Liturgical Art for Lutheran Church

Church calendars say that we are now in "Ordinary Times", that is, beginning with the first Sunday after Pentecost and going through the last Sunday before Advent. 

Creating some art work for the church for the fall season in Ordinary Times led to begin painting a triptych in acrylics.

Each canvas is 2 feet wide by 3 feet in height. The canvases will be spread out with twelve inches between each, creating a larger object for the church sanctuary.  Upon completion, the mathematical calculations end up with the triptych being 8 feet wide by 3 feet high.

The husband first made this large easel so that all three canvases could be worked on simultaneously.  He spent a couple of hours making it, and so far, it is doing the job of holding the canvas frames.  Just have to be careful of the wind coming up as it is on the outside covered patio.  So far, I've been hit in the foot by one falling canvas.  A small bruise was the result of the canvas escaping from the easel.  What one won't do for art, right?

These pictures gathered from Pinterest and the internet gave pause for thought and inspiration.

(Most of the saved images are on my iPad, so I just took pictures of the pictures through the film screen saver, but you get the idea.)

 

Here are the canvases in process:

 

 

The picture above shows the bottom of the middle and the end canvases.  Both need shadowing and more details.  A light at the end of where the trees meet up will be painted in, along with a person and perhaps a dog at the end of the path.  I have an idea of what this triptych will represent to me, but I would be very interested in what you might think about when viewing these canvases.

For even more inspiration, you might like to listen to this magnificent rendition of an old hymn.



Be Still My Soul by Lisbeth Scott and Paul Swartz

Paint Party Friday

This photograph has been passed among my brothers and me after our parents died.  Strange how it resurfaced from the family archives only after they had passed.

It is a favorite because our parents looked so happy in the back of that (probably snazzy) old coupe.  Mom looked like a star with her dotted scarf and round dark sunglasses. It was likely taken in 1941 or '42.   Dad's naval hat in upper right sets the tone and time of the photograph while Mom's dress and smile sets the carefree attitude of a day away from problems.

Over the past two summers I have tried to paint a portion of this. It is still on the work desk. Maybe this summer it will be completed.  Or not.

She does not need too much detail; perhaps defining the lips and making the glasses smaller.  Of course the hands need work.  We shall see.

As usual, linking to Paint Party Friday.  Last week there were 123 links!

Wrapping up the Project Week

Finished Objects on Friday, one knit and one painted.  Linking up with Tami at Finished Objects Friday.
And linking to Fiber Arts Friday.

Elowen Shawl pattern found here

purl bump pattern

The pattern gave me a bit of trouble at first.  But it ended up being a generous size (59" x 24") and the colors go well with denim and grey.

And then a completed silk painting that took the Frame Depot longer to matte and frame than it took me to paint.  But they did a great job after lots of discussion on how to stretch the fabric without tearing the edges.  The technique Mr. Framer used was called "sinked" as it was stretched over foam board with another layer of foam board cut around the stretched silk, then matted and glass covering it and a frame edging cut to size and attached. I could not get a straight picture with the matte looking other than whoppy-jawed, so just did a close up of the silk.

Matted and framed with non-glare glass; dimensions 39" x 31"

This will go over our fire place after Christmas.

Did you finish any projects this week?  One project we still need to complete today is cleaning off the gunk on the top of the ceiling fan blades.  Would Tami allow me to show a picture of the dust before I get up on the ladder to clean and then after?  Think not.  But go visit her blog to see others' finished objects on Friday. And be sure to look at Fiber Arts Friday where there is lots of alpaca going on.

 

Favorite Christmas Images

Just to share some beautiful Christmas images I have been collecting on Pinterest, and hope you take a moment to enjoy the season... 

Angel with Lute di Jacopo (Italian Mannerist painter, 1494–1540) source

Luca Signorelli (1441-1523) source

source

George Bernard O’Neil (Irish artist, 1828-1917) Hanging the Mistletoe 1892 source

Gustave Brion (French painter, 1824-1877) Christmas Singers Detail 1856 source

Melozzo da Flori (Italian Renaissance artist, 1438-1494)

 Angel Playing the Tambourine source

That is a DOG by the fire! source

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linking to Inspiration Avenue and  the Victorian Era

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Silk Painting: Poppies

A few hours to make the correctly sized frame to hold the fabric taut, two weeks to paint, a bit of a mess in the kitchen, two hours to steam the painting, and meticulous ironing of the silk resulted in this painting:

Dimensions: 33" X 22"

Close up of the flower in left upper corner

I am pleased with the results and learned more about using the gutta resist. This will go to our local frame shop (today?) to be protected by some sort of plastic overlay.

Thanks to the husband for finding the wood for the frame and for putting up with me in the kitchen while completing this project.  He still managed to make some wonderful meals while working around the paints on the counter tops.

Prior posts on my silk paintings can be found here and here.

Meeker Sheepdog Trials

Nine of us joined the Museum of Western Colorado van for another adventure in the Colorado outdoors yesterday;  we drove up to the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials, a three day event.  The volunteers working the event said it was the biggest and best ever.  And who would disagree?  I was certainly impressed.

First off, we learned a bit about what sheepdogs must learn in order to actually herd.  And by herding, we were told that these dogs will herd anything...ducks, geese, sheep, little kids...you name it, they will herd it.  Whistles were explained, calls were named and good information abounded.  Sorry I did not get too many pictures, but this one of a professional and her dogs was the first I caught:

We settled down in our lawn chairs, hats on and sunscreen applied, and watched several hours of the sheepdog trials.

(on the course, border collie keeping the five sheep on track)

(herding directing his dog from far away by whistle)

Mick, the border collie owned by the Enzeroths, is shown with Ron and his wife in the photo below.

It was only after reading the program and reviewing the names of the 42 dogs participating in trials yesterday that I saw that the Enzeroths had listed "Dublin, Texas" as their home. Now that is a small world because I lived in Stephenville, Texas for three years. (Stephenville is about 12 miles from Dublin.)  Too bad we did not mention that little factoid when we were talking!  And if you two are reading this, I lived with my grandparents then, the L.B. Howards.  Contact me if you want to talk about Dublin and our high school football rivalry since I was an old SHS cheerleader.  Or maybe it should be "former" cheerleader since none of us wants to be considered "old".

Mick was friendly and liked his ears scratched. He and three other border collies allow the Enzeroths to live with them and take care of their high energy needs. The Mrs. said they sleep downstairs in their private kennel quarters and enjoy walks and training.  Their youngest dog is 10 weeks old, and the older is 12 years old. Mick is 2 and it was his first trial run.

You should have seen the look on Mick's face when he looked at Mr. Enzeroth. Adoring. It reminded me of when Nancy Reagan used to look up at Ronald Reagan like he was the only man in the world (for her).  Really, Mick's expression of love was just heartwarming.

Bringing in over 700 sheep from the area around Meeker is no small task, and most of the budget for the event consists of getting the sheep down for the trials and then back to their grazing areas.  Real, live, cowboys were there for getting the sheep off the eastern side of the course.  Again, sorry, no photos.

Those caring for the sheep?  What about them?  That is another whole story, but I can show you a picture of a current day sheepwagon seen off road outside Meeker, Colorado below.

The first sheepwagon was built in 1884; the standard design is 11 feet long and 6.5 feet wide, enclosed by a canvas top, with a stove for heating and cooking. The interior is designed for storage and the compact beds are tucked away.  Tables fold down when not in use....In the early years in the American west, a lone sheepherder and his dogs could tend 2,000 sheep - with the sheepwagon as his mobile home as he followed the sheep.  A camptender delivered supplies every ten days or so.  In the Meeker area, you may see sheepwagons and herders with their dogs and horses, however, they may have solar panels for power to modern conveniences. (Lee Raine...source)

This has to be cut off soon, so I will show you my acquisitions from the dog trials adventure.  Too bad I ate that delicious lamb fajita with yogurt topping without taking a picture.  But I did buy some 100% Shetland Mule Wool from the Sheepcamp people in Molina, Colorado who own a family business there and create their yarns that go from sheep to skein.  And I helped out the Western Border Collie Rescue by purchasing one of their monogrammed shirts.  After Libby Sweetpea retires from her day job as a registered Therapy dog,( link  link link link link link) maybe an older collie would make a good therapy dog.

Western Border Collie Rescue ... Because Every Dog Should Have Its Day!

This is the 2012 winner of the Meeker Sheepdog Trial Art Contest:

A fun day.  Good luck to all those wonderful dogs in the contest this year, and to the people they own.

Painting Bugs

It is Paint Party Friday and here is what is on the easel:

with these two butterflies and one moth that will hopefully resemble something like these pictures:

Butterflies as Photographed by C. Marley

Flipping through the pages of Christopher Marley's Pheromone coffee table book of bugs and other insect critters makes me gasp at all the colors they wear on their backs.  Philippine weevils don't seem to care that wearing bright red makes them look fat.

Yesterday I bought a 24"x30" canvas.  I'll paint three butterflies, side by side, mixing up spatial orientation.  Don't the colors seem unreal?  Here are my picks from Marley's book:

Marley's background was always white.  I am thinking a warm background of yellow/burnt copper. What is you favorite butterfly and which one would you omit?

This video was first published by Linda on her blog today, and it is worth a listen.

He Listens in Color

Dragonflies in Oil

One fine summer afternoon, a young fairy leaned over the bank of a creek to drink, but slipped and fell into the water. Now the current carried her away quickly like a wisp of wheat. Unfortunately, the fairy had left the magic wand in the grass, but no one was lost.

Fortunately the water fairies came to help, with a clap of hands made up by the river wave that lifted the fairy to the blue of the sky. While falling, small drops of water were transformed into dragonflies …. that’s why it seems that between the transparent wings of a dragonfly is entangled a drop of water.
source

16" x 20", Oil, Copyright Nancy McCarroll
PPF

Artists in Blogland

...Like dragonflies, the hansoms hover,

With jeweled eyes, to catch the lover...

             (Richard Le Gallienne)

UPDATE: Just as I was finished hanging the above picture in our kitchen this morning, a dragonfly, very large, about three inches in length, flew into my study.  I took his picture (below).  I wonder what he was trying to tell me? Unbelievable!

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday

Linking to WOWW, two things/tasks/fun projects are on my outdoor table just begging to be finished:

The first is the Different Lines Shawl, a lovely pattern that can be purchased here. It uses complementary colors and results in stripes (mostly) with two borders in a solid color.  About a thousand people on Ravelry have completed it with fantastic results.  Here is a link to see what others have knit with this pattern.


And the second work in progress is a painting of dragonflies on a yellow/chartreuse background. It started out in acrylics, but it will likely end in oils.

My lower back has been out of commission, probably due to working in the yard AND bending over this dragonfly canvas!

What is on YOUR work desk?  Go here to link up your projects.