drawing an ordinary thing

***

Canon 6D

Tamron SP 24-70 f/2.8 lens

Manual Mode

ISO 200

f 3.5  1/25 sec

on tripod

LR preset: kk_likeadream

Texture: kk_follow

Drawing

done with

Prismacolor colored pencils

Sketchbook page

embellished with

stamping ink

paint

collage

I can't prove it,

but I do believe

this pear

tasted

especially

delicious.

***

Linking up with

Be Still 52 (week 32)

Friday Finds

Texture Tuesday

Sketchbook Skool (Beginnings)

not still life...real life

So

I've been busy lately

...

watching my child

watch her child.

It doesn't get any better.

***

Canon 6D

Tamron SP 24-70 f/2.8 lens

Manual Mode

ISO 1600

f 3.2  1/100 sec

LR preset: kk_barelycolor

Texture: kk_epic

Drawing

done with

Sanford UniBall Fine pen

***

Linking up with

Be Still 52 (week 30)

Texture Tuesday

P.S.
Happy Birthday
to my own
Mom
Great-Grandma Peggie

trust: one little word for 2015

I said I wasn't going to do it this year...I can't make up my mind; I don't want to confine myself to just one word; I usually forget about it by February anyway; I have too much else to worry about...

...and then it came to me. In the dark of the night (actually the wee hours of the morning, when I tend to wake up anyway, with my mind/heart in gear for the day):

t  r  u  s  t

Actually, I have been 'trusting' for a few years now - albeit sporadically and in varying degrees - in two important areas of my life: Faith and Art. (Relax, family and friends...you all are in the Love area, which is inextricably linked to these two.) This year I am really going to focus on it, pray on it, and reflect upon it on a daily basis.

1.

Trust in the Lord

Fear is useless,

what is needed is trust.

Luke 8:50 and Mark 5:36

(paraphrase)

(and a favourite of my Canadian husband's)

"Fear is useless, what is needed is trust," seems to be a pastoral translation, and while it strays a bit from the literal meaning of the underlying Greek, it does seem to speak to men of our time. I know many people that have this particular translation memorized instead of "Fear not, believe only," without actually owning a copy of the St. Joseph Ed. NAB from whence it comes. People hear it, remember it, and take it to heart. I was shocked when my search for 'fear is useless' in the 'Faith Database' came back with nothing in all of its Bible translations. That is what lead me to this discussion forum. I am glad to know which Bible translation it comes from so that I can continue quoting the phrase with a bit more certainty.   ~ Carson Parker

detail from the piece

'Faith, Hope & Love'

which I made

a few years ago

And believing that art - whatever form it takes - is my Creative Calling, it goes hand-in-hand with Trust in the Lord. So (note to self)...

2.

Trust the Process

There's been a lot written about the creative process, and I have studied it for many years. At some point, pretty much everyone talks about trusting the process...for good reason. Here are a few of my favorites:

The War of Art, by Stephen Pressfield

The Creative Call, by Janice Elsheimer

The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp

The Everyday Work of Art, by Eric Booth

The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron

Walking on Water, by Madeleine L'Engle

Art for God's Sake, by Philip G. Ryken

and anything by Frederick Franck

A quick google search netted many hits such as these:

10 ways to let go of fear and trust the process
Trust the Process: the Creation of Holistic Art
...and a handful of blog posts by artists like me

It was actually Ali Edwards, one of my favorite artists, who first introduced me to the annual One Word concept many years ago. This year I am finally taking her class: One Little Word Project. I'm hoping - trusting - that it will help me follow through this year.

***

Linking up with

Friday Finds

Ali Edwards

mary's boy child

Long time ago in Bethlehem

So the Holy Bible say

Mary's boy child, Jesus Christ

Was born on Christmas day.

Hark, now hear the angels sing

A new King born today

And man will live forever more

Because of Christmas day.

music and lyrics

by

Jester Hairston

sung

by

Harry Belefonte

***

LR preset: kk_litely

Textures: kk_waterfront30 and kk_myrtle

Drawing: newborn Fen (from my own photo files that day)

Linking up with

Be Still 52 (week 29)

Texture Tuesday

***

Merry Christmas!

in this place

...and I knew it not.

Genesis 28:16 

Sometimes it is hard to believe

that God is

present

in our lives,

especially

in

trying times.

If He seems distant

we have only to

reach out

to

Him.

I remind myself of this on a regular basis.

***

LR preset: darkmood

Textures: kk1 and kk-magic0916

Linking up with

Be Still 52 (week 27)

My Still Sunday (via Instagram)

Texture Tuesday

an american-italian thanksgiving

These things

say

'Thanksgiving'

to me:

Canon 6D + Tamron 24-70 lens
LR preset: kk_earthywgrain

PS textures: kk_waterfront1 and kk_waterfront21

as seen on Instagram
iPhone 6 captured with Camera+ app
edited with Leonardo and Stackables apps

family heirlooms

now in my keep:

ravioli rolling pin,

collander,

macaroni pot,

Italian embroidered linen tablecloth
and matching napkins

(a wedding gift for my folks in 1953)

***

This is what

Thanksgiving dinner

looked like

in our family:

homemade ravioli

with

homemade ricotta filling

and

the best ragu

you ever tasted.

We kids never had a traditional

Thanksgiving turkey dinner

until we were

grown

and living on our own.

For the record,

none of us

ever objected.

Also for the record,
we considered ourselves
Americans
of
Italian/Irish/Swedish
descent.

Greg, Cindy, Mom, Grandpa,

'Dudie,' Adrienne, Lissa

(Dad was behind the camera)

Thanksgiving 1966

at Dudie & Grandpa's house

Dudie wisely got out her best

plastic faux lace tablecloth

for us kids

(tomato sauce stains quite reliably)

Greg, Cindy, Adrienne, Lissa

making ravioli with Grandpa

in our kitchen

November 1969

See the rolling pin?

The tradition continued

- in a way -

when we kids

had kids,

only now it's

Christmas Eve

dinner...

Linking up with

Texture Tuesday

Be Still 52 (week 25)

Happy Thanksgiving!

humble of heart

There's something about

dried flowers

that speaks

to me

so

eloquently

of

life.

LR preset: kk_pause
Textures: kk_anne and kk_bamboo

I gathered several of these
'daisy heads'
from my garden
this fall.
I found them
to be
infinitely more
captivating
than their
showy summertime
incarnation,
the black-eyed susan

I set up
this little still life
and captured it
with my iPhone 5
just so I could
experiment
with some apps.

as seen on Instagram

It is a mystery that unless unless the seed falls to the ground and unless it dies, it remains alone. I realize that there are many things in me that must die before He can live: my pride, my ambition, my impatience, my anger. The difficulty in loving my neighbor, or listening to the problems of another. There is much that I must die to. But unless these things are conquered, He cannot live in me.

 Mother Angelica

***

Linking up with

Friday Finds