Playing in Puddles 24x24: Celebrating the Ordinary

24"x24" Oil 
on Deep Edged Canvas

with Palette Knife

Click Here to Purchase

The church calendar is deep into the season of Ordinary Time. It is the longest season of the church year, turning into Advent in the fall. Some congregations go off the lectionary script and study biblical texts of their own choosing. Many congregations feel the lack of full sanctuaries due to  people being out on summer vacations. It can be a long season indeed, and let's face it, Ordinary Time isn't a very exciting name either. But rather than slouch in a summer slump, I invite you to embrace a new awareness of the ordinary.

Ordinary things are what make the church great. Warm smiles, concerned hugs, conversations of the week's events. They are all beautiful expressions of grace. And the world is full of beautiful "ordinary" moments, if you stop to see them. Jesus asks us to "consider the lilies of the field" and "the birds of the air" as reminders of God's beautiful creation and the extent of God's provisional grace. 

As a painter, I enjoy finding the beauty in ordinary things. This painting is a larger take on an abstract I painted a while ago. The painting is based on reflections in a water puddle in a school parking lot after a heavy spring rain. It doesn't get any more ordinary than that. But looking at the reflections in such a simple thing, there is a color palette of infinite beauty and grace. 

So take some time to enjoy the ordinary in you life—and be thankful.

Early Autumn Walk

8"x10" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

for A Hear for Warner Parks Exhibit
SOLD

Plein air painting is always a joy in Warner Parks. Here is one I made last fall. It will be in "A Hear for Warner Parks" show and sale Feb 13-15. Portions of the proceeds benefit the parks. On the day I painted this serene, leave-covered path, an class of elementary children came by. I loved hearing their thoughts about what I was doing. Below are some behind-the-scene shots from that day.

Autumn Medley

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

$75.00 unframed + Shipping

$100.00 Framed + Shipping

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30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: September—Day 12.

One of my favorite places to be is under a tree in the peak of fall foliage. The colors are so vibrant. When the sun shines through, everything underneath is bathed in orange glow. Today's painting is from a photograph of such a place, taken last year in my front yard. This year, I hope to be in the same place painting.

Autumn Frost

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 3.

One chilly fall morning, I was waiting at the bus stop with my daughter. We looked down and discovered something beautiful—Autumn leaves kissed by morning frost. We live in a world full of small wonders. We just need to take the time to see it.

Carpe Diem

Why am I posting a fall painting to start the new year? I has to do with my new year’s resolution.

Typically, in late October, I bring my new paintings outdoors to photograph. One day, as I was setting up for the shoot, I was impressed by the beauty of the little tree in my yard. It was the perfect scene to sum up everything I love about autumn. The leaves were peak color. The sky was brilliant. Fall is my favorite time of year. I just love the mild temperatures, the crisp air, the changing colors and the long cast shadows in the afternoons. I believe I could live perpetually in autumn. But sadly, autumn is but a season. The colors here are only at peak color for just a week or two, if you’re lucky. Realizing the brevity of the moment that I was witnessing, I decided to stop what I was doing and paint the moment. I replaced the finished art on my easel for blank canvas and began to paint my little tree. And I am so glad I did. That evening, a weather front blew in. The next day, the tree was bare.

Each and every day is a gift from God. My resolution is to make the most of every day’s blessings. Rain of shine, I hope to live each day in gratitude. Life is too fragile and brief not to.

Happy New Year.