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.

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.

Offering 20x20

20"x20"x1.5"
Oil on Canvas

with Palette Knife

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You may recall my previous posts in 2013 about on a series of florals titled "Offering." Today, I'm revisiting the concept with a looser, more abstracted painting technique on a larger canvas. 

Every Sunday, our church displays fresh flower arrangements during worship. They remind me of the beauty of creation, and the frailty of life. After worship, the flowers are composed into smaller arrangements and delivered to people who are home-bound or in the hospital. They truly are an offering of love and grace. 

Tulip Blaze

18"x24" Oil on Deep-Edged Canvas

with Palette Knife

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Iris

4x12

Oil on Canvas

SOLD

Keeping the spring palette for a second day. 

This time, a delicate Tennessee Iris.

Lavender

11x14

Oil on Canvas

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Starting the new year off with a touch of spring. 

Sycamore In Spring

8"x10" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

I love Sycamore trees. I call them "Lightning Trees" because their stark, white, branches look like a bolts of lightning to me. I have been itching to paint one for some time now. I finally got my chance while painting with the The Chestnut Group for the Cumberland on Canvas event. 

We will be sharing and selling our paintings for the Cumberland River Compact April 17 and 18. Details are in the attachments below.

Water Lilies

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 18 

I totally get why Monet painted water lilies. There is much to learn from painting this beautiful plant.

Trifetti Peppers

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days: September, 2014—Day 21

One of my favorite colors is purple. So, when I came across this purple-leaf pepper bush, I couldn't resist.

Little White Duck

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days: September, 2014—Day 5

Throughout the month, I will be painting subjects related to bringing awareness for Heifer Internaitonal. 

Ducks are very useful animals. They are easy to raise, don't need much shelter, and are happy in hot, wet or cold weather. They find much of their food like snails, bugs and weeds. Ducks can give us meat, eggs and warm feathers for a family to sell or use in their clothing.


I hope you take a moment to visit the Heifer Internaitonal website and learn more about ending world hunger "The Heifer Way."

Verdant Reflections

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

Here is another painting from Tims Ford Lake. (to see others, just click "lake" on the search list to the right.) This painting was on a particularly calm day. The afternoon reflections on the still water were long and bold. A great day to paint reflections.