Wonder of Light

Wonder of Light

12"x12" Oil on Deep Edge Canvas

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As the year comes to an end, it is a great time to pause and reflect on we've been and where we want to go. Here is a recent landscape abstract which contains art lessons that can apply to our lives as we contemplate the new year.

1. Gray is a beautiful color.
So many look at gray as depressing and drab. There is so much delicate beauty in all of the many kinds of gray. There are warm grays, cool grays, brown grays, blue grays, green grays and so much more.

Our society polarizes more and more into camps of defined color. (Black & White, Red and Blue, etc.) We need to learn to recognize the mixing and bleeding of gray mid-tones in life and culture. If we can do that, we can better live together as children of God.

2. Look for the light.
As a painter, I spend a lot of time observing light and trying to mimic the effects of light on canvas. Compositionally, light directs the eye around the painting. Light changes as the day progresses. As a plain-air painter, I have to bee quick to capture the light of a certain moment before it changes or goes away altogether. Light guides us. Light reveals. Light brings color.

There is plenty of darkness in our lives. If we think about light as Jesus taught, we remember that God is light and we are light as well. We need to be lovers of the light. We need to be looking for it always—and following it. We should be seekers of the subtle affects and colors that light brings and helping others to recognize just how much we are surrounded with light. We need to bear our own light to the world. St. Francis of Assisi once said, "For all of us would be blind if not for the Light of the World."

3. Find your source.
For me, nature and water are sources of renewal. I love to stand near a running rocky river, observing it's motions and listening to its sounds. Nature brings me closer to the hear of my creator. In nature there are no straight lines or right angles. In nature, everything is fractal and curvy. Painting nature is so much more forgiving than painting man-made things and structures. For me, there is no greater art teacher than nature.

It's very important to find something, someone or some place that inspires you and renews you. We all need to find our own sanctuary from the world's distractions and draw near to God.

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.

Cold Creek

8x10

Oil on Panel

SOLD

We had a decent snow the other day for Tennessee. 

Today, I ventured out to the creek for a plain-air adventure. 

It was a blast.

Winter Reflections

24"x30" Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

SOLD

THIS painting, I'm particularly proud of. It is  a 24"x30" palette knife painting of wintery reflections on the surface of the Harpeth River. It is for the The Chestnut Group's Cumberland on Canvas event. I have painted water reflections before, but this is largest surface I have ever attempted. I'm very pleased with the result. I love how it is recognizable yet abstract, which was my goal for this piece. It shows well in the modern urban exhibit space of the Bridge Building. If you are in Nashville this weekend, I highly recommend that you stop by and take a look.

Music City Winter / Riverfront Lights

Music City Winter
8"x10" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

My first attempt at plein air cityscape painting went pretty good. Although the winter day was not the best of weather, it was a lot of fun to work with all of the different shapes of the Nashville skyline. I painted these with my friends of The Chestnut Group. We will be sharing and selling our paintings for the Cumberland River Compact April 17 and 18. Details are in the attachments below. We painted in a beautiful urban space, just across the Cumberland River, to get a good view of the city. After the sun wend down, I stayed a little longer to get this nocturne quick-draw below.

Riverfront Lights
6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

There was a reporter there form Nashville Arts Magazine to capture us in action. Read the article here. The painter sitting in the top photo is your's truly.

Foggy Mountain River

8"x10" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 25

I just love rushing mountain rivers. Today's painting comes from one foggy morning in the Great Smokey Mountains.

(After) The Baptism of Jesus

8"x10" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 10

This weekend, many christians will reflect on the baptism of Jesus. So I thought I'd do a little reflection of Jesus and baptism. This painting is based on the story according to the Gospel of Mark:

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.

The painting is an exploration of the latter part of the story. After Jesus was baptized, and the spectacle of the Holy Spirit, what happens next is quite like a parable. After the baptism, there were no celebrations, no baptismal certificates, no luncheons with family and friends. After Jesus' baptism, the Holy Spirit (who had just come down like a dove and rested on Jesus) lead him into the wilderness for 40 days of solitude and fasting. 

This painting depicts that moment where Jesus steps out of the water and walks off the stage, soaking wet, with only the Spirit to guide him. If we really think about our life after baptism, Jesus' experience doesn't seem all that uncommon. After we are baptized, there is still a life of suffering, journeying, temptation and uncertainty. But, like Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit as our companion and guide. Together with the Spirit, we face the wilderness head on.—walking wet with the water of our calling. 

Mountain Rush

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 5

Today's painting is another water abstract. It is from a recent walk along side a river in the Smoky Mountains. This one not only reflects the mountain river color palette, but also a sense of the water's rushing movement. 

You can see some of my previous water abstracts here:

Pacifica

Reflections of Summer

Ripples in the Rain

Playing with Puddles

Riverdance

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: January—Day 20.

For today's painting, I went back to the river—this time to paint en plein air.  The light of the late afternoon was dancing all around. It was a challenge to capture the ever changing light. The result ended up quite lose and impressionistic.

River Walk

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

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

Today's painting is a treat from my neighborhood walk. Turning right at the split, instead of taking the usual left, I got a surprising view of the Harpeth river. Who knows what I might find if I take a different turn tomorrow.

The Catch

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: January—Day 3.

Today was a bitter cold January day. So, my artist's eye went fishing for warmer inspiration. Today's painting comes from a photograph taken from one of my plein air adventures last summer.

On the day I was painting in the Elk River, there was a fly fisherman near by. He learned how to use the fly rod from a troop of Boy Scouts years ago and has been fishing that way ever since. My wife caught a great photo of him scooping up a nice trout. As I painted the sunset on the river, the man said to my wife, "I've seen a LOT of things in this river, but I haven't seen ANYONE paint."—another testament to why plein air painting is so special. 

I love the grace and elegance of fly fishing. I suppose it brings a therapeutic serenity similar to that of painting. I guess, in a way, were are both fishermen—standing in the middle of the river—sharing a peaceful passion to bring in a good catch.

Elk River

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 24.

Another of my favorite moments is to be painting by a river. I just love to hear the sound of water running by as I paint. The colors, reflections and shapes in running water are such a joy to paint. Things were even better for this plein air painting. I was fortunate enough to get onto a rock and paint in the middle of the river. A good day indeed.

Retreat

8"x10" Oil on Canvas Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

We all could use a little break—some time away from our every-day responsibilities. For me, the best retreat is to be outdoors near water. The gentle breezes, the warm sunlight, the sound of cascading water—they all renew me and bring my soul closer to the heartbeat of God. 

In my life, there is a special place for retreat. It is Camp NaCoMe, in Pleasntville, TN. Our family goes there for camps and church retreats annually. This year's spring retreat was all about embracing God's gifts. I am thankful to God for so many gifts. Like a running stream, God's grace continues to run over our pebbled hearts. God's gifts to us are abundant and freely given.

This is a plein-air painting of the creek that runs through the heart of Camp NaCoMe. It is a reminder to me of just how revitalizing it is to unplug from our technology and connect with our loving, giving, living God.

Blue Heron

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 28.

The Great Blue Heron will always hold a special place in my heart. On the day that my son was born, the bird mysteriously showed up in a field that backed up to my yard. Ever since then,  the Great Blue Heron has made his presence known around milestones in my son's life. This graceful creature reminds me that my son is part of a larger community, and belongs to someone greater than all of us.

Smoky Mountain Stream

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 27.

A friend told me I should paint rocky streams form the Appalachians. Her suggestion reminded me of how much I love to paint rocks and water. Today's painting is from an image of a stream I took while hiking in the Smokey Mountains. I have painted it before with brushes, but this one is with the palette knife. Either way, I feel these mossy rocks are calling me back to to the mountains to paint plein air someday.

Wisdom

Who could have imagined?

Every spring, our church has a congregational retreat at the NaCoMe conference center in Pleasantville, TN. While we were there last year, we experienced a flood that took out power to the complex and rapid water which covered the only bridge out. It was a bit of an inconvenience, but we made the best of it. We were told that it was the worst flooding the area has experienced in over 100 years. THIS year, exactly one year later, our retreat was yet again flooded. Some thought it best to leave early. Those who stayed ended up being stranded for three extra days. THIS time, the whole of Middle TN suffered a 500 year deluge of 15 inches of rain. My family and I left early to avoid being stranded by floodwaters. Little did we know that we were heading from the frying pan into the fire. We ended up being stranded in our own home as our road was covered in floodwaters on either side of our home. Thankfully, our home was spared. But thousands of Middle Tennesseans lost much, if not all, of their homes and possessions. We have been in shock and amazement ever since.

This was a plein-air painting of the creek flowing through NaCoMe. It was painted two years ago after the first great flood. It records how that gentle creek, where children love to wade and splash, became a swelling rapid, strong enough to take out bridges. Our retreat theme that year was on Wisdom in the book of Proverbs. I titled the painting “Wisdom”, though I did not fully know why. It just felt right. Now I know. It is the wisdom that comes from a shared experience with a group of people. Wisdom of how frail humanity is against the power of nature. Wisdom of respect in how rapidly nature can cause tragedy. Wisdom in witnessing God at work to heal brokenness. Wisdom in knowing God’s peace that calms all storms. Wisdom in seeing how loving and tough humans can be in the face of tragedy. All of this wisdom I now see flowing in the current of this painting.

After the devastating flood of water, came a beautiful flood of Grace. Neighbors and strangers poured into the area to help the afflicted. It is a wonderful thing to see. No one ever imagined this kind of flooding was possible here. And many never imagined the outpouring of love in response. Now, we are all a little wiser.

If you would like to help the victims of Middle Tennessee, you can go to this link.

www.nashvilleredcross.org

If you would like to know more about the NaCoMe conference center and how they have been affected by the flood, you can visit this link.

www.nacome.org