Warm is the prompt word of the day and my daily offering is simply entitled, “A Summers Eve Camping Trip.” I have only been camping several times in my life and I can say for sure it is not one of my favorite things, even for a guy from West Virginia. While I may not like camping I do like summer and cool summer breezes. So if you like camping as part of your summertime festivities then go out and camp. God gives us the gift summer for three months so enjoy it wisely and safely.
The prompt for today was to draw something, “before and after.” My drawing is simply entitled, “The Dandelions.” I guess technically a weed but before they are a bright yellow flower and after those puffy white seed pods which carry in the wind. Each year people spend millions in order to get rid of the dandelions before they can reproduce or even just grown. Still dandelions are persistent little buggers which come back it seems no matter how much we try to get rid of them.
In life there are befores and which depending on how we handle them can lead to good or bad afters. The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” In other words pray about your before situation and trust in God’s good decision making and the after will be a lot smoother. I like to say think about it twice and make a decision once.
When I was growing up I wasn’t always a good decision maker. My befores were usually spontaneous and off the cuff. In the end it left me paying for it in my afters. Some of those poor before decisions I am still paying for in my after to this day. So it summing it all up “think before you leap.”
In our society we don’t do much by candlelight anymore, well except those scented kind which rid the home of unwanted smell. In by gone days candles were the chief source of light along with oil lamps. I have often wondered what it was like reading by candlelight or any other task like sewing. People managed and people filled their, “Curiosities by Candlelight,” the title of my quick little drawing for today. The drawing is one of my practice illustrations. The curious little candle comes down off of his pedestal to read.
As a child reading was my thing. Others played sports, played in the band or just hung out but I liked to read. I read anything I could my hands on, fiction or non-fiction. I have lost count of the number of books I have read in my lifetime. The list keeps growing each day. The one book which is my favorite,The Bible, is still my go to book every morning, and at times in the evening. The Bible offers me advice, the Book of Proverbs, it give me direction for my life in Psalms and the New Testament. The Bible is not antiquated like some say. It is still relevant. I would read it by candlelight if I had to but the Bible is the one book I will pick up again and again.
Wow my 150th published drawing. It is hard to believe. Of course there are many more drawings which I drew in the course of this challenge but which I don’t know if I’ll publish. We’ll see. Today’s drawing is entitled “Broomball.” When I was kid we liked to play baseball. The problem was many times we didn’t have a bat. So we would get inventive and use what ever we could round up, sticks, brooms or maybe even a badminton racket. Brooms are a good choice because they have a big end which allows for better contact on the ball.
My advice for the day is this, don’t let the lack of something keep you from doing what you love. I love art but their are times when I am not near any if my art supplies so I improvise by finding a pen and a piece of paper. Even scrap paper will suffice. I then draw what I see and save the drawing to transfer or redraw later.
As a follower of Jesus there are many times we have to improvise, not by changing God’s message but in the way the message is delivered. There are some people who are ready to hear the message but others may not be ready. Let the Holy Spirit be your guide and you will be sure to deliver the right message at the right time.
The prompt I chose for today was the word, “wooden.” I had this picture of a stump for a while so I decided to use it for today’s drawing entitled, “Stumped.” I have a lot of trees near my house. In fact at one point I had two of them by house removed some time ago. When the tree service took the trees down they gave me an estimate for taking out the stumps. I was amazed to find removing the stumps would cost as much or more than taking down the trees. I asked, “Why?” The guy went on to explain that the base of the tree carries into the ground so they must bring in a stump grinder to get rid of the stump.
I am reminded that how deeply we are rooted into something is a good indication of how well we will stick with the task at hand. Of course this applies to faith in Jesus Christ. The deeper our faith the more we will stand like a tall tree when the storms come. However I think the simile of the tree stump applies to anything in life. How deeply rooted we are in loosing weight, trying to stop smoking, being a good employee at work and any number of things is how strong we will stand. The shallower our roots (belief in what we’re doing) the sooner we will fall when the strong winds come. So remember to make sure your stump will be hard to get out of the soil anytime you commit to something.
The task for today was to draw or paint a fence. The end result is my drawing “Me, My Dog and a Fence.” When I was younger one of my favorite songs was “Signs” by the Five Man Electric Band. I loved the part of the sing where he complains about people putting up fences to keep people out. Well as a child a fence for me was an opportunity see what was beyond the fence. Peeking through holes,cracks any opening I could find I would try to spy what was beyond the fence. Sadly as an adult I still have a fondness for trying to see what lies behind any fences I come across.
In life I think we do the same. We try look beyond the fence of each day ahead to tomorrow. At times we get so concerned about what is behind the fence we forget to live the life we have on this side of the fence. I know I am going through that right now because of my bought with cancer. Instead of, as the Bible states letting, “tomorrow worry about itself,” I let my mind wander ahead to the future beyond the fence instead of living in the here and now on this side of the fence. Each day I have to remind myself the fence is not only there to keep things out but to keep things in, as my life should be, kept in the here and now enjoying each day to the fullest.
Today’s prompt is the word, nest. The drawing is entitled, “Girl With Nesting Hair.” I am sitting here writing this wondering when my doodle challenge also turned into a inspirational challenge. Somewhere along the line I decided if I was going to draw something every day I may as well a few words to my posts. Since I am older and on the edge of retirement i guess those words have turned somewhat informative and inspirational.
I am not one when asked who will bot hesitate to talk about my faith and how much Jesus means to me. I am also one who has been through a lit in my life and want to share in case maybe you are going or have went through the same thing and just need a few words of encouragement. My wife and I have been empty nesters since last August. I must admit for me it was more traumatic than my wife. Don’t get me wrong my wife misses our children but my son and I had like interests. We could converse about those interests for long periods of time.
I miss those conversations in fact so much so some of those interests, like super hero movies and shows have lost their luster. I say this because if you’re an empty nester or close to being one I urge you to start to develop new interests with your wife. She will be the one who is also craving for something to do with the rest of her life. Start to travel, go places, do something together but find some way to channel the energy you used to use for raising your children.
Today’s prompt was the word, umbrella, which brought to mind an umbrella because of all the April showers. April is traditionally a wet month which waters the ground in order to help the beautiful flowers of May to grow.
In life we also have shower. Those times when life’s problems rain down on us so much we seem overwhelmed by what we are going through. Unfortunately in life we have no umbrella we can open to keep those rainy times away. We have to weather the storm until it passes on by and the sunny sky once more shines through the clouds. I make no apologies for mentioning the fact I am a believer and follower of Jesus. It is one of the reasons I started this blog.
My faith and my trust in Jesus is one reason I can sit here and type these words. In school I had many times of stormy weather, bullying they call it today, which left me with a shell of self esteem. It was not until I turned my life over to Jesus that I was able to have some semblance of a life where I could be me and not be ashamed. I do not tell you this because I am looking for sympathy but because I have been through many storms in my life and have persevered. Even now putting my art work out there for all to see was not something I would have done a few years ago. I hope you like my drawing, “Boy With an Umbrella.”
In our modern lives everything is all about transition, today’s prompt word.. It is figuring out before you take the first step how you’re going to get from Point A to Point B. Don’t get me wrong planning is good but there are times when we need to take off our logical caps and put on the caps of spontaneous creation. Art is one of those times.
When we art we need to be prepared to use transition not only in the creation of our drawings but also in when we apply color. My doodle for today is a tribute to Chuck Berry whose music was a true transition from the music of his early career. It is a simple outline drawing with some transition of color to give it a little pop.
Life is also filled with a lot of transitions. I remember when I first went to high school as a ninth grader. I walked into this building filled with giant people. I had to transition from being the oldest class in the middle school to the new kids on the block. It wasn’t easy. There were a lot of freshman class pranks I had to endure, loves sought and and lost and ever changing friendships but I got through it and came out the other side a little wiser.
Life can be like those high school years. There are going to be times when we are going to go through transitions in our lives and if we are not careful we can be overcome by them. The key to working through transitions is remaining faithful and seeking help if necessary.
The Ugly Artist 