Fresh Starts: Invitations to Change

My favorite part of a painting is the beginning. It’s fun to see a face form on canvas—kind of like meeting a person for the first time. My recent painting in process, The Invitation, captivates me with those mystical eyes that peer into my soul as if extending an invitation. READ THE ENTIRE POST...  

THE TRAVELER: AN ACRYLIC PAINTING AND INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGE

Have you every felt like a lonely traveler on a sojourn through life—always searching yet never finding what will once and for all fill that empty ache in your heart? I sure have. Oh I’ve enjoyed moments, days, and even seasons of settled; those wonderful times when God’s grace seems so real you can wrap …

New Refrain from the Identical Creativity Website

I wanted to let followers of this blog know that I had to shut down my former creativity website, Refrain from the Identical, due to hosting problems. I've launched the new website and will begin linking this blog to my new creativity website. The first post titled, Blossom, features my recent acrylic painting.

The Seer

“And a great hand reached out of the dark and grasped mine for a moment, mightily and tenderly. I said to myself, ‘The Veil between, though very dark, is very thin.’” -George MacDonald, Phantastes What stunning imagery MacDonald uses to describe God’s tenderness towards us. So often I see the veil as thick, impermeable, shrouding …

The Fighter: An Acrylic Painting

The Fighter is an acrylic portrait dedicated to those determined souls that have had to battle their way through this life. Her steely-blue eyes pierce your heart, calling you forth to never give up, to fight your way through, to be all you can be! So when the way seems dreary and your life seems …

Warrior Princess, New Mask Painting in Process

I’ve been working on a new acrylic painting, Warrior Princess, inspired by a mask my daughter, Elya, made and a poem and post I wrote. Far from finished, this painting has truly been a delight, as I explored contrasts of black and white and the use of bold colors, such as orange and red. Here’s a few …

How to Paint a Masquerade Mask

Here’s 5 helpful hints on how to paint a masquerade mask. I'm finally finished with an acrylic painting I've been working on for weeks and thought I'd pass on some tips on how to paint a masquerade mask. My daughter, Andrea, recently delighted me with the news that she's taken up acrylic painting. She asked …

The Pretender, Masquerade Mask Painting in Process

The Pretender is an acrylic painting that honors when hiding who you are feels right. I started by painting the top parts of the mask and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. Today I realized how far the project has come. Here’s a photo of the painting in the early stages. I find acrylic painting a fun and fascinating …