I have always had this “bent” towards the visual…using pictures and illustrations to tell a story. In the past I have worked illustrating curriculum and stories for publications and companies. Jesus used word pictures to illustrate stories and ideas. One of my favorite illustrative stories Jesus told is in Luke 15, and starts in verse 11 with these words, “A man had two sons….”. It proceeds to give us a glimpse of our corrupt heart, and of Gods grace.

One week ago I was standing before a landscape with my easel set up to paint,  and the image before me seems to illustrate the difficult times that we are in the middle of. My artist friend Pete Quaid and I went out in the dreary, cold morning to paint. We started in Dallas, but could find nothing of interest so we headed up 75 towards McKenney, Texas. The redbuds are in bloom along the highway and when up against the dark cedars, they can be very dramatic. We found an interesting spot just off the road with these two elements… cedars and redbuds and stopped and set up our easels in the cold, misty morning.

As I looked at the scene that stared at me waiting for the brush to meet the canvas (panel), I thought of how we were in a time as a nation and individually that we can not see very far ahead… the “road” of our lives seemed to be heading into the unknown, the uncertain; like a car heading down the highway into the mist. The dreary weather revealing nothing of what was to come.

It is easy to forget, in our “warm and fuzzy”, Disneyland culture that God is in control, even in the tough things. His mercy sometimes comes in the form of a wake up call, jarring us out of meaningless slumber and pointing us back to the simple truth that He is God and we are not. As a father wants his children to trust him, God wants us to trust in Him.  “  Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” I Peter 5:6-7

God is all powerful, all knowing and he loves us with a crazy love.  Romans 5:8 says “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

And God is the only one who can take evil, or sickness or any other broken, twisted thing is this  world and turn it for good. The current threat of the COVID 19 virus is definitely something He will use to point us back to His love and mercy. Because God is good, He will use everything for our good. Even a virus. We have to trust the one who holds tomorrow as well as today.

If you are a believer, if you know Christ as Savior and Redeemer, trust Him during these uncertain times.

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

If you don’t know the God who created you, you can know Him through Christ. You will find in Jesus forgiveness and peace in this life, and unimaginable things to come in the life to come.

“ But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Romans 10:8-10

Another Day is Coming

“It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.” 

— C. S. Lewis

It is a loving God who calls us to Himself. It’s a loving God who reminds us that earth is not the “end game”, but that another world is coming. It is a loving God who brings us to the reality of our need for Him. Trust Him.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6,7

For additional resources, check out Eternal Perspective Ministries here:

https://www.epm.org/

The Mechanics…

This painting, Cedars in the Mist, was created using a limited palette. Pretty much everything I paint these days is done with a limited palette. I change up the colors, trying different combinations of primaries and palette options. I am convinced that this is an excellent way to approach oil painting, especially plein air work.

This painting was done starting with a Quadratic Square palette, starting  with Cadmium Yellow Light, Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue as the three primaries.

A Quadratic Square palette is simply picking four colors on the color wheel, skipping two colors in between (using a 12 color wheel) See Fig. 1 above. The four colors I choose to be the only colors on my palette, or “limited” to my palette,  were Yellow-Orange (mixed from Cad. Yellow Light and Alizarin Crimson), Alizarin Crimson (straight from tube – the only tube color) Green (Mixed from Cad. Yellow Light and Ultramarine Blue) and Blue-Violet (mixed from Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue).

The secondary and tertiary colors plus the one  tube color of Alizarin Crimson as the red, end up being the only colors on my palette, hence the “Limited Palette”. I add to these colors White and a Portland Grey Light and Portland Grey Deep. These greys, made by Gamblin are fairly netural and save time from mixing greys with the palette colors, which I do if I have the time. See Fig. 2 below.

One of the major benefits of working with a limited palette is color harmony. The painting is forced to have harmony without the presence of discordant color. Another benefit, especially when working in plein air it the simplicity of the palette. Painting outside in changing lighting and conditions, a limited palette can speed up the process.

The March 20 Reception scheduled for this show has been cancelled.

My wife, Donna, and I have original Art and Photography for sale at excellent prices. The work consist of Donna’s beautiful Photography and my original oils, pastels and giclee prints. All works are ready to hang and can be purchased at deep savings.

The subject matter of this beautiful exhibit varies from wildlife, to rural scenes, to urban environments. 

I also have a selection of larger, Signed & Numbered Limited Edition Prints on Canvas, also framed and ready to hang. These giclees are of the highest quality and represent the original work with excellent color accuracy.

The show is currently hanging and will hang until end of April.

One last encouraging word….

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

I hate to admit it, but its true. Sometimes I whine about things. And usually, they are insignificant things that don’t really matter all that much in the “big picture”. I am reminded of this from time to time when I see someone living out a life I can only imagine. I have met beautiful people who take care of handicapped or special needs children day in and day out, showing the rest of us what love from a Heavenly Father really looks like. These folks are a gift from God and a reminder that all of life is sacred, from conception to the grave.

One such person is a friend of my wife and I. Her name is Beverly. We met Beverly at a prison ministry event, and we instantly related to her because she was from Tennessee, where my wife and I grew up and met.

A few years back we visited Beverly and met her son, Alec. Alec was born with hydrocephalus and the doctors said that he would not live beyond 4 months. That was 41 years ago and Beverly has been taking care of her special needs child most all of these 4 decades. I can’t imagine the true labor of love and exhaustion Beverly endured these past years. The night we visited, I shot some photos of Alec as he sat strapped to his wheel chair. I had planned on doing some kind of artwork from the photo reference, but I had some camera/lighting issues and the photos laid dormant for a few years.

We recently found out that Alec had passed away. The beautiful gift from God who was not expected to live more than 4 months had lived 41 years. Donna and I went to the memorial service which was a blessing to witness. We saw many photographs that displayed a precious life from the hand of God.

A day or two later I revisited the photos I had shot several years earlier and decided to try a charcoal drawing of Alec. I worked on gessoed panel. The image above is the result – a charcoal drawing I presented to Beverly a few days ago.

Thank you Beverly, and many others, who show us what true love looks like.

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 139:13-14

I believe one of the many things that bring glory to God is beauty. Of course beauty is from His hand; it is His idea. It is part of who He is. Beauty surrounds us… from the very small design of a snow flake to the awesome and vast landscapes and the wildlife that inhabit those landscapes, to the billions of spiral galaxies and the incomprehensible expanse of the universe. God is a God of beauty.

Therefore, I view painting as an attempt to point to the beauty God has created. Art that brings Him glory can be viewed as a simple reminder of His glory.

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Psalm 19:1

This brings me to the subject of this post… a limited palette. I started out thinking I needed 20 tube colors to do the task at hand. The more the merrier was my motto for several years. But, I have stepped off that thought process and cut those colors down to three various combinations of primary colors. (usually).  

Limiting the palette does not limit the results that are possible. When I started experimenting with a limited palette several years ago,  I originally thought the results would be as it’s name implies, very limited. However, the opposite seems to be true. Limiting the palette actually solves some of the problems inherent to painting.  Right out of the shoot, a limited palette brings color harmony to a painting. It also fine tunes the color mixing process. Not to mention it simplifies the whole painting process.

After experimenting with several limited palettes the past few years, I recently I tried a limited palette of Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Yellow Light (which I have used in other limited palette combinations) and Grumbacher Red. If you wonder why Grumbacher Red, let me tell you I choose this particular red because of a deep philosophical journey…. It was all I had at the time and was too broke to buy any other 😊 The tube I found is very old, and I believe Grumbacher Red is no longer made. Other reds come close.

This is a limited palette of primaries, and of coarse it alters all colors mixed from it. Cobalt blue is not a strong, deep blue like Ultramarine Blue, so to strengthen the dark values I also added Gamblin’s Chromatic Black. When I try a new limited palette, I try to paint several paintings from the palette to make sure I have my feet good and wet in the colors. Below are examples of three paintings from this limited palette.

This first work is called “Down Time”, and is a 12 x 24 oil on canvas. The reference photo was one I shot while traveling across the Southeast corner of Colorado.  I loved the late evening setting of this forgotten place. It was laying quietly beside a small two lane road, as if it was pondering the many years that had passed since the earth beneath it and it’s individual members had seen the activity of the living.

And let’s face it, there is just something intriguing about old trucks. Maybe this is just a guy thing, I don’t know. But trucks are cool, and old trucks have earned the right to be heard, or seen, whatever the case may be.

Another truck….

This truck was sitting under the shade trees of a back street of Breckenridge, Texas. I found the subject very interesting and full of mystery. The stories this truck could tell. This work in on canvas as well, using Cobalt Blue, Grumbacher Red and Cadmium Yellow Light.

This final example of this particular limited palette also features a truck, as well as a couple old cars and a horse. All resting at the end of a day up in Jack county, Texas.

The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22 

The older I get the more I am amazed at the true meaning of the Christmas celebration. As we are soon to be launched into the inconceivable year of 2020 (sounds like the title of a Sci-Fi movie), the Christmas season our culture celebrates seems to be adrift in a vast ocean of meaninglessness. Christmas has lost its bearings; Also lost is the Story of Christmas. That Story is truly the greatest story ever told. It’s the story of light shinning into darkness.

C.S. Lewis had a God-given talent that allowed him to describe an old, familiar “thing” in a new and intriguing way. Like an artist with a brush, Lewis painted with well crafted words and revealed many truths that some had overlooked. In his classic book, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, we find these words spoken by Mr. Tumnus, one of Lewis’s characters in the story, as he was describing the land of Narnia as it lay under the spell of the White Witch:

“It is winter in Narnia,” said Mr. Tumnus, “and has been for ever so long…. always winter, but never Christmas.”

Those few words actually describe the world in which we find ourselves…a fallen world where it is  “Always winter, but never Christmas”. Just watch the news for five minutes. Fighting, murder, lawsuits, on and on it goes. “Always winter but never Christmas”.

In “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, Aslan the Lion comes back to the world of Narnia after a long absence and the winter begins to fades away and Christmas returns; Captives are set free from the bondage of the White Witch. Lewis’ lion, Aslan, was a picture of Christ and the freedom Aslan brought to Narnia mirrors that  freedom that Christ brought 2000 years ago. This is the story of Christmas.

We caught a glimpse of this “Christmas Story” in action this past October in Dallas, Texas. When Amber Guyger was convicted of murder for killing Botham Jean, Botham’s younger brother, Brandt, ask Judge Tammy Kemp if he could hug Amber Guyger. The Judge agreed and as Brandt was hugging Amber, he told her he forgave her. He said he was able to do this because of Christ. The Judge then stepped down from the bench, the place of power and authority, and told her God would forgive her and she then gave Amber her personal Bible. This is Christmas. This is what God did for us. He stepped into this universe, took off His robes of royalty and became flesh to redeem us.

One of my many favorite Christmas songs is “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”. This song was written 500 years ago and English has shifted a bit since then. The title, which is repeated many times in the verses of the song, actually means “God keep you mighty, Gentlemen”. But my point here is the lyrics of one of the verses:

Remember, Christ, our Savior
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan’s power
when we were gone astray….

Years ago I did some freelance illustration work for several publications. One publication wanted an illustration of Jesus in a manger (which was most likely a trough hewn in stone) with a lantern casting a shadow of the Cross over the infant’s face. Not your usual “warm and fuzzy” Christmas image, but the illustration did illustrate the truth of Christmas.

The reality is that Christ came as a baby for one purpose: To go to the cross,  to save mankind from sin. Matthew 1:23 says:

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Think about that…”God with us”. God actually stepped into the time-space universe to be with us. Check out what John 1:1-2 says:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

And then on down in verse 14 it says:

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The Word came to Bethlehem 2000 years ago. But that was only the beginning of this Salvation that has been offered to us. It was completed on the cross. Christ came, lived, and died on the cross, and then was raised from the grave to set us free from our bondage to sin. The result of this Christmas story is that we are made “right” in God’s eyes, and then we begin to live out this life in a different way. Free from judgement, free from being controlled by our sin nature.   

That is the Christmas Story. That is Christmas. Moving from darkness to light, from bondage to freedom. The last verse of that old Christmas song goes like this:

Now to the Lord sing praises, All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood – Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas – All other doth deface.
O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy, O tidings of comfort and joy

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Once we embrace Christ, once we believe the gospel, we are righteous in God’s eyes and His spirit empowers us to truly love those around us. That is what you saw in that Texas courtroom.

I hope you have a great Christmas Season and remember the awesome Christmas story that begin in a manger,  in a little Judean town one dark night.

I understand that the 4th of July is all about hamburgers, hot dogs and fireworks. And ice cream. Ice cream is one of the most awesome foods ever created. But let me get back to the task at hand.

It is always good to remember the good, solid things in life and history. I want to remember some of those things and a few of the artist who were there at the founding of the country. The very thing we celebrate on the 4th of July.

It seems that with a simple reading of the words that came out of the founders mouths about their view of the world and the birth of this nation, you come away with the truth that most of these wise men who risk all had a deep belief in the Bible and the God of these Holy Scriptures.

Below are JUST A FEW quotes from a few of those brilliant men.

Thomas Jefferson – Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Diplomat; Governor of Virginia; Secretary of State; Third President of the United States

“I am a real Christian – that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus Christ. “

“I am a Christian in the only sense in which He wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to His doctrines in preference to all others. “

John Quincy Adams – Sixth President of the United States; Diplomat; Secretary of State; U.S. Senator; U.S. Representative

In the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior. The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.

John Adams – Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Judge; Diplomat; One of Two signers of the Bill of Rights; Second President of the United States

The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.

Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited. . . . What a Eutopia – what a Paradise would this region be!

George Washington – Judge; Member of the Continental Congress; Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army; President of the Constitutional Convention; First President of the United States; “Father of His Country”

You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are.

I now make it my earnest prayer that God would… most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of the mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion.

Jonathan Trumbull – Judge; Legislator; Governor of Connecticut; Confidant of George Wachington and called “Brother Jonathan” by him

The examples of holy men teach us that we should seek Him with fasting and prayer, with penitent confession of our sins, and hope in His mercy through Jesus Christ the Great Redeemer.

Principally and first of all, I bequeath my soul to God the Creator and giver thereof, and my body to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian burial, in firm belief that I shall receive the same again at the general resurrection through the power of Almighty God, and hope of eternal life and happiness through the merits of my dear Redeemer Jesus Christ

Alexander Hamilton (guy on the $10 bill)- Revolutionary General; Signer of the Constitution; Author of the Federalist Papers; Secretary of the Treasury

During the 24 hours he lived after his duel with Aaron Burr in which Alexander Hamilton was mortally wounded, the Rev. J.M. Mason recalled this:

[General Hamilton said] “I went to the field determined not to take his life.” He repeated his disavowal of all intention to hurt Mr. Burr; the anguish of his mind in recollecting what had passed; and his humble hope of forgiveness from his God. I recurred to the topic of the Divine compassion; the freedom of pardon in the Redeemer Jesus to perishing sinners. “That grace, my dear General, which brings salvation, is rich, rich” – “Yes,” interrupted he, “it is rich grace.” “And on that grace,” continued I, “a sinner has the highest encouragement to repose his confidence, because it is tendered to him upon the surest foundation; the Scripture testifying that we have redemption through the blood of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins according to the richness of His grace.” Here the General, letting go my hand, which he had held from the moment I sat down at his bed side, clasped his hands together, and, looking up towards Heaven, said, with emphasis, “I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Samuel Adams – Signer of the Declaration of Independence; “Father of the American Revolution” Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution; Governor of Massachesetts

The name of the Lord (says the Scripture) is a strong tower; thither the righteous flee and are safe [Proverbs 18:10]. Let us secure His favor and He will lead us through the journey of this life and at length receive us to a better.

I . . . [rely] upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.

Samuel Adams called on the State of Massachusetts to pray that…

• the peaceful and glorious reign of our Divine Redeemer may be known and enjoyed throughout the whole family of mankind.
• we may with one heart and voice humbly implore His gracious and free pardon through Jesus Christ, supplicating His Divine aid . . . [and] above all to cause the religion of Jesus Christ, in its true spirit, to spread far and wide till the whole earth shall be filled with His glory.
• with true contrition of heart to confess their sins to God and implore forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior.

Daniel Webster – U.S. Senator; Secretary of State; “Defender of the Constitution”

The Christian religion – its general principles – must ever be regarded among us as the foundation of civil society.

The Bible is a book… which teaches man his own individual responsibility, his own dignity, and his equality with his fellow man.

Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens.

John Witherspoon – Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution; President of Princeton

I shall now conclude my discourse by preaching this Savior to all who hear me, and entreating you in the most earnest manner to believe in Jesus Christ; for “there is no salvation in any other” [Acts 4:12].

The evidence that many of the founders had and lived out a biblical world view is overwhelming. It should call us back to the solid foundation of our country. I hope you have a great and awesome 4th of July.

Most of the information above is from Wall Builders https://wallbuilders.com/