Take care of my family

I did these cards, with art on the fronts, for an experiment with a friend to build wells and feed orphans.

They were good but not real lucrative. I would not trade the experience though.

As I've been thinking about and hoping for another project to come along it occurred to me that tithing is like God asking us to take care of his family. I've never thought of it like that before but any act of charity or kindness is essentially that. When we give, we are providing for the larger body of people somehow.

I don't think we are required to do it but I think God is really thankful when we do step up. It is not unlike a mother or father providing meals and care for children, it is not unlike vets or doctors caring in their ways either...

Will you take care of our family here on earth? What will you do? How will  you do it? I am asking myself as much as you...

Good Mourning

I've been thinking a lot about mourning this week. I have had a really overwhelming stretch. An enormous amount of change, a challenging relationship landscape, a very strange job situation and many other things...

This weekend someone said to me, "just let yourself be sad and mourn it for a while." Yeah, I don't really wanna do that, however, I suppose it would be wise to address the feelings and not let them undermine the rest of life. Buried stuff just doesn't do much for a person.

So, I suppose I'll devote a little time to that, maybe a walk...something like that.

Mary, the Madonna, in the Michelangelo recreation above reflects those emotions. Not weeping, not inconsolable but reflective.

I just, also, listened to this clip: Part of [@donmilleris] session from Catalyst. http://ow.ly/4YKyV/ . And it is a good idea to enter time of reflection with some perspective on the whole of your life.

It is okay to be sad, but only for a while. After that, eyes up, you just don't know what's ahead.

"I'm gonna take care of you."

Yes, when I pray I sometimes sorta feel an impression of an idea, almost like words. It is often comforting, sometimes startling, and always welcomed. It took years of practice praying to be in this place. It takes time and quiet, it takes a clear head and a willingness to set aside all the distractions of life...

Meditating it is not, it is more like breathing, like walking, like an  intentional slowing to a resting place with a purpose. I've come to learn that if I show up with the idea "what do you have for me" I often receive some impression. Often it addresses the thing that is winding up my time and thoughts, sometimes it is regarding things I didn't know were bothering me. The last one was, "I'm gonna take care of you."

I haven't realized, until the last few days, but subtly over the last few weeks I've had this idea re-occur in my mind: just who do I think God is? How powerful is God? Do I think this is out of His control? 

Unfortunately, I do not act like I have a powerful God very often. That is a shame. That is not a good reflection of what I truly believe.

This photo of the Tiger Lilly has a beautiful quality about it, I have loved it since I took it. There is a sweet magical something about it that has little to do with the flower and a lot to do with reflected light and shadow.

If it weren't for the reflected light there would be a flower it would be beautiful but not necessarily striking, the water would not be seen although present. There is also dimension, pattern, movement contrast and value added because of the light and shadow.

I will be learning this lesson for a long time: I reflect what I act out regarding my beliefs of His power--I need to be intentional about deciding to believe in a powerful God. I also have dimension added to life by the shadows, these, over the whole, add texture and a beauty of their own--in the end I will be glad for that as well. I can gaurentee I will not learn this lesson quickly. And it will probably be introduced over and over...

Vultures and Hummingbirds both fly

I made this image for a woman I know who had triplets. One of each was put one a onesie for the babies. It is a cute idea. Children not claiming responsibility for trouble or for knowing something, but it is less cute when adults do the same thing.

I've struggled with present reality situations when others just avoid something because it is uncomfortable, I have a hard time not clearing the air--but you need two parties to cooperate to have that happen. It is sad that we live in a culture where we have so many distractions and enough affluence that we can just ignore "stuff" when it is uncomfortable. We might need one another to be healthy and according to the Bible, to experience true community is a part of active faith; but we can "function" without one another so we do that, it is easier not to be in others lives and junk.

I heard someone say once, "vultures and hummingbirds both fly"...both are looking for food, one fills itself with death and one with new life. Evidently, I didn't remember this until I did a search online, it is also a verse in Philippians somewhere. It is a brilliant contrast visually, and metaphorically.

The size, the lot in life, the things each look for... these are very different creatures.

I would like to be one seeking out opportunities and new life; it is very difficult to keep focused and devote time to what's important in a life filled with distractions of all kinds.

I still choose the TV over friends or sleep over prayer, even though I know they are dead ends. But it is a substitute less and less often as I realize, with time, I need each more.

I'm not saying' but I'm just saying

A couple times in my life I have had the unique privilege of wondering if people had seen my art before something else was made.

Now, obviously, this would be interesting and I don't necessarily believe that Michael's people ripped me off but, to me, there were so many similar elements...it made me wonder.


I did the poster below in 2002 or so.

But it is a strange feeling to know, and again, not this case but there were a couple others that were regional, that someone looked at your work and decided they could do it, too. Some say it should flatter you, I'm not sure, some say it is a compliment...sorta feels like being taken advantage of.

What did I learn from this? If you are going to "borrow" some idea from someone, combine it, change it and make it your own.

It was not okay with me when someone used a specific combination of geometric shapes copying something in my work...but it is okay with me if, like the the left, people use the spirit of the work, so to say, to create their own.

3 year old artist

My niece is 3 and she says she wants to be a painter when she grows up. She's pretty good at it. She and I did this painting last winter. It was pretty great.

I gave her the paint and told her to cover the whole background. It took about an hour to get the white canvas covered. I came behind her and added some directional stokes and later added the leaf prints. The color is all her.

My mom and dad have above their mantel. They are very proud of it and love to tell the story...I can't find my pictures of the process, which makes me very sad, otherwise they'd be shared here.

But along the theme of "what am I learning from my art?" I would say that I learned about flexibility, chance and they joy of the unexpected. Watching a 3 year old get consumed into a large project and just go crazy painting away, making random choices and then it turning out quite nicely was awesome.

You are incredible

"You are incredible."

I don't feel incredible but I've had the pleasure of hearing this a bunch of times over the last year, I can't say I believe it but that's what they said...

It stemmed out of relaying stories of wells, cookies, art and festivals--because of writing stories about these art pieces and taking some chances on shows and sales. I'm not incredible. I just made a decision: I have little to lose but some time and money. Risk and fear are the only big threats and neither is "real;" they are only emotionally based if you if you really think about it.

This piece is a Monotype, besides scanning and reproducing a copy, there is no way to make the same image again. They are truly one of a kind prints. We are all one of a kind, sorta like these with all the variation that comes from layers of trials and things pressed into it...you can't see what you are going to get until you choose to peel the paper up, the timing is up to you, the angle and pressure create the impression but is done mostly blind--paper face down.

We don't get to choose a lot of what happens to us, but there are a lot of things we do get to choose. Being active and pursuing something on your heart with, at least, some of your time, talking to people about what you want to accomplish and what they want to accomplish, and taking a risk or as Grace Pettis said at a house concert I went to, being willing to make a fool out of yourself for your art (whatever that is to you).

Don't sit and wonder, make strides toward, even if you only see a tiny part of the dream right now...pursue that. It is easy not to move toward a dream or idea. It is against the laws of physics to change course, expect to be tired or frustrated but it is more important to try.

I have not "accomplished" much but I have a significantly different outlook than I did a year or so ago. Not to mention having the pleasure of watching the effects on others and what has happened in a few lives, one in particular; another story for another time... At any rate, we shall see what the future holds. No matter what, I can say I've tried.

The Heart of the Matter

I'm working on this piece. It has a life of it's own. No irony intended with that phrase and the heart imagery...

I had this sample drawing I loved. I wanted to preserve it forever. So I took it and glued it to a board. Well, I was very sad to see that the paper expanded with the glue and then dried. I was left with a lumpy surface with a whole bunch of pockets of air underneath. There were a few options: trash it all, a good support down the tubes; or I could chisel it off and save the board, which would trash the drawing...or...a long shot, I could gently peel up the drawing in pieces, at least saving some pieces, and figure out how to treat the board.

That's what I did--the long shot. It worked okay but then I was left with a fuzzy paper-textured board. I gesso-ed it. Then came the collage, the pieces of the drawing found their way back to the board and finally more texture with dots and lines of gesso.

I wanted to do another heart, since the "It was:" piece. And the resource picture seemed to fit okay...this is the beginning. I will draw on it and add some whites in the next week or so. I think it will be finished shortly, but you never do know about these things.

"It Was: Hoping for Pentecost"

What I really like is that it was the long shot. I am finding out that the best ones are; that the less ownership I take, the less I get attached to a certain idea or imagery of the final product, the less I make it about my likes and dislikes, the less I believe there is a right and wrong way to approach things, the less I let my feelings get in the way the more I am pleasantly surprised by what happens. But isn't that the truth about life.

Alcatraz

It is interesting when you are confronted with something you didn't know and don't really understand.

I was at Alcatraz a few years ago and could not figure out why there was graffiti all over the island's signs...

Needless to say, I missed out on a pretty interesting history lesson until about 3/4 through the day. I'll let you do your own research.

I think of the rare, neglected and strangely beautiful place here and there. I was interesting and strange with all kinds of things to look at and read. There is a strange Gothic vibe in many of the pictures from there. And of course a sorted history, full of violence and protests.

I'm glad I don't know too much about violence or protests, I don't really understand either...and I'm thankful for that. In some way I think it also dulls my capacity to understand my need for a Christ figure, too.

Without a desperate need in your life, there is no desperate action toward saving grace. I appreciate what I know and who I believe Jesus to be but I am not sure I, as an American, know Jesus in the same way other people in the world do.