Delight Yourself in the Lord

"Believe"

I have been drawing and doodling in my bible for years. I can listen to the sermon and draw. But I have always tried to sit on the end on the row with Chauncey to my left or right so no one will see me.  But now this Journaling Community has given me "permission" to come out in the open and draw, doodle or sketch in my Bible. I think it's great and I am really enjoying thinking about the Scripture that I am featuring. I am thinking that I will try and fill 2 up for my grandchildren as an heirloom for them.  That will take a while!

And here is the painting from yesterday. It's the lighthouse on Sapelo Island near Darien, GA.

Fun to paint.

Muse and Romans

This spread is more Teesha--ish with the borders from magazines. Again, my words ran out so God's words always fill in for me. I enjoy copying from the Bible...it is an endless supply of text and good for my soul.

New Poster coming out soon

I creared this design 5 or 6 years ago. I have some posters and "Pass It On" cards with a company called Universal Designs who sells to Christian book stores and Bible outlets. I have some posters still in print and some other designs and it's really fun to stop at the Bible outlets when traveling and go in one and see my posters. But I haven't had anything new with them and quite a while although I have been sending them art. Out of the blue after several years they called and wanted to used this design for a large poster. I actually couldn't even remember the design--she had to take a picture of it so I could know what it was. I actually created this on white paper but their art department wanted to put it on a turquoise background and they always ask for approval. So here is the new large poster with Universal Designs to be coming out soon. My art has changed so much since then but hey! if they like it---I love it! :)

Create in Me a Clean Heart

I wish I could write out a Scripture every Sunday but as soon as I plan to do it I might not be able to follow through. But for today---here is a Scripture in calligraphy and maybe I can try and write one out again some other Sunday. Have a blessed day!

Listen! My Beloved!

Here is another piece that I plan to put into the show at the JCA here in Jacksonville in May. It is a tribute to Bobbi Yoffee, the most talented calligraphic artist I have even known, and had the privilege of knowing and studying with.  She passed away with cancer several years ago. She loved doing  Song of Solomon Scriptures. We all miss her terribly. She used to do Ketubahs(among other stunning works of art) that you couldn't even believe a human could do with beautiful illustrations and calligraphic Hebrew letters. Absolutely amazing. 

This background with painted with FW Inks and the lettering was done with Windsor Newton Gouache. The frame is from Target.  Love these frames with the thick wide mat.

Happy Sunday!

I found some images of sundaes so I thought I would paint a quick ditty. It's acrylic paint on Canson paper for acrylic that I need to use. I am determined to used my supplies!!! The Bible is from the Holy Land I got when I was 16 on a church trip, the ice cream is my second favorite--1st is Blue Bell Vanilla, and lastly, little Pepperment Patties. So, that's my Happy Sunday! Hope you all are having a good one!!! And staying warm!!!

My Beloved is Coming!

Every year for many years the Lettering Group here in Jacksonville had an art show at the JCA-Jewish community alliance. It is a wonderful space with lots of light and space down a well- traveled hallway as people in the community go to workout. We haven't had a show in several years until this year. The show is in May and it is in honor of a great Jacksonville calligrapher named, Bobbi Yoffee, who was, in my opinion, one of the greatest artists and calligraphers in the country. We were fortunate to have her in our group but she died of cancer a couple of years back. She did many pieces using Scripture from Song of Solomon and some of us are doing a verse from that book in honor of her. The verse I was given is a wonderful verse but I really had to think and think how to depict it. I am still not sure if this was the right choice. I toyed with mountains and hills and it just didn't seem to work so I went with the "listen" theme. The girl is a portrait one that I painted a while back and I actually changed the lettering in the portrait. Then I wrote the verse---several times. I know I could have waited because I have some time until May but sometimes these things hang over my head and I have to get something down on paper. I may change it by then but at least I have done the lettering---whew!

My Voice

One of my new year's resolutions is to do more calligraphy---and not to stress about it too much. No lines, no layout, just write. This Scripture spoke to me today so I decided to write it. I will try and do more of that---hopefully. I haven't even pasted anything down, in fact there is something painted on the back of the paper. Writing on the back of scrap paper is freeing for some reason. Lack of self confidence?---probably---fear of failure?... probably. Yeah, I know, I'm a little bit crazy that way.

Show Me Your Ways

I try to do some calligraphy as often as I can. It used to be all I ever did and my letterforms were better then---but they are just different now-- much freer. (I didn' say better--just freer). I started out with the intention of getting it all straight and keeping to the lines but after the 4th line I said to heck with it and just wrote. It's ok--I wouldn't enter it into a juried calligraphy show or anything. I am into---write it once, and let it go.

Calligraphy is an interesting art form. It requires exactness and many years of grooling practice-but oh, the agony and the ecstasy of it all! Sometimes I just have to go and write something---kinda like sometimes I just have to just go and paint a Poppy.

I do love this Scripture so much that it is one of the very few that I have memorized. I try so hard to memorize Scripture but most of it won't stick (I guess it's a 50 thang...) but this one stuck and I pray it most every day.

RUTH-From the Old Testament

I've been doodling in my Bible in church again. Hopefully people are thinking how conscientious I am taking all these notes! I was listening-- and I actually listen better when I doodle.

This is Ruth in the field. She has her bag over shoulder as she is gathering the grain. I imagine that she is very beautiful and very young. Her husband has died and she and her mother in law, Naomi, have come back to Israel in the hope that Naomi's inheritance can be redeemed. Ruth was a Gentile and could have had light skin with light hair.

Boaz has seen her in the field and admired her---and she has seen Boaz. She is thinking about him here and remembering what Noami, her mother in law, has told her she must do. It is a beautiful Biblical story---one of my favorites. It has a very happy ending.

"ANGELS UNAWARES"

This is another background I did but I just used regular watercolor rather than FW inks. I made a rectangle on watercolor paper with painters tape and layed in the color. This is always fun. I love peeling off the tape to see crisp borders after it dries.

I wrote this layout of Roman letters many years ago in a Master Calligraphy class. Again, I used PhotoShop to combine the background and the lettering that I have saved as a file on my computer.

The Roman letters are difficult to write with the corrrect spacing, pressure and consistency but this was a successful layout and the letters were pretty good.

I love this Scripture and used it a lot.

Makes you wonder doesn't it???