reflections

Daily Drawing #160, The Details Are In The Background

| Whitt’s End Art

The drawing word prompt for today is, “background.” The title of my drawing is, “Black Cat in the Snow.” We live in a superficial society where everything is taken at face value. If we see what is right in front of our face and like what we see then it is okay in our book. There is an old adage that says, “You can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Literal translation, the details are not always obvious and are sometimes hidden in the background somewhere.

Throughout my lifetime, mystery novels have always been one of my favorite reads. Out of all the detectives in those novels my favorite detective has always been Sherlock Holmes. He is the master of observation. There is no detail he does not see those which are obvious and those found in the background. We need to be like Sherlock Holmes, no not detectives but people who look to the background and learn all the facts before we make a decision. The says in Proverbs 18:17, “The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.” Learn to examine everything in life and you will make wise decisions leading to less hassles in life.

 

Daily Drawing #159, First the Storm Then The Calm

| Whitt’s End Art

. The prompt for today is the word, “calm” and the drawing I created is called, “After Storm, Calm Lake.” In life we’re going to have storms. These storms usually come quickly giving us little time to prepare. I myself have been through many of these storms in the last couple of years the most recent being a bought with cancer and tumultuous school year which saw many changes in the classroom I was in even a change of classrooms. People often ask me how I can keep a smile on my face after all I have been through. The key for me is to weather the storms and wait for the calm.

I would be remiss if I didn’t admit to times of depression and worry which come with the storms. These are the times when I like Peter take my eyes off of Jesus and start to sink. Still I weather even these moments as well as the storms by keeping my faith in God and knowing He is there walking alongside me keeping me safe during the high winds and battering seas. This may sound cliche for some or tiresome for others but it is how I get through the storms and will get through those yet to come for however many years I have left.

Daily Drawing #154, The Befores and Afters of Life

| Whitt’s End Art

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.”

Daily Drawing #150, Time to Play Broomball

| Whitt’s End Art

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.

Daily Drawing #149, A Soothing Moment Each Day

| Whitt’s End Art

My art may not be noteworthy. My art may not hang in a gallery or in your home. While those things would be nice not being is okay with me.  You see I don’t create art I use are as my soothing moment each day to unwind from the chaotic world which surrounds daily life. We all need something soothing to occupy our down time. Some time where the cares of this life are let out of our minds. On this Memorial Day take the time to do something soothing and remember those who gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy. God bless. See you on the morrow for the next drawing. By the way the drawing is entitled, “Plain White Daisy.”

Daily Drawing #147, Burger and Fries Please

| Whitt’s End Art

One of my favorite foods is a good burger and fries. Sorry to all of you who don’t eat meat.  Over the years I eaten I’ve had the pleasure of dining on burgers and fries in many different places from burger chains to mom and restaurants. Sadly, as I age, my body has been telling me burgers are no longer welcome. Recently I eat more chicken sandwiches if I eat meat at all. I find I love my salads more theses days.

In life all things change. No matter how much we try to hold onto our youth it is just not going to happen. Just as our diets need to change with age so do out exercise regiment and need to keep our bodies moving. I plan to keep working as long as I kind, no not full time but at least a few hours a week at least to give myself so exercise after all the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 10:18, “Through sloth the roof sinks in,and through indolence the house leaks.” I for one don’t want a sunken and leaky life.

 

Daily Drawing #144, Silly As You Should Be

| Whitt’s End Art

The prompt for today was to draw a silly face. Here is my offering, “Silly Girl.” I am one of those guys who has a hard time not taking myself seriously. I don’t know why. I like to joke around with other people and I like quirky people, places and things. Still when it comes to creating art which is a little quirky or different I revert to trying to create traditional drawings. I want to let go and be myself when I create art. I am trying to branch out. The silly face drawing is one example.

I feel in life as in art we can’t always be serious. As children we do things which are off the wall, spontaneous and free from thinking. When we turn into adults we are taught to grow up. Well growing up is a good thing. In fact the Bible tells us to put away “childish things” when we age. The Bible is talking about being adult like in our dealings with with things like money. parenting etc.  Still in other areas we need some time to do things which bring a smile. Some of these things can be of like a “childish nature” like creating art.  Someone use to tell me when you think old you’re going to feel old. I think it was good advice to live life.

10,000 Drawings That Just Don’t Work

| Whitt’s End Art

A few simple words of encouragement from Thomas Edison who when questioned about his invention the light bulb had this to say, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

I find at times the life of an artist seems like a life of drawing maybe not 10,000 drawings that just don’t live up to our expectations but which lead us to other drawing. Many times we have drawers full of drawing which we may view as failures. I know I used to look at these drawing and shake my head. However I like Edison don’t see them as failed attempts but as stepping stones to those drawings and paintings which I really like.

Each drawing I create leads me to another drawing, then another drawing. I no longer have failures in art but pieces which just didn’t work.

Daily Drawing #141, A Furry Friend

| Whitt’s End Art


While I don’t think it is my forte I love drawing animals. There is something comforting about rendering a likeness of a furry friend.  My fascination with animals started as a child and was partly fueled by my first girl friend who had a red fox as a pet. They kept it in a huge pen on their property and you could actually go in the pen and interact with the fox.

Family trips to my sister’s farm in West Virginia also brought me into contact with many farm animals some of whom were a little ornery like the roosters. Those birds hold a grudge and  will fly at your head when they get mad at you. Nighttime in our neighborhood also brought out lots of raccoons like the one pictured in my drawing entitled, “Raccoon and the Yellow Flower.”

As I grew older and still to this day I have a fascination with animals and as I said they will appear in many of my drawings, especially dogs and cats.I hope you have enjoyed my artwork up until now. Until tomorrow remember we all need to have a little joy in our live, let it be drawing furry friends, or more importantly having the joy of knowing Jesus in your heart.