Lessons & Carols: Peaceable Kingdom

Digital Illustration

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The Fourth Lesson: Isaiah 11:1-3a; 4a; 6-9

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him,

the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the spirit of counsel and might,

the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.

With righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

The wolf shall live with the lamb,

the leopard shall lie down with the kid,

the calf and the lion and the fatling together,

and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze,

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,

and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.

They will not hurt or destroy

on all my holy mountain;

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD

as the waters cover the sea.

Hills and Valleys

Hills and Valleys

30"x40" Oil on Deep Edge Canvas

Available Here

God is LORD of the hills and the valleys. 

Come what may we belong to God.

Thank you for all of the blessings in 2018.

And especially for your prayers.

May God's love surround you all in the new year.

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)

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

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

40 Days: Day 7: Echoes

12x12 Oil on Canvas

SOLD

My life flows on in endless song;
above earth’s lamentation,
I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation.

Refrain:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
while to that Rock I’m clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
how can I keep from singing?

Through all the tumult and the strife,
I hear that music ringing.
It finds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing? [Refrain]

What though my joys and comforts die?
I know my Savior liveth.
What though the darkness gather round?
Songs in the night he giveth. [Refrain]

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
a fountain ever springing!
All things are mine since I am his!
How can I keep from singing? [Refrain]

Author: Robert Lowry

Tune: HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING

Psalm 23, The Lord Is My Shepherd

36"x36"x1.5"
Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Sometimes, I get a image in my head so strong that I cannot rest until it is painted. 
This is another painting inspired by the music of  John Rutter's Requiem. 

The text is Psalm 23. 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
     he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
     he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
    thy rod and thy staff,
    they comfort me.

 Thou preparest a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil,
    my cup overflows.
 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    for ever.

Although the psalm is full of many beautiful and powerful images, I tend to gravitate to imagine a pastoral vista of green fields and running streams. This is a completely inspired work. I had no visual references when I painted it. It is completely from an image in my head—molded and shaped on canvas as the painting evolved. I recalled experiences plein air painting and combined them with a new loose abstraction I've been developing. 

What really changes this painting from a pastoral scene to a work of theology is the light in the sky. It is not unlike my very first painting in this blog, And The Spirit of God Moved over the Waters. The light represents God and God's outpouring of grace (my cup overflows). That "overflowing" is the stream running towards the viewer. The painting is an impression of the peace and serenity the comes with "dwelling in the house of the LORD, forever." A peace that not only will be enjoy in the future, but one that is ever present here and now.

Pie Jesu

20"x24"x1.5"
Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

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Our choir has the privilege to sing John Rutter's Requiem this spring. One of my favorite pieces in this work is Pie Jesu. The full text in english is:

Blessed Jesus, 
Lord I pray,
in Thy mercy,
Grant them rest.
Grant them rest eternal.
Lord our God,
I pray Thee,
Lord our God, 
We pray Thee,
Grant them everlasting rest.

It is a beautiful song with haunting undertones overcome by ascending grace. The song makes a most beautiful prayer. To paint it, I wanted to capture the mixture of deep longing, communal faith and brilliant hope. The painting is also a theological mix of interaction between a community of faith and God. The highest and most beautiful parts of the soprano solo are represented with the bright yellow streak ascending upward. It makes for a nice blending of both personal and corporate prayer. 

Although a requiem is mainly intended for loved ones who have passed on, the song and the painting are an expression for all prayers—especially prayers for intercession and peace.

Source

12"x24"
Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

SOLD

What is your source? What grounds you and keeps you sane during the week? What gives you a sense of identity, purpose and belonging? My source is in God. It is faith in God that gives me courage, strength and freedom. In God, I find belonging, identity and calling. 

This is an abstract exploring the concept of source. It resembles water trailing down a rocky hillside from an unseen source above. In the painting, there is strength and grace as well as mystery and certainty.

Winter Wandering

18"x24"
Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

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My first painting of 2017. This organic abstract was inspired by impressions gathered from a walk in the snow.

New Earth

12"x12" Oil on Deep Edged Canvas

with Palette Knife

As an artist, I’m very aware of the concept of “work in progress.” It’s that messy stage of a painting that lives between inspiration and completion. Often times, many artists are reluctant to share their “WIPs” with others for fear of judgment or rejection of their unfinished work. The audience cannot see the end result. It exists only in the mind’s eye of the artist. 

This year’s Advent scriptures show us images of a world changing into a new creation of joy, justice and peace. From beating swords into plowshares to lions and fatlings lying together, the images of God’s kingdom abound in these ancient texts of hope. 

Two thousand years after Christ, however, we struggle to find where these dreams have come fully true. But if we look at God’s work of grace though Jesus Christ as a WIP, the discrepancies make more sense. 

During Advent we live out this mystery. We celebrate by remembering the Prophets of old, longing for the Advent of Emmanuel. By doing so, we also wait for Christ’s return. Christ has come. Christ will come again. And somewhere in between, we continue in the WIP of the kingdom.

The painting for this year’s “Joy to the World” Advent theme is called “New Earth.” The inspiration comes from Revelation 21, where we are shown images of a new heaven and a new earth. The painting depicts a future earth, full of joy and peace, in orbit with the Christ star. It is to give us perspective and hope when we are discouraged in our season of working and waiting. We are all a work in progress. We need these images from scripture to glimpse the big picture from God, the master painter, and keep ourselves motivated to work towards the completion of God’s masterpiece of grace.

40 Days: Day 31: Psalm 46

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

Commissioned

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
    though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
 though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble with its tumult.Selah

 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
    God will help it when the morning dawns.
 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge.Selah

 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
    see what desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire.
 “Be still, and know that I am God!
    I am exalted among the nations,
    I am exalted in the earth.”
 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge.Selah

Psalm 46

40 Days: Day 17: Healing

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Autumn Retreat

20"x24" Oil on Deep-Edged Canvas

with Palette Knife

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Time for a break. I have forgotten that the tradition of Lenten discipline allows for beaks—specifically on Sundays which are considered "Mini-Easters." Grace abounds—even in Lent. 

Since I forgot to take a break last Sunday, my posts are a day off. Therefore, I will be taking a break from the "40 Days" posts for the next two days to get everything back on track. Otherwise, I'll be all finished before Holy Week even starts, and we just can't have that. But don't worry, I have plenty of new paintings to share during the break. Here is a serene fall painting to enjoy.

40 Days: Day 8: Evensong III

3"x3" Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife
Click Here to Purchase

May the Lord, who is our peace, give us peace at all times and in every way. Amen.

2 Thessalonians 3:16

40 Days: Day 7: Evensong II

3"x3" Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

Available

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

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Or send me an email to purchase.

40 Days: Day 6: Evensong I

3"x3" Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

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May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7

40 Days: Day 4: Psalm 139—The Inescapable God

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Psalm 139

The Inescapable God

To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
3 You search out my path and my lying down,
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it completely.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from your spirit?
    Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
    if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light around me become night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is as bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
15     My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
    all the days that were formed for me,
    when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
    I come to the end—I am still with you.

19 O that you would kill the wicked, O God,
    and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—
20 those who speak of you maliciously,
    and lift themselves up against you for evil!
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
    I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my thoughts.
24 See if there is any wicked way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.