Latenight Artwork

So, I've been finding that the only time I can manage to squeeze in art is in the late hours. It also serves as a nice way to unwind the day. Last week I tried to do something with this 18x18 canvas that I have and it totally flopped so I had to start over. I painted the canvas white again and let it sit in my garage for a few days. Tonight I went for round two. As I sat down I didn't really have anything in mind (which makes starting a challenge sometimes). But, I just started throwing paint on the canvas and this is what emerged.
As it started to look like fire I couldn't help but think that it was inspired by a fire that we witnessed earlier this evening. As we drove home we saw smoke and stopped to watch an abandoned factory building burn. The kids thought it was cool. I took a quick snapshot (been trying to keep my camera handy these days). Here's what we saw.
Maybe you can see at least a little of the resemblance.

As I paint, I hate to waste paint. So I rarely clean a brush between colors. Instead I keep a spare art pad handy (Lately it's been a 11x9 book) and when I need less of a particular color on my brush I just do some random designs on that blank page. Tonight, as i finished up the 18x18 canvas I had a pretty ugly looking scrap paper sitting there in front of me. Not wanting to waste the paper, I decided to shift my focus to at least make it worth looking at (some may still argue that point). I looked around for some inspiration and saw, on the shelf in my office, a 9/16 bolt. I'm not entirely sure why it was sitting there but I turned it into my paint brush for the next hour. The result is the painting below which is a base coat of leftover colors brushed on in random patterns and a top layer of acrylic paint applied with the head of a bolt. Even if you don't like it... it was fun, and in a weird way represents the life emerging from the recycled paint of the fire.

Limited Prints Now Available for these Paintings

I have a limited number of 11 x 14 prints for each of these paintings. If you are interested send me a note. $15 each (shipping included).

New Simply Missions T-Shirts are here!

Just got some new promotional t-shirts made for Simply Missions.
I am making them available for $15 each or two for $25 (plus shipping).
It's a combination between a little advertising and a little fund raiser for us.
Adult sizes: S, M, L, XL, 2XL
E-mail your order to joe@simplymissions.org!

This Week's Artwork

Simply Missions is now on Facebook!

Check out this cool update on the Simply Missions Supporters Blog.

Healing Reflections Artwork

Over the past few weeks I've been reading Healing Care, Healing Prayer: Helping the Broken Find Wholeness in Christ by Terry Wardle. Tonight I spent two hours on my couch praying through personal issues of inner healing while following many of the principles Wardle presents. It wasn't easy, but I did have some breakthrough moments with Jesus.

Afterward, I wanted to try to capture some of the emotion (which is what I think artwork is anyway), so it seemd logical to turn to the brush and canvas as an outlet. Two pieces emerged. The first is a somewhat abstract piece that I spent the majority of my time on. For me, there is symbolism in the color choices, shapes, angles, and layers. But I think it's best that you allow yourself to see the things that you need to see in it. The second work is just a three-minute piece done in an 11x14 sketchbook. It was more of an afterthought. I have a thing for circles and I really resisted putting any circles into the first piece so I needed a separate place to do that. Hence the second piece.

Enjoy. I'd love to hear comments (if anyone reads this).

Healing Journey:


Healing Light:

Quote of the Day

"If human words are incapable of describing the distinctive aroma of coffee, how could they possibly cope with something as subtle as God?" - Ludwig Wittgenstein