Weather Pics with a Twist

What did you see when you looked to the sky today?

Today while visiting family in Linn County, Iowa, the skies grew dark and ominous. The air was heavy and we anticipated violent weather.
My sister and I were on our way between her home and my husband's folks when we saw a lowering in the clouds. There was circulation in the clouds. Then I sighted a small triangular shape protrude from the bottom of the clouds. The funnel continued to grow as we neared my in-laws. I called Hubby on my cell phone to let him know what was happening. Just as we were pulling into the drive I remembered my camera that I always carry in my purse.

This was what we saw looking north from my in-law's driveway. The little black blurs in the sky are birds.

I continued to take shots, but the funnel seemed to go apart. That must have been temporary. According to news reports, the funnel touched down just moments later, but we couldn't see it anymore because of the trees. Fortunately, no one was injured.
It seemed like the twister was very close - maybe about a mile or so away, but Hubby figured out that it was probably about four miles away when I took these pictures.

When the local weather settled down, we headed for home which is about 100 miles west. The sky was very beautiful as we started, but we had to pit stop for about 45 minutes when we were half way home because of the heavy rain.
It's great to be home listening to the rain and the thunder.

Coming Soon: Regina Rooks at Sanford Museum!

This fossil is just a sample of the interesting things to see at the Sanford Museum in Cherokee, Iowa. In May, the first solo show of my paintings will be held at this very eclectic museum. The museum houses a planetarium, archeology and natural history exhibits as well as local historical artifacts.
The Sanford Museum hosts a new art exhibit each month. They invited me to exhibit my art last summer after their representative saw my painting that was on display at the Iowa State Fair. What a thrill this has been to me!
We had never been to the museum, so Hubby & I made the 150 mile trip last December. It was a fun time to visit, because they were all decked out for Christmas. The room where my paintings will hang was filled with bare branch "trees" decorated by elementary age students. SO CUTE!

If you're a regular reader, I've mentioned this exhibit in passing in some of my posts. I have most of my paintings prepared. Now I need to get labels made and revise my artist's statement. I've been journaling thoughts, but it's time to get the job done. It just so happened that a blog I discovered last week gave some excellent journaling tips to help write an artist's statement. You might want to check out this link: Amano Books.

I'm very excited about this opportunity and very grateful to the Sanford Museum.

GPP Crusade No. 30: Why is the cow laughing?

This is what I was thinking as I toasted a sesame bagel and pulled the red tag that opened a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese. I think of it as "La Vache Qui Rit" because I first tasted this product when I was in high school French class. It's a French product and the label was in French. Now it's widely available with an English label.
It suddenly occurred to me that this would be a perfect topic to journal and follow the prompt for this month's Green Pepper Press Crusade. I already had plenty of thoughts to write down, I had ephemera to collage. Here's what I did:

If you want to try this cheese, this is what the package looks like:

One Reason to Love Iowa

This beautiful sunset graced the sky last evening. The only editing was to straighten the shot and cropping.

It is finished

This week, Christians around the world are observing events that occurred in Jerusalem nearly 2000 years ago. Jesus Christ, Son of God, was arrested, crucified and died. He was laid in a tomb. Three days later Jesus rose from the dead.
Jesus, who is God in the form of man, lived a perfect life. When he was crucified, Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for ALL sin, for ALL men. No longer would there be need for the sacrifices of animals by priests to answer for sin. Forgiveness of sin is available to all who come to God believing in Jesus and repenting of their sins.
Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many of his followers over a period of 40 days. Then he ascended into heaven. There is much more I could say. The Bible tells it better.

This artwork started as a random use of paints off my palette and favorite texture tools. You can see that below. I added more layers and textures earlier this week. As I turned the piece around, I saw the cross. I started thinking of lessons I've learned in my most recent Bible study. At the moment Jesus died, the temple curtain that separated all but the high priest from the Holiest Place was torn from top to bottom. We have free access to God. No longer do we need a priest or other mediator to communicate to God for us. There are places on this painting that remind me of tattered curtains. They remind me of the old way of coming to God.

I have greatly simplified my thoughts in this post. If you have questions, please contact me. The painting was revealing to me. It was a surprise to see that what I have been studying and contemplating came out in what I had consciously started as an abstract painting with no representation in it at all.

GPP Crusade No. 30 & Introducing My Hope Journal

Michelle Ward announced the Green Pepper Press Street Team's new crusade today. You can read all about it here.
What does a cat's tongue have to do with making art? Believe it or not, there is something called a Cat's Tongue Brush, but that's not what this crusade is about. Michelle has challenged us to add words to our art/visual journals.
This is a good challenge for me. I often create pages with colors and textures that I enjoy, but hesitate to add writing or anything else, for that matter. In December, I decided to start a journal based on the theme "HOPE". I have several backgrounds started, but few have any words. This is just the prompt I need to get me working on the hope project. I'll start the month by showing you my favorite hope page that I've already created.