Merry Christmas 2010

In my garden, new snow formed a mantle on the angel statue.

The Shepherds and the Angels

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord  appeared to them, and  the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.  And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all  the people.  For unto you is born this day in  the city of David  a Savior, who is  Christ  the Lord.  And  this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 


And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”


When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
                                                        Luke 2: 8-20 English Standard Version

God has sent angels to make announcements to men and women over the ages.  How glorious this appearance must have been to those lowly shepherds out guarding their sheep by night...
The message is the same today.  It is for all of us.  Those who are placed low and high amongst men and women.
Jesus came to be our Saviour. 
Will you see this thing that has happened? 
Will you acknowledge Jesus is Lord and Saviour?
Will you return glorifying and praising God?

May you know the Peace & Joy that only Jesus gives.

Octagon's 43rd Annual National Exhibit



Oh, The Wonderful Cross I

This past week I received the happy news that the above painting has been juried into an upcoming national art exhibit at the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames.  I've been submitting entries the past few years, and this is my first acceptance.  Care to join me in doing the happy dance?


Oh, The Wonderful Cross II


To the left is another painting I submitted that won't be in the exhibit.
Both acrylic paintings have a lot of texture.  They started with layers of heavy gel medium that I incised to create texture. I mixed the paint into heavy gloss gel and applied it to the canvas with palette knifes.  I enjoyed the process very much.

The title of the paintings comes from a beautiful worship song that I sing with my church's praise band.
These words are from the chorus:

Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross
Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live
Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross
All who gather here by grace, draw near and bless Your name
 
 
The 43rd National Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Wood Exhibition will be on display January 28 – April 10, 2011.  The opening reception will be held on Friday, January 28, 2011 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. 

GPP Street Team Crusade No. 46: What's Your Hang-Up?

Previous GPP Crusade art framed and hung with related art.

 The final challenge presented by Michelle Ward for 2010 is to frame and hang some of our own art.  I have framed many of my art pieces, but many are not hanging on my own walls.  Thankfully, some are at the I Scallon Gallery in Ackley, Iowa and waiting for new homes.

Earlier this year, I created a page for this challenge.  I had originally intended to add the page to a journal I will bind with the year's challenges, but liked it so much that I put it under glass on black matting in a frameless frame.  Then I set it aside not creating a place to hang it.  I came across the art again shortly before Michelle put out this Crusade challenge.  I was already thinking of putting a narrow black frame around it and followed through with the thought.  I liked that better.  Now I just had to figure out where to hang it.

I decided to move a calendar and remove a wall quilt that had been hanging beside our lower staircase for several years.  It's an awkward space that gets a lot of traffic.  But I forged ahead...

A grouping of related colors and inspirations made sense to me.  As I wrote in the earlier post, I had been influence by Matisse to use black with the vivid colors I had laid down on my paper.  A framed postcard of his art is in the grouping.  Cezanne had influenced Matisse.  A postcard of that art is also in the group.  A print by Kandinsky that complements my color scheme and art sensibilities was added.
The silhouette painting on the far right is a watercolor that I painted several years ago and it had been in a solo position on a small wall.  It added balance to my grouping and helped to fill the space.

This was a good challenge for me.  It was good to put inspiration and results together.  I ended up calling my painting "XO Matisse."