A Season in Life

Throughout our lifetime here on Earth, we go through many seasons, depending on how long one lives. My favorite season of the year is autumn, for all the beautiful changes of color, the smell of leaves, and the crispness of the air. Even the dishes we cook will change...Yeah! It's not too hot for stew anymore!

So far, my favorite season in life has been in raising my son's, Nick and Jack; with all the changes throughout their rapid growth...it all goes so fast...they are now in their mid 20's! How fast those years fly by is why I give the advice I do to others raising their children...enjoy each day as it comes, love them right where they are at, in the presence of them being a God given present. I gave away time with my son's by looking too forward for their next stage in life; time I could have spent in that present moment.

This painting I had started years ago, but the background was different, and I didn't care for it; was mostly green except for some flowers I tried painting here and there and ended up looking like a bunch of bug splats. The doe was also in a different position. She had her neck turned back, looking behind her...although from the way I had painted it, she looked like her head was on backwards, which by the way, can happen if you spend too much time living in Regret Land. So, after finding a video on painting trees, I thought I would practice painting them in this painting...adding the foliage was fun using a sea sponge, and I repositioned the doe. She is resting while her two fawns are napping.

The season of life I am least fond of is traveling on the downside of the hill....Ha! From living most of my life identifying myself with my body, to see the effects of aging is rather disturbing at times...most days I have a grip on it all, but there are some days when I find myself really struggling with the physical changes. I then remind myself of how God works all things, even the bad (or so it seems), to His Glory...and God's Glory is beyond the best we can even comprehend. So, from learning from the mistake of not living each day as it comes, I can choose to be thankful for His gift of life, which helps me to accept His love, so I am able to love others as myself; letting go of the identification of the exterior, and becoming one within, in the One who has created us with purpose.

"Power of Prayer"

"Power of Prayer"

A friend of mine challenged me to paint this from a print plakit he came across at a garage sale. Come to find out the original artist is Danny Hahlbohm; what an awesome inspiring artist! His paintings look so lifelike it's amazing...here is a link to his website if anyone is interested in checking out his artwork, and his artist archives about how his faith in God has inspired him.
 http://www.inspired-art.com/inspiredartworks/home.html

My painting is done in acrylics (Hahlbohm uses oils). I'm just uncomfortable breathing in the toxic fumes, even the odorless brands of brush cleaner, and then there's the storing of flammable chemicals. Maybe if I had an art studio with exhaust fans, I would want to work with oils too.
***Update**** July 2013
But because I had purchased some oil painting products years prior, I decided to give working with oils on a painting I wanted to try.... mainly after checking out Hahlbohm's art site, purchasing a video to try and get me inspired. Here is one I did, turned out okay...better than I anticipated it would. My son, Jack, really liked it, so gave it to him. Was fun to paint, would like to do another, but this time would like to try the new water-based oil paints...I'm pretty sure I didn't just dream them up.