - I'm so pleased with how well this one turned out. It was painted on the Michigan coast in March. The temp was 30f with blistering 15mph gusts of wind. My brother-in-law kept my easel from blowing away as I painted.

Most Experimental: Daily Prayer 3- I was pleased how nicely my daily prayer acrylics on paper turned out. It was a great exercise. I hope to do more of these in the future.

Most Put Together: Wait for the Lord - This painting combines the best of organic abstraction with theological conceptualism.

Most Recent and Most Fun to Paint: For Unto Us A Child Is Born - The last posted painting of 2017. I had a lot of fun painting abstract expressions of the music of Handel's Messiah this past month. This one was my favorite of the bunch.


A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have supported me this past year. I thank you for your patronage, your encouragement and your wisdom. I look forward to creating more great things for you to enjoy in the year to come.

I invite you to take a look back over my posts from this past year. 
Which ones are your favorites?

For Unto Us A Child Is Born

12"x12"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
For Unto Us  A Child Is Born

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government
Shall be upon His shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6)

The People That Walked In Darkness Have seen A Great Light

8"x10"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
The People That Walked In Darkness Have seen A Great Light

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light, and they that
Dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
(Isaiah 9:2)

O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion

8"x10"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion

O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion,
get thee up into the high mountain:
O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up thy voice with strength;
lift it up, be not afraid;
say unto the cities of Judah,
Behold you God!
Arise, shine, for thy light is come,
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

And He Shall Purify

8"x10"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
And He Shall Purify

And He shall purify the sons of Levi, 
That they may offer unto the Lord an
Offering in righteousness.
(Malachi 3:3)

But Who May Abide

5"x7"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
But Who May Abide

But who may abide the day of His coming, 
and who shall stand when He appeareth? 
For He is like a refiner's fire. 
(Malachi 3:2)

I Will Shake All Nations

5"x7"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
Thus Saith The Lord

Thus saith the Lord of Hosts:
-Yet once a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land;
And I will shake all nations;
And the desire of all nations shall come.
The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple,
Even the messenger of the covenant,
Whom ye delight in:
Behold, He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

And The Glory Of The Lord

12"x12"
Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
And The Glory Of The Lord

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
Together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
(Isaiah 40:5)

Every Valley Shall Be Exalted

5"x7"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
Every Valley Shall Be Exalted

Every valley shall be exalted,
And every mountain and hill made low,
The crooked straight and the rough places plain. 
(Isaiah 40:4)

Comfort Ye, My People

6"x6"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

An Abstract Expression from Handel's Messiah
Comfort Ye, My People

Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. 
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, 
That her warfare is accomplished, 
That her Iniquity is pardoned. 
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness
Prepare ye the way of the Lord. 
Make straight in the desert a highway 
For our God. 
(Isaiah 40:1-3)

Wait for the Lord

One of the greatest gifts the season of Advent gives to the church is the gift of waiting. As our attention spans shrink and our cravings for instant gratification grow, the more we need waiting space in our lives. Waiting is a gift that fills us with blessings. Waiting blesses us with hope, wonder, patience and self-control.

This year’s Advent art is an abstract depiction of a dawning morning. It is that moment when the sky glows in soft, low light, but the sun has not yet revealed itself over the horizon. That’s how if feel about waiting for God to act in my life. I feel like I’m never alone, but rather surrounded by God’s presence like dimmed, soft, pre-dawn light. I wait for a fully revealed sunrise over the horizon. The metaphor is also quite true for Christian Advent waiting. We live in the pre-dawn light of Emmanuel while we wait for the full light of Christ’s return.

Accept the gift of waiting this season. Let us slow our rhythms for a fuller experience of time and discernment. Let us enjoy the gifts of wonder, hope and patience. Let us walk towards the horizon in the soft, dim light. God is faithful and will answer our prayers. And sooner or later, the day will come.

Morning Meditation

6"x6"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

This on is an abstract plein air painting trying to capture the emotions of the moment. Stay tuned tomorrow for a more representational version of the scene.

Sunlight Trio

6"x6"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

Here's a more representational painting form the lake. This one is of three sunlit hay bales across from us.

Late Light

5"x7"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

I finally made it back to the lake this summer. I took the opportunity to paint both impressionistic and abstract expressionistic styles. Here's one that is somewhere in-between. it was painted in the late evening as the sun quickly set.

Sea and Sky II

8"x10"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

Another plein air painting from Florida. This one was made near sunset.

Sea and Sky

6"x6"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Here is a new plein air painting from Florida's Gulf Coast. This one focuses on the color relationships between the sky and the shore. I was intrigued how some of the shadow colors on the shore matched the deeper shades in the clouds. I'm glad I got up early to capture this painting. By the time I finished, a storm front was blowing in.

Plein Air Painter’s Tip: 

Some of you pros may already know this, but today I discovered a handy painting hack. If you're using a french easel, you can position your canvas in such a way so you can use the top of the easel lid to act as a guide for your horizon line. See how the horizon line runs right across the top of the easel lid in the action shot below.

Espressivo

28" x 22"

Oil on Canvas with Palette Knife

Commissioned

Time is long overdue to share some commissions I've been working on. 

This one was commissioned as an anniversary gift to the director of the Franklin High School Band, David Aydelott. It was based on a brilliant photo by Tom White capturing band members in one of their dramatic movements. The task was to blend the pose with the abstract music colors I have done recently. The result is a striking piece illustrating the band's striving for excellence. 

The painting is entitled "Expressivo," which means to perform expressively with emotion.

It was unveiled a few weeks ago at the ban's end-of-the-year banquet. I can think of no better way to express gratitude for Mr. A's artistry to inspire and shape character and talent than a gift of art itself. 

Today, the Franklin Band begins practice for this fall's performances. Go Franklin!

Horsing Around: Spring Graze

6"x6"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

Another plein air study from the farm 

while my daughter practices her rising lessons.

Make plans to come and see my latest work

at the Franklin Art Scene, 
at Shuffs Music  on Friday, May 5

6 to 9 pm.

Flute

3"x9"
Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

Here’s a little flute to celebrate 
my upcoming show at 
the Franklin Art Scene, 
at Shuffs Music  
on Friday, May 5.

40 Days: Day 40: Come to the Table

40"x40"
Oil on Canvas

Commissioned

This is my final posting for this year's "40 Days" journey. It is a commissioned painting I have been working on for First Presbyterian Church, Franklin, TN. It was installed today—just in time for an Easter debut. 

“Welcome one another just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

Romans 15:7

This painting is a vision of God’s grace and serves as a reminder of how we are to be to each other. The painting depicts a peaceable, abundant table which has been prepared for all ages, genders, races and abilities. Among the variety of food on the table, there are also sacramental symbols of bread, wine and water. The figures are vague and rough around the edges because we come together as we are, with all of our imperfections. Near the bottom, there is an empty place setting which is an open sign of grace for all people present, separated  departed and yet to come.

40 Days: Day 39: Shadow

5x7

Acrylic on Paper

Abstract expression inspired by tonight's Good Friday service of Tenebrae.

A Service of Tenebrae, or "Shadows," is based on a twelfth–century late night/early morning service and is an extended meditation on the passion of Christ.

40 Days: Day 38: Mandatum

5"x7"
Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

SOLD

"A new commandment I give unto you: 

That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

Today we celebrate Maundy Thursday. The name "Maundy" comes from the latin "Mandatum" which means "Mandate." On this day, we remember Jesus' last supper with His disciples. On that night, he washed their feet and commanded them to do the same. He also took the bread and the cup form the passover meal and declared them as symbols of his body and blood—given for all of mankind. He also instructed them to remember Him in the breaking of bread and drinking of the cup. 

This abstract mashes all of those themes together as an outpouring act of love. 

It portrays the tone of the evening, the call to remember, and the command to love.

40 Days: Day 37: The Basin & The Towel

8"x10" Oil on Panel

Click Here for Digital Download

Here is an older painting for Holy Week is now available for Digital Download.

40 Days: Day 36: On the Lake

18"x24"
Oil on Canvas

Commissioned

Daily painting is not all about one painting a day. 
Here's one of the many other projects I've been working on.
Commissioned by a fellow lake loving family.

May this lake's serenity bring you some peace today.

40 Days: Day 35: Morning Song II

5"x7"
Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

Click Here To Purchase

Here is a little impression from my back yard this morning.

40 Days: Day 33: Touched

11"x14"
Oil on Canvas

Commissioned

Luke 8:43-48

Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians, no one could cure her. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. Then Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

This is a commissioned painting of one of my favorite stories. Thought the gospels, Jesus heals in many different ways. Sometimes with just a command, sometimes long distance, sometimes tactually and deliberately. But this time, the miracle was performed unconsciously. The woman touched Jesus, from behind, among a crowd of people. She was healed instantly. Then, Jesus does something remarkable. He sensed power leaving from him. He turned around to inquire about it. The power of God in Jesus was something real and physical enough for Jesus to sense it at work—and it was beyond his own control.

God was at work in Jesus without Jesus even knowing it until after the fact. This is a fascinating twist in the story for me.  To me, it means that Jesus was so much an instrument of God's grace ("Touched by God" if you will), that God was able to work miracles through him beyond his own actions. Have you ever tried so hard to make something go right for God? A ministry, goal or charitable effort? Sometimes they work great. Sometimes they fail. But then there are those times when something seems to go wonderfully right for God  and we had nothing to do with it—perhaps even in spite of anything we did. That is an amazing interaction. 

In the painting, The woman touches Jesus among the crowd of people. Both Jesus and the woman are highlighted so subtly that it is easy for the crowd (and the viewer) to miss. The power is real, as illustrated in the painting. But it may be only noticeable to those who have the faith to realize it. 

Miracles can happen, unexpectedly, in the most unlikely of circumstances. You are an instrument of God for the world. We are all called to serve in ways both great and small. But always remember that we belong to God. God can use us for the kingdom when we don't even know it. 

Now that is Grace.