Spring in north Texas is the payoff for enduring the 110 degree summer. Most of the time the weather in spring, in Texas is intoxicating. Three things I find myself chasing when the weather warms and the world turns green: Canoeing, sometimes fishing and going out into the great outdoors to paint; aka Plein Air. There are many organized opportunities in this area to join other painters and invade the created beauty God has given us.
One such event I was blessed to participate in was a paint even at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge. They are celebrating their 50th year and invited a group of local artist to come out and paint, followed by a sale and auction to help raise money for the center. The Fort Worth Nature Center is a quiet place to setup and easel and I enjoyed the two separate days I was able to go paint. One weekend towards the end of March was the first opportunity we were given. The day was an classic example of spring weather, and the many and varied green of the prairie grasses and cacti were inviting, and humbling. I painted a small piece (below) called Texas Spring.
8 x 10 Oil on panel, painted on location at the Fort Worth Nature Center, titled Texas Spring
April 26 we were invited back to paint and participate in a fund raiser Gala followed by an auction of our work and other donated items. The gala included an excellent dinner and was attended by many notable Fort Worth people, including Fort Worth’s Mayor. The piece below was completed in about and hour and 15 minutes and sold at the night’s auction.
8 x 10 Oil on panel painted during the Gale and Auction at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge . This piece sold in the auction at the event.
A few hours before the evening festivities began, I set up my easel to work through a painting to perhaps sell at the fund-raiser. Desiring a quiet place to simply enjoy the day and paint a subject that had fairly stable light, I carried my setup down near the banks of Lake Worth, which is fed by the West Fork of the Trinity River. One of the reasons I chose this spot was it was in the shade, and the light breaking through canopy produced by the huge trees was was enticing. There was one huge cottonwood tree in particular that drew my attention. Big trees are an amazing anyway, and this one was beautiful and had seen many springs. Part of the intrigue of this enormous and aged tree was the question: What had this tree seen in it’s lifetime?
I thought of the written words of both J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, who shared a fascination of old, massive trees. In their writings the tree characters were usually powerful, but meek. Meekness is not weakness, but simply power under control. A character trait that I find lacking most of the time in myself. In the scriptures, Moses was described as “meek”. But, when you look at his life, he was anything but weak. History tells us that in the days before he fled Egypt he was a military commander and won several victories on the battlefield. Later, probably when he was around 40, he flew into a fit of rage and killed an Egyptian, an act that cost him his high standing in Egypt. His next 40 years were spent in a desert taking care of sheep. Once a powerful prince of Egypt, now tending sheep. This is where Moses learned “meekness”. He did not become weak, but through the trials and hardship of living he learned to keep his emotions and power under control.
8 x 10 Oil on panel painted on location at the Fort Worth Nature Center
It was at this point God sent him on the great adventure of delivering Israel from the slavery of Egypt. Hundreds of years later we saw another and far superior example of meekness in the life of Christ. The Bible refers to Him as Creator, God in the flesh, Son of God. Jesus had power that we can not even imagine at His disposal. But He laid that power down. He did not become powerless, but chose to humble Himself for the redemption of us. The undeserving, the ungodly, the helpless and the hopeless. Philippians 2:5 thru 8 puts it this way:
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
One of the things I love about painting outside is that when I find a quiet place, sometimes its a time of worship; A time to think about all God has done and is doing, and will do.
Such was the case this day when I was painting this huge, massive cottonwood tree that was probably well over a hundred years old. All of these thoughts were percolating though my mind. This tree had seen many years, standing silently through many summers, falls, winters, and springs. As it stands, it contains an unbelievable amount of energy. Thousands of gallons of water it has carried to the top of its branches. Hundreds of pounds of wood have been created by the nutrients in the dirt. This energy for the most part remains unnoticed and unseen. But if that old cottonwood were to fall to the earth, it would shake the ground in an awe inspiring crash. But for now, it stands, powerful, but meek in appearance, providing shade and shelter… like a patriarch.
