Deep Within

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: September—Day 7.

Deep within, I will plant my law, not on stone, but in your heart.
Follow me; I will bring you back. You will be my own, and I will be your God.

I will give you a new heart, a new spirit within you, for I will be your strength.
(Refrain)

Seek my face, and see your God, for I will be your hope.
(Refrain)

Return to me, with all your heart, and I will bring you back.
(Refrain)

Deep Within—Composed by David Haas. 
Text from Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26; Joel 2:12.

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And now for something completely and totally different. Weekends are for breaking away from the routine of the work week. So for these 30 paintings in 30 days, I will be breaking away from my slice-of-life and plein air subjects on the weekends. Instead, I will be exploring more abstract and conceptual art disciplines. For Saturdays, look forward to abstract paintings based on hymns and spiritual songs—like today's impression of  "Deep Within" by David Haas. 

Enjoy.

Stones River Cannon

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: September—Day 6.

Living in Middle Tennessee, there are a lot of civil war battlefields. They are hallowed places with haunting pasts. Today's painting is a plein air piece from Stones River Battlefield in Rutherford County. The day I painted it was peaceful and calm. But on the last day of 1862, the two armies of the American Civil War suffered 24,000 casualties. I’m thankful these places remain today for our remembrance. We should never forget our past lest we repeat it. 

While I was painting, a park ranger came and spoke with me. He said, "In all my years of working here, I have never seen anyone painting." I can think of no greater compliment. For me, the best part of plein air painting is getting to spend “quality” time with places and events. And the fruit of that time spent is a work of art.

You can read all about the battle of Stones River here.

http://www.nps.gov/stri/index.htm

“I can never forget, if I remember anything, that at the end of last year and the beginning of this, you gave us a hard earned victory, which had there been a defeat instead, the country scarcely could have lived over.” – Abraham Lincoln

Flying High

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: September—Day 5.

Want to know one of my favorite things about living in Franklin?
On a fair day, you can look up and see colorful balloons flying by. 

Mushroom

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: September—Day 4.

And now for something completely different. On a family hike, my youngest daughter was very interested in the mushrooms along the trail. She loved their shapes and colors. This one was particularly striking. It reminds me of a real life version of Nintendo's Super Mario "Power-Up" mushrooms. It certainly packs a punch as a painting.

Paddlin’ Around

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

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

Another view from our spot on the lake. This time, I painted the end of our cove. It was an interesting study of greens, but there was something lacking. The next morning, I saw a kayak gliding through the cove—silent and graceful. I just had to add it to the painting. It summed up the whole feeling of the lake. You see, the lake is a slow place. Despite all attempts to make life at the lake faster, via technology and agendas, the lake has an inescapable pace of its own. That pace slows us down. We are able to enjoy God's simple gifts. Things like gratitude of every day, appreciation of God’s creation and intimacy from genuine conversation with one another. With all of the water-skiing, tubing and boating, the lake is at its best when the water is still—where you just float along the gentle current. 

King of the Hill

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: September—Day 2.

As a child, I used to play a game called "King of the Hill" with my friends. One player (the King) stands atop a hill (or ditch as in our case). Challengers climb the hill and wrestle the king. The one who ends up staying on top is the new king. 

In this plein air painting from the lake, a solitary bale of hay rests atop a hill. This bale has been challenging me to paint it for some time. The best time to paint it is in the late evening when the light is the strongest, but fades fast. In the spirit of the 30 in 30 Challenge, I dared to wrestle that hill with paint. 

It was a tough fight. First of all, the sun vanished behind a cloud just as I was beginning. It returned just in time for me to record the dramatic light effects before setting for the night. The colors changed so fast. I mostly had only values to work with with fleeting moments of color checks in the setting sun. Assaulted by mosquitos and with hands covered in paint, I finally finished the painting by dusk. 

Although the bale of hay still rests at the top of the hill in this painting, I feel confident that I have overcome the challenge and won the game.

Good Morning

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: September—Day 1.

Welcome to another series of 30 paintings in 30 days inspired by painter Leslie Saeta. Today's post is a plein air piece from our spot on Tims Ford Lake. Mornings are hazy and peaceful on the lake—and today was no exception. The kiss of sunlight on the shady cove gives me a sense of new beginnings and hope-filled possibilities of a new day.