painting with brooms and anything available

remember my post about working on large scale projects?

here are some photos of the process. i was one of 12 people who worked on this project at various times over the last 3 weeks.

the 3 paneled canvas painting is now hanging in the Vineyard Boise church sanctuary as a backdrop on the front stage, to coincide with a new sermon series on the "heart of David".

this coming Sunday Jan.4 at 9am and at 11am, myself and the director of our VineArts ministry will be painting on the finishing touches during the morning services. we will do this as a creative expression of worship along with the band that will be leading the congregation in singing.

i have a deep belief that we can worship God through all of the various aspects of our lives (not just when we're attending church). Art is a large part of my life and who i am...and when i do it with my whole heart...i enjoy blessing God through my creative efforts.

photos taken by J.N.

"Coffee Talk" (My End of the Year Newsletter)

"FARTHER UP & FURTHER IN"

That’s a quote from the Chronicles of Narnia written by C.S.Lewis. It’s an attitude of the heart to continue the journey set before the traveler.No turning back. No giving up. Always moving forward, pressing on to the goal. This is a journey of discovery and exploration(as John Eldredge says). With each step I take I am learning more about my heart and my desires...I’m learning that they are good and worth seeking out. So this year was about me & God. It was about painting & travel, ministry & support, friendship & family. I read some great books, created some new art, encouraged some beautiful people, visited some amazing places,wrote some fun blogs & made some great memories.

IRELAND:

This year I had the amazing privilege of traveling back to Ireland. It was my second trip to the Emerald Isle (my first trip was the summer of 2005 with my parents). This time I traveled with some friends from the VineArts Ministry that I’m involved with at Boise Vineyard. We toured all over the Republic in May. They’re photographers and artists, so our trip consisted of exploring picturesque landscapes, ancient celtic ruins, castles and monastic sites to photograph, sketch, paint, and enjoy. I also had the chance to do a little bit of family ancestry searching on my Mom’s side. There’s such rich history in the land and everywhere you go, the people are friendly and welcoming. I know I will always be going back to Ireland...it’s deep in within my heart (just as Scotland is).

to read more about my trip to Ireland, visit my blogsite: http://www.uiscebeatha-wateroflife.blogspot.com

PARIS & GERMANY:

In September I got to experience my second trip to Europe this year. I traveled to Paris & Germany with my parents. We have friends who live near Frankfurt, Germany and it had been many years since we’d seen them. We decided that it was time to go for a visit. We thought it would be fun to stop off in Paris first on our way. I fell in love with Paris! It’s an artists’ dreamland! The atmosphere of the street-side cafés, the glorious beauty of the architecture, the museums full of art, and the delicious foods. It was all such a wonderful experience. And then we took a train to Germany. We had a great time with our friends. They showered us with hospitality. We got to taste some amazing foods, see some gorgeous castles, and learn about the life in Germany from past to present. It was a priceless experience.

to read more about my trip to Paris & Germany, visit my blogsite: http://www.hanginoutineurope.blogspot.com

PAINTING:

This year has been an incredible year of creativity for me. I’ve been able to be a part of some really impactful artistic experiences. And on more than one occasion I have been stretched out of my creative comfort zone to try new things and be utilized in new ways with art. I was given a travel set of watercolors for my trips to Europe. This freed me up to be able to sketch and paint while I traveled...from the ancient green bog-lands of Ireland to the endless halls of the Louvre in Paris. Back home in my art studio I will be creating larger oil paintings (from the wee watercolors that I did on my trips). I’ve also continued to be in leadership with the VineArts ministry at the Vineyard church in Boise. This has given me endless opportunities to work with other artists installing art exhibits for our VineArts Gallery, doing workshops, writers groups, downtown Boise art walks, art hangouts, our Annual VineArts fundraising Gala, and collaborating on paintings for a purpose (like the RE:FORM ripple effect backdrop for the sanctuary, and the Art & Worship day for 60 students at a local university). I love being utilized in this way for God’s Kingdom. I am currently helping to paint a new backdrop (3 large canvas panels, each 11 ft high & 18 feet long) that will be hung in the sanctuary in January to coincide with a new sermon series based on the heart of David (from the Old Testament). And also in January I will begin to co-lead a home group for artists and will continue to paint & be involved in ministry as much as I can. Beyond the arts ministry...I am still painting and selling with my art business "REVELATORART". I've also had some new doors open recently for my business where I will get to paint for some special public events (downtown Boise) in January (i'll blog about that here on this site in more detail later). I am really loving being an artist!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

May you be surrounded by love and may you know His Love.

Dive Deep!

photo taken by T.&K. N.

working on large scale projects

being on the leadership team for the VineArts ministry at the Boise Vineyard gives me many opportunities to play with paint and hang out with friends doing art. this week we began our prep work for a 3 paneled canvas painting that we will be creating over the next 3 weeks. each panel is a little over 11 feet high and 18 feet long. The 3 piece painting will serve as a backdrop in the church's sanctuary for the new year and will coincide with the pastors' sermon series theme of "the heart of David" (King David from the Old Testament in the Bible) The Bible says that David was "a man after God's own heart"....so the backdrop painting will be an abstract representation of that concept. i will continue to post photos of the paintings' progression for you as it forms.

last year in January we did this process for the first time when we painted the backdrop for the sanctuary coinciding with the "RE:FORM" sermon theme focusing in the Book of Acts (New Testament in the Bible) you can read more about that project if you scroll down further on this blogsite to read the post title "RE:FORM".

today we built a huge stretching frame so we could staple each canvas to it in order to prime them. years ago i had worked as a professional canvas manufacturer for a local art supply company. i gained some valuable skills from that job regarding stretching & priming canvas and it's good to still be able to utilize them at times.

i'm very excited about the next 3 weeks as we work as a team to create this huge painting. i love the chance to work side by side with other artists. i love the conversations that go on, the laughter that is shared, and the learning that happens as we work together to get a project done.

by the end of the year we should have this finished and then it will be hung up behind the stage in the sanctuary as the backdrop where the worship band plays and the pastor speaks. during the first couple of Sundays of January-myself and the VineArts director will join the worship band on stage and we will be painting the finishing touches on the backdrop during the morning worship services while the band leads the congregation in singing. it will be an opportunity for everyone to experience the arts as an expression of worship to God.

and as a sidenote: during the month of January 2009 i will be painting at 4 separate events as an act of worship. i will blog more about this as time gets closer to each event.

photos taken by J.N.

painting landscapes

I've been creating abstract collage expressionist paintings so much lately...that many people forget or don't even know that I paint impressionistic landscapes in oil too. 

After traveling to Europe twice this year I have a tons a inspiration to paint from and have now begun to put paint to canvas to capture some of those moments abroad. 

I spent a month on the Emerald Isle of Ireland in May and then a week in Artistic Paris and a week in Beautiful Germany in September/October. 

Here is one of the paintings I just finished. It's a 16x20 oil on canvas. It's of a tree and rock wall that I stood by in Tipperary, Ireland. 

When I paint my oil landscapes, I exclusively use Winsor & Newton Oil Bars and Sennelier Oil Sticks. I layer the colors (dark to light) so I can create depth. I use my fingers to mix, blend, and paint right there on the canvas. This technique creates a very impressionistic style and is a lot of fun for me (as I am a very tactile kind of person: so to get my fingers right into the paint and to feel the texture of the canvas as I move the paint around is really cool for me!)

I like to paint scenes that I've actually been to...so I can create emotion into the painting as I remember how it felt to be there. 

I utilize photos that I take when I travel on my trips as a reference for what I paint. And actually when I was in Ireland and also Paris/Germany I knew that I would be using the photos to paint by later on...so I did my best to set up a scene (composition, lighting, mood, subject of interest, etc.) to make it easier on myself once back home and in my studio.

When I paint landscapes I listen to music that either is representative of the place (ex. Irish music for Ireland) or music that I might've been listening to on my iPod when I was visiting the place (ex. soundtrack to the movie "Once" set in Dublin). 

If you're interested in seeing some of the impressionistic oil landscapes I've done in the past...there are 2 short slideshows of some of my paintings on this blogsite (one that you can click on a link to go to: located on the right hand sidebar. and the other was a previous post labeled "slideshow of my paintings": just scroll down the page).