A Painting of Presidential Proportions!

I got to take on a very challenging and REALLY fun project over Christmas: Painting another person into an incredible painting by Andy Thomas in a much looser style than I’m used to painting in. We have a friend who loves Andy’s painting, Grand Ol’ Gang (shown below).

The original painting by Andy Thomas

We thought he would flip out if he were painted INTO it, like he was just hanging out with the Presidents (and I happened to have sneaky access to some great head shots of him). So, I did a little research on the best way to do this and preserve the integrity of the giclee’ while matching the style of the painting. It turns out that me and acrylics still don’t get along, though they are recommended for painting on top of canvas prints. But, after a little more research and an intuition check, I decided to treat the area to be painted with clear gesso and then I painted on top with my beloved oils. Yay for finding a way!

The completed painting! Our friend likes to hang out with VIPs.

Below is a close-up of my portion of the painting. He was floored when he opened it for Christmas and it made all of the hours I spent making it perfect so worth it! I’m framing it for him this week.

Detail of my work

I’d love to know what you think about this project. Comment if you like it. Share it on Facebook if you love it. Thanks!

Love, Loss and Letting Go… A Behind the Scenes Video of Mine For a Moment

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so I think it’s the perfect time to share a video that our team has been working on for quite some time: Behind The Scenes of my painting Mine For a Moment, which I painted after I lost a friend to cancer.

I’m excited that it’s finished, and that we now have a beautiful, moving way to present what this painting is all about, and remind people of our mission. From the beginning, we’ve been giving lithographs of Mine For a Moment away to people who have experienced personal loss or are working through grief in any form.

I’m amazed at how God has used this painting already to help bring peace to the couple who lost their child, the woman whose father passed away from cancer, and even a dear lady who had envisioned this exact scene at a retreat to help deal with aborting her baby over 30 years ago. (Read that story here.)

Mine For a Moment - Oil on Canvas

I hope that you’ll share this video on Facebook, Twitter, or by email.  Prints may be requested or donated to a friend either by visiting the Mine For a Moment website. More purchase options are available on TheArtistOfLife.com.

Cancer isn’t just something I hear about on the news or from a friend.  It’s very real to me now.  My Dad recently became cancer free after a year of waiting, treatment, and then finally receiving the great news that the cells were gone!  I’m grateful for the advances that are being made in medicine and treatment.  Consider taking this month and getting involved in the fight against cancer prevention and treatment.  Visit Susan G. Komen’s website for a great place to start.

“The Hour I First Believed” – My Latest Painting

Amazing Grace…

I’m walking down a familiar hallway for what I know will be one of the last times. I’ve come to visit my sweet, 94 year old granddaddy.  He greets me with a warm, toothless smile.  He’s frail, but strong in spirit.  He’s been longing for heaven for some time now, even telling us that he sees the gates and angels that await him. “Let’s sing,” he says.  I ask what he wants to sing, and he chooses “Amazing Grace,” his favorite. Together, we sing the words that he truly believes.  He has experienced so much of God’s grace in his 94 years, and though he mixes up some of the words now, we had a moment together that day that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.  We had only two more visits after that.

“’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.  How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”  Seven years later, as I sing these words now in worship, as always I remember my granddaddy.  But this time, I also see what I know will be my next painting, as clearly in my mind as if it was already completed.

The Hour I First Believed

A man, tattooed and masculine, is shackled, but Christ is releasing his chains.  It is the moment of his salvation… the hour he first believed.

As with most of my “God paintings,” I knew that to not paint it would be disobedience. However, I wanted to use a model who had truly experienced God’s transforming grace so I started looking.  I called the Nashville Rescue Mission that has a rehabilitation program for breaking addictions, and they directed me to a young man named Chris.

A Celebration of Easter – “Risen”

Good Friday and Easter Day!

As a child, I was perplexed by the name “Good Friday.” Wasn’t it the day that acknowledges Jesus’ death? Jesus, who was sinless and pure, who deserved no death, but who chose it? Now I grasp how good this day really is. It’s a day that represents the death of our separation from God. Our sin separated us from our loving Creator, and Jesus’ death bridged that gap. We couldn’t do it on our own.

The miracle and power of this weekend, however, lies in Jesus’ resurrection, which we celebrate on Sunday! Had Christ remained on the cross, we would still be lost. But he didn’t. Jesus was buried, but rose to life on Sunday, and showed himself to over 500 witnesses before ascending to heaven. Amazing!

I completed a painting last year which embodies the spirit of Easter, entitled “Risen.” An empty cocoon hangs off of one side of the cross, and on the other side, a butterfly ascends toward heaven. It is red and white, symbolizing both the purity of Christ and the blood which has saved us. This Easter weekend, don’t let the miracle of Christ’s resurrection pass you by. “It is Finished” changed everything.

This painting is available as a print here.

It’ll Cost You an Arm and a Leg…

My Dad came into town for his birthday this past weekend, and we decided to visit The Carter House, a site of one of the most gruesome battles of the Civil War (The Battle of Franklin). Dad’s a history buff, and I came along to support I actually ended up enjoying it a lot, and I learned a couple of things about art that I never knew…

During the tour, our guide Jim pointed to a portrait of a little child. We all assumed that it was a little girl because of the white dress and bonnet that the child was wearing. However, it was common back then to dress little boys in girls’ clothing until the age of 4, sometimes even up to age 7. One way to tell if it was a girl or boy in a painting is to see if there is an animal depicted with the subject. If it was a dog, the child was a boy. If it was a pony or a sheep, the child was a girl!

Below is a great example of such a painting, though no animal is depicted.

Jim went on to tell us that back then, portrait artists would spend all of the cold months painting headless portraits of children and adults in elegant settings with fine clothing and props. Then, when it warmed, they went out and asked people if they wanted their portrait painted, and if they said yes, they would choose a body they liked and have just their heads painted into it. However, if they wanted their own bodies painted into the portrait rather than the generic ones, it would cost them quite a hefty amount more. This is where the saying, “It will cost you an arm and a leg” originated!

Painting Outside of the Box

Last weekend, I was at a family’s home and one of their girls, Ravin, came to show me her latest creations in her portfolio. At not even 10 years old yet, she’s always impressed me with her creativity, but one of her paintings stood out to me:

What’s so great about this particular painting is how she created it. She laid down a quarter to mask the area where the sun was going to be, and splattered paint around it. I asked her how she did the splatters of color, and she gave me a big smile and said “with a toothbrush!” Her reply almost had a “silly girl, what else would I use?” tone to it, but I’m pretty sure it was my own artistic convictions coloring my reaction.

You see, I used to paint with toothbrushes. I painted with leaves, string, my fingers, and a host of other non-conventional tools. My paintings didn’t always stay on the paper, and they were rarely centered. When did I stop thinking that this was an acceptable way to paint?

Ravin’s painting was a kind reminder that we artistic types should never lose the wonder of getting a little messy.

~ Here’s to painting outside of the box from time to time. Thanks Ravin! ~

My Latest Painting

Occasionally, I get an idea for a painting that I know is not from me – it is inspired by God and it usually takes hold of me until I complete it. “Redeemed” and “Unblemished” are two such paintings. My latest piece is another one.

This painting symbolizes Jesus’ resurrection. The empty cocoon represents the empty tomb, and the butterfly represents Jesus’ risen body, and our resulting freedom from sin. The red and white in the butterfly symbolizes Jesus’ blood and the complete purity that we have now that we have been forgiven. The falling piece of paper claims “It is finished.” These were some of Jesus’ last words on the cross, and they are so powerful. They express triumph rather than defeat. Because of the truth of these words, we have life.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very heart of Christianity. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul reasoned, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” In the same chapter he says “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins… If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” But then Paul triumphantly declares, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!”

On Easter morning some women and apostles went to Jesus’ tomb, expecting to find his body. But the tomb was empty, and the angel at the tomb told them, “He is not here; he has risen!” Later they saw Jesus face to face. I have not seen Jesus’ face, but I know that I will someday. His resurrection means that we all can.

Please contact me if you have any questions about this painting or about Christ’s death or resurrection.

Recent work: Meet the kids “behind” the painting!

I recently had the pleasure of painting Andy Andrews’ little boys.  If you are unfamiliar with Andy, please check out his website! He’s an incredible speaker and a New York Times best-selling author, and a wildly funny and inspirational guy.  Last month, he asked me to create a painting from an adorable photograph of his two boys as a gift to his wife Polly.  Nate and I delivered it last weekend to their home in Orange Beach, AL and spent the weekend with the family.  It was a great time, and when the oldest boy saw it, he exclaimed: “Wow!  You made our butts so lifelike!”  Ha!  How’s that for a quote?

Below is the painting:

And here is a photo of Nate and I with the Adam and Austin (who are a bit older now):