art

April Showers Bring May Flowers, Doodle #93

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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.”

Fast is the New Slow, Doodle #91

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Today’s prompt was the word, “fast” so I created a picture of some butterfly’s. While butterfly’s  are  not the fastest things around they do flit from place to place which kind of reminded me of the people I see each day. We live in a world where time is a commodity to be used as efficiently and as quickly as possible. Everybody seems to be in a hurry even some of us artists, including me. I have loved art and have been drawing in one capacity or another since I was a child drawing blue prints.  There is one aspect of my art I still have yet to grasp. Getting the details the way I want them.

The reason, I like to get my piece done and move on to another one. There are so many things I want to paint or draw I feel I must keep going, not taking the time for details. Some of the art work I have created doing using this method have worked out well, others not so much. Case in point. I love to draw faces and flowers. Each one is unique and require a little more detailed observation. I need to learn to slow down when drawing theses subjects in order to get the detail I want. Speed will come later.

Life I feel is the same way. We need to slow down in order to insure we don’t miss any f the good stuff in life. There are so many people I talk to who say, ” I wish I would have taken time to go to my kids games” or “spent time with my wife maybe we’d still be together.” There are times in life when fast can’t be the new slow but the old slow must become the norm.

Every Day Has a Future, Doodle #90

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Well it has been three months and I am still rolling along with my doodle challenge. At the start of the challenge I had high ambitions for the future by creating a piece of art every day. Once I started I decided, because of time constraints, to switch to doodle drawings. In the future I plan on going back and redoing some of the doodles into full fledged art which I will re-post. Some of the others I feel are pretty cool as they are and I will reproduce for resale.  The rest still will go into my good try but not ready for prime time file.

As an artist getting to the end of any art work is both an exhilarating as well as an oh no experience. The oh no part can come with staring at the future and the start of a new project and wondering where do I go from here. I however am one of those artists which has a number of projects going on at once. I always have a future piece waiting on an easel or drawing board.  I chalk it up to my adult ADD but it keeps me from suffering the moments where you sit around staring into space wondering what project to do in the future.

Outside of art, any new start , a job, a relationship, whatever it may be is fraught with future expectations and nervous feelings to control.  I learned years ago from a book entitled, “How to Eat an Elephant,” by Bill Hogan, which is actually a financial advice book. any big task or future expectation must be broken down into bite sized pieces. These smaller pieces allow you to get the task done without it seeming so daunting.

When I first started this challenge I panicked because I thought there was no way I could do that many drawings. Then I remember the task was made of 365 smaller tasks one done each day. I could meet the challenge. So in life don’t panic when you have to do something big just brake it down to smaller portions. I have found this also works in art. I hope you like today’s doodle, “Contemplating the Future.”

The Climax is Not the End, Doodle #89

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I admit today’s doodle is not really a doodle it is an acrylic painting I am currently working. The painting fit in better with today’s prompt the word climax, which of course means the end. The climax of any story is the moment when the lot line reaches the final act which should tie the whole story together. In art there is also a climax when we step back from a piece of art and say aha, we’re done or are we?

The piece above entitled, “Winter Pine Tree,” is not a finished piece of art. I still have to do some work to complete the tree. I first looked at the picture and thought I was done but still felt like there was more to do to finish the picture. The problem I have with my paintings is I feel like I never reach the point where I can put the painting aside as a finished painting. Many of these unfinished works, at least unfinished in my eyes, I look at years down the road and am amazed at how well they look.

As always I have a life message for you. As I reach the climax years of my life there are times I look back at my life and think I am done. There is nothing more for me to complete. Then like a work of art in progress I look at may life and think there are a few more brush strokes which can be added to the painting. This is why the title of this doodle is, The Climax is Not the End” is because we must never view our lives as finished because there is always something out there to be done.

Getting from Point A to Point B, Doodle #88

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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.

Keeping Things Light, Doodle #87

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I have to admit when I first saw today’s prompt the word “light” I wanted to talk a little bit about how as Followers of Jesus we are the light of the world. Instead my mind wandered to having a light mood.  Then I decided to do something I haven’t done in a number of years, create a cartoon panel. What came out can roughly be ruled an illustration but hey, I tried.

I was always told growing up the best medicine for a sallow heart is a smile and laughter. I think that is true when I feel down I draw which brings a smile to my face and my mood instantly rises. When I really want to lighten my mood I watch a good comedy so I can laugh. While laughter only lightens the mood for a little while it is still a little while we are not thinking about what is going on around us.

Proverbs 15:13-15 states ” A glad heart makes a happy face,” but a smile also lightens up those with who we come in contact. Think about it. Would you rather talk to a person who is smiling and happy looking then one who can be the proverbial downer all the time. I have always tried to not take my inner feelings to the workplace. I greet others with a smile and a hello no matter what I am feeling like inside. It is not easy to do bit I do it anyway.

Till tomorrow here’s to smiling more, laughing more and changing the moods of others around you. I hope you enjoy today’s doodle

Warning! The Road Ahead May be Rough, Doodle #86

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Life is often referred to as a journey or a long road we travel on from birth to death. Today’s prompt was the word “rough” which got me to think the road we travel on is seldom smooth and straight. It is more like the roads in PA where I live rough and full of potholes. When we are young, if we are blessed, there are not to many potholes we have to avoid, maybe our choice of a college, a significant other.

As we age and life starts to overtake us the road can become a little rougher to travel and the pot holes can become much larger. The key for me in filing in all those pot holes is putting my faith in God and trusting Him to lead me around or over the potholes. Life after all should not be about just surviving each day being cranky it should be about living.

 

Cats are Cool Creatures, Doodle #85

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I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not but I seem to have a fondness for drawing and doodling cats. The reason is I think cats are the coolest creatures. Like the Fonz in the old Happy Days show cats do things on their own terms. When my son was still at home and had his cat in my house I was often reminded of how much a cat runs the show.

On the other hand cats can also be loving and affectionate. They will curl up next to you on the couch, walk on you in the middle of the night and meow like crazy until you show them some love in return.

My doodle today is “Ode to Cat People.” I hope you enjoy the drawing.

Where Did the Magic Go?, Doodle #83

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The first thing that popped into my head when I heard today’s prompt, magic, was Supertramp’s The Logical Song and the lyrics, “When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful, A miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.”  When we are young it seems everything is new and magical. We accept what comes our way with a childlike faith and a lot of questions including the proverbial..why?

Then as the song on to say they, “send me away to teach me how to be sensible,
Logical, responsible, practical. And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable, Clinical, intellectual, cynical.” As we grow up and learn in school the wonderment in the world around us fades away. We no longer see the things around with wide eyed faith but try to analyze what we see.

Jesus however in Matthew 18:3 says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”What he is saying is simple. Have faith like the faith we had when we were children. We did not sit around and try to analyze everything we around us, we simply believed and had faith we could do whatever came our way. As adults we think too much. We need to go back to those carefree days and just have faith.