A series of faith based poems and one liners which can be used in greeting cards and notes for any occasion.
— Read on Christian poems and One Liners
General Information
20 Bible Verses About “Paying It Forward” You Need to Read – HubPages
A Biblical perspective on the Pay it Forward project. The idea is simple help people and they in turn help other people and so on and so on.
— Read on Pay it Forward
3 Reasons I Like to Draw
I like drawing even more than I like to paint. Here are three quick reasons why.
1. Drawing allows me to see. Most of the time when I walk through the world around i don’t take the time to see what is there. Drawing allows me to take the time to see the details of what is there. To put down on paper my take on the
2. I love the simplicity of a line drawing. Line drawing allows you to create a representation of what you’re drawing without all the worry of trying to match the colors. A line drawing pops from the page as black (or whatever the color ink) is juxtaposed against the background color.
3. Drawing is surrendering. What I mean is that drawing takes away the stresses of the day and gives you time to surrender to the creative voice inside. We all have a creative voice given to us by God. It is only when we listen to that voice in a creative way, drawing, music, dance, whatever do we feel the worries of the world melt away. Oh by the way
I believe serving, teaching and other aspects of the Christian life are also part of the creative voice inside. They take time and effort and the direction of the Holy Spirit to perform.
note from the artist
via note from the artist
These are wise words from a fellow artist. Please read.
Being Normal is Boring
How to start this short article? How indeed. All through my younger and adolescent years I heard phrases like this, “Why aren’t you normal?” Or “Why don’t you act normal?” I was always trying to figure out what was normal. To me I was normal.
I have discovered that each person has their own normal which has nothing to do with right or wrong, good or bad. It is just the way we go about our day. The things we do our habits so to speak.
Why is this important to know as an artist? The main reason is this. We need to be ourselves, our normal when we create art pieces. I have heard it said, “Art comes from the heart.” Down where our normal exists. God gives each of us our normal, our unique gifts. It is okay to use other artists work for inspiration but it is more important to be yourself because that is what makes your art, your art.
In the New Year try not to be so normal in your artwork because it is boring. Create art outside the normal i.e art from the heart.
An Accidental Artist
I have very limited art training. The sum total of my formal training being a few classes at the local community college. I am what I call an accidental artist. I stumbled into it because I wanted to be a cartoonist like Charles Schulz. I started drawing my own cartoons based on a cat I used to have.
I then moved on to silly cartoons panels. I even got to the point where I would send my cartoons out, yes send them out, to the big agencies. Most just sent back the standard, “Don’t call us we’ll call you,” letter.
A little while later I took a class on pastels. I loved and still love the ease of use of soft pastels. Now oil pastels are a little more difficult to use but I love the brilliance of the colors. Today I have branched out to all mediums.
What is the point of this whole ramble? Just this, do not devalue you artistic ability just because you’re what I call an accidental artist. Someone who just for the shear joy…creates. An artist is an artist.
Replicate or Recreate, That is the Question
When I first started to draw and paint I wanted to be one of those artists who replicated what they saw. You know what I mean. One of those artists whose paintings looks exactly like a photograph. So over the next few years I struggled and put a lot of pressure on myself trying to grasp the secret or making an exact copy of the image before my eyes. Art became more of a chore and less fun. One day I decided replication art was not my cup of tea.
I felt art should be more about re-creation than replication. As an artist I felt the need to recreate what I saw. Right then an there I decided to create paintings and drawing using my frame of reference with a little whimsy thrown in here and there. I leave replication to those artists whose talent rests in creating exact pieces. There is nothing wrong with being exact it just never settled into my temperament. These days I find myself creating a lot more abstract paintings consisting of a little exactness woven into a tapestry of whimsy.
In the end the question for all artists is going to be whether to replicate or recreate? The choice for you is going to be found in your heart
3 Reasons to Art; A Brief Overview
I have delved into creating art for most of life. The reasons I started to create art are various. Here are three.
- I returned to my love of art over three decades ago. One of the reasons is it helps me to relax. At one point in my life I dealt with anxiety issues. One of my doctors suggested I take up a quiet hobby. I used to doodle so I figured I would try my hand at cartooning. One thing led to another and I started to create more fine art projects. Art still helps me to relax.
- The second reason I love to art is the challenge. I am a self taught artist. A lot of what I know comes from books and lately YouTube videos. Trying to become a better artist is not only restful but it also challenging. I also look for drawing projects which are hard for me to draw. This I feel helps me grow as a person as wells as an artist.
- The last reason I art is because I love sharing with others what I create. I know I will probably never become rich off of my art but it doesn’t matter. My goal for creating art, other than it relaxing nature and the mental challenge it brings, is to maybe bring a smile to someones face. Art by it’s very nature is a participation media. Artists create so others can see or hear the fruits of our labors.
These are the three maim reasons I create art. Maybe you can add your reasons as comments to this article.
Art is in the process?
I have always thought of art as this complicated and illusive process whereby you spend hours trying recreate something set before your eyes. In the same light I must say I have never really thought of calling myself a true artist. When I survey my body of work I see some highlights but more even more low lights which are not offered up for view.
However over the last almost two months of doing the simple drawings on this blog I have discovered that the meaning of art for me is in the process of creating a simple drawing, a full fledged painting or an assemblage of paper and paint. I no longer worry what the end result of the whole process will be but have fun delving into the process of creating which I believe is one of the reasons God,our Creator out on this earth. We ate meant to create and enjoy our creations.
While someday I would love to sell some of my art work I will spend whatever days I have left reveling in the process of creating art.
The Ugly Artist 