Illustration Friday - Worry

This was a good week to think about the word worry. What came to mind was Jesus' lesson about worry that can be found in Matthew 6: 24 - 34.
I love these words: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them." "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" You can read the entire passage that inspired my watercolor sketch by going to the link above.

I journaled about this verse and did several quick sketches of lilies with a bird. I'd like to follow this up with a more detailed painting. By the way, the text was added in photoshop after scanning my painting.

We have a lot on our plate, and it's easy to be overcome with worry. The reminder to not worry has been very timely. Here's another verse that reminds me not to worry, but instead turn to God in prayer. Philippians 4: 6-7.

Blessings to you, Dear Readers.

Illustration Friday - Wide

It's been a very busy month with not enough energy left to keep up with blogging. But a bit of serendipity has worked to give me art to submit for IF this week. I've been working on a couple paintings. I audition some of my color schemes on ATC's. That's what you see in this post. This acrylic on paper.
Now just how does this fit the theme "wide"?
After I added the calligraphic marks on these cards, I realized they resembled the form of a woman's torso. Then I had to smile at a memory. Years ago hubby & I were visiting his sister & her hubby. We played Pictionary, women vs. men. During one round, both teams had to draw and guess. The word was "wide". Oh boy, what to draw. I drew lines similar to those on my ATC's. I drew a horizontal line with arrows across the area that would represent the hips. My sister-in-law quickly understood and shouted out, "Wide!" The men were stupefied. How did we get that so fast? My hubby was attempting to draw something that would represent a truck with a wide load. It was much too complicated for the competition.

I got a bit of good news today. One of my colored pencil drawings has been accepted in the Octagon Art Center's Community of Artists Show. You can see it here.

Other good news from this month is that I've been accepted as an exhibitor at the Central Iowa Art Association's Art Fair on July 20th. I'll share more details later.

Illustration Friday - Seed

I put this ATC together quickly so I could make the IF deadline. I've actually had sketches and ideas jotted down since January with this quote.
I used an HB pencil to write the quote on 185# paper. Glazes of green gold, cobalt turquoise and turquoise deep were added as well as the clip art of the mustard plant. Mustard seeds were pressed into a layer of soft gel medium. More layers of glaze were added.

In January I heard a sermon called "God's Quiet Kingdom" by Kip Hamby. He based the message on Matthew 13:31-35 . The Kingdom of God is compared to a tiny mustard seed that grows into a large plant. I found inspiration in this statement: "It is God's good and mysterious way to use that which is small and hidden and quiet." There is much to contemplate in that statement.

So, prompted by the Illustration Friday topic Seed, this is my first version - quickly rendered as an ATC. I'd like to do a more developed painting in the future.