Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow 20x20

20"x20" Acrylic 
on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

with Palette Knife

SOLD

My little hymn painting based on the Doxology is now bigger and bolder. 
This is a 20'x20' Acrylic enlargement on gallery wrapped canvas. 
Nothing like adding a bit of forte to your work.

Winter Hymn 24"x24"

24"x24" Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

Click HERE to Purchase

30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 4

Going big for today's painting. I revisited one of my favorite paintings from my first try at 30 paintings in 30 days, Winter Hymn, and enlarged it to be 24"x24".

It Is Well with My Soul 24x36

24"x36" Professional Acrylic with Palette Knife
on Deep Edged Canvas

Click HERE to Purchase

On display now thru September 30 at the Connections Gallery at 
Belle Meade United Methodist Church.

It Is Well with My Soul

Horatio G. Spafford

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Prayer

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: January—Day 19.

Let my prayer rise before you as incense,
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Psalm 141:2

The Gift of Love

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 29.

Though I may speak with bravest fire,
And have the gift to all inspire,
And have not love, my words are vain,
As sounding brass, and hopeless gain.

Though I may give all I possess,
And striving so my love profess,
But not be given by love within,
The profit soon turns strangely thin.

Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control,
Our spirits long to be made whole.
Let inward love guide every deed;
By this we worship, and are freed.

Author: Hal H. Hopson (1972)
Tune: O WALY WALY

From Russia with Love, St. Basil’s Cathedral

8"x10" Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife
Commissioned Painting

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 25.

Today’s painting is a commissioned piece by a mother and father to honor the heritage of their Russian-born sons. I loved working on this project, not just for the artistic challenge, but for the importance for all of us to know who we are and how much we are loved.

This painting was a real challenge. I began with a pastel sketch. Instead of blocking in large areas of value and color, I tried a different approach. Since the building was so intricate, I worked the painting one color note at a time—checking the value and color relationship with the note’s immediate neighbor. Piece by piece, I completed the painting. You can see the steps and my finished palette below.

It Is Well with My Soul

9"x12" Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Here is another installment of my abstract series based on Christian hymns. This song has a very moving story behind it. You can read about it by clicking here.

It Is Well with My Soul

Horatio G. Spafford

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

1. 
   

What Wondrous Love Is This

8"x10" Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife
SOLD

And now for something completely different. After exploring impressionism with the 30 days challenge, I have decided to switch to abstraction for a season—specifically the season of Lent. Over the next few weeks of Lent, I hope to paint abstracts based on christian hymns. I have always wanted to paint expressions of hymns. Since hymns have an artistic beauty of their own, I dare not get too literal with my painting. Therefore, I have decided to paint abstracts to express the emotions I have when engaged with the hymns. 


What Wondrous Love Is This
American Folk Hymn

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul!

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down
Beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb,
Who is the great I AM,
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free
I’ll sing His love for me,
And through eternity I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on,
And through eternity I’ll sing on.

Winter Hymn

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife
$50.00 + Shipping
SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 2.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon traveling through Kentucky. A fresh blanket of snow was on the ground. From a crisp, clear sky, the bright sun revealed magical scenes of light and shadow. The humble countryside, that had once been overlooked and taken for granted, displayed its true majesty—adorned with sun and snow.

Faith (Parable of the Mustard Seed)

30"x36" Oil on Gallery Canvas

SOLD

What is the kingdom of God like?

Jesus explains it to us using the imagery of a mustard seed. They are the smallest of seeds and produce trees large enough for birds to find rest in their branches. Jesus doesn't stop there. Later, in two gospels, Jesus uses the imagery again to explain the nature of faith. When his disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith, he tells them that if they had faith as small as a mustard seed, they could do wondrous things.

This painting tries to illuminate both teachings. Here you can see the scale of this paradox. The great tree has grown form the tiny seed and is host to a diversity of birds. As our faith grows, we become something greater than ourselves. We become the shelter, nurture and sustenance for others. You can also see roots in the soil—reaching deep to underground waters. These represent the "behind-the-scenes" mysteries that nourish our faith. Our baptism and the nurture of the church gives our faith the best conditions for growth. 

We need not discourage ourselves for our lack-luster feelings of faithfulness. Our limitations and shortcomings are not what defines us as people of God's kingdom. It is only the miraculous grace of God that transforms us from mediocrity into sainthood. 

May your faith so bloom.

The Vine

Every fall, for the past few years, I have had the honor of exhibiting my work in an art show/sale for St. Matthew’s Catholic Church. The premiss of the show is to raise funds for the church by selling "faith-inspired" art. Although I’m not Catholic, this is right up my alley. Many of the pieces you will see on my blog have been in these shows. My wife, Rhonda, and I have an agreement: I can devote the time to paint for the show as long as I come up with something we would put up in our home in case it didn't sell. Fair enough.

The inspiration for this piece came from three origins. The first creative germ came from the Gospel of John, chapter 15. "I am the vine, you are the branches. Remain in me and you will bear much fruit." This scripture was read at our wedding, and has always been a core scripture for us. The second germ came from a childhood memory of Rhonda's. As a child, she used to play hide and seek under the beams of grape vines in a vineyard. She told of how light danced about underneath the canopy of grapes. She described to me how the support frames for the vines reminded her of a cross. And finally, Rhonda has always wanted a piece depicting the elements of communion in a natural way. So after blending the three ideas together, and doing some research, I created this piece entitled "The Vine".

There actually is a lot of things going on in this piece. At first glance, it looks like a cross with grapes hanging form it. But the support structure is actually "T-shaped". I deliberately hid that fact with a bunch of grapes to create the "allusion" of a cross. This makes the connection to the verse. It also speaks to one of the great "I AM" sayings about Jesus and God's Sacrificial Love that is the foundation for our love. There is a lot of light dancing about in the scene, peaking thru the leaves, ripening the grapes and casting shadows on the beam. This makes the piece very elemental with themes of Earth, Light and Communion. The grapes are turning to full ripeness. They are in the process of turning. Some faster than others. Not yet fully ripe. Not all green. So is the community of faith, or our own personal faith.

Happily for Rhonda, this piece never sold. Probably because it was really meant for her. It now hangs in our foyer. There is a lot of natural light in our foyer which accentuates the light in the painting. So if you ever stop by to visit and see it, you'll know the backstory behind it.

Wherever you are in the vine of God's Love, may you continue to bloom. And as we play in the fields of our God and come to the table of Grace, may this painting be a reminder of our identity and relationship to our Lord.