My younger sister always used to say “water off a duck’s back” whenever anyone was faced with adversity. She would motion with her hand as if stroking the back of a duck…that movement looked like an airplane diving and then at the last second taking off up into the air…and it is a good saying and a good motion because both of them imply rising above the strife, rising above the toils, the troubles and pain of this life.
This painting ‘Rise Above’ is a little sparrow that has flown up high into the air and turns to look down at the place where s/he once was, to see that s/he is not trapped by the snares of this life, s/he sees that s/he has power, power to choose.
I am choosing to paint sparrows right now because they are considered to be a pest and are not given much significance. I have often felt that I was considered to be a pest, not very significant…a sad truth, but I repudiate that image that was placed on me.
I Rise Above the labels, the voices of the past, and even some voices of the present that do not agree with what I stand for. I Rise Above because I choose to live a life that is real, a life that is filled with truth and love and understanding. I choose to live a life that is aimed to do good, to help others, to love others freely in the best way that I know how. I Rise Above because I have decided to be the change that I want to see in this world…to love mercy, to do justly and to walk humbly with the Creator.
When one can Rise Above and overcome, then one can truly listen enabling others to be heard, to be free, to Rise Above.
But even the hairs of your head are all numbered! Do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Luke 12:7
“When I first started painting I just thought it was something I’d like to do — and if I could make some money at it, then I didn’t have to get a job! As I went further into it, I needed confirmation that the things I was discovering in paint were true. I found that if it was true in painting, it was also true in life. Painting is like an interlocking set of relationships — color, edges, values, thick and thin, etc. Life is the same. Everything is interrelated. All of life is like one big, interlocking relationship. Everything you do has a consequence to everything else.” David Leffel
I absolutely love the light, this girl played Andree (the model who married Renoir’s son) in the film Renoir.
The images in the film are so beautiful. I don’t always have the luxury of having a model so I seek sources that are challenging yet beautiful.
These two Irises are among some of my favorite paintings because they were done in “premiere coup” style…that means first strike or first blow.
The process for me is I intentionally decide the color, the direction of the brush stroke and the pressure of the brush stroke all before ever touching the brush to the surface that I am painting on.
As I make each brush stroke I leave it exactly as it was when laid down on the canvas or board without retouching or reworking it. This means that the process of each stroke is done in my mind first, it is a contemplative practice that can be very freeing and in many ways healing.
This direct painting method that has no underpainting layers and no drawing, it is simple, intuitive and fresh… from me through the brush to the surface. .
I think it is similar to Chinese painting in some sense because of the immediacy of it.
You will be able to see the brushstrokes in the close up photos below.
Thank you for visiting my page, I hope you enjoy it.
I don’t need to tell anyone how trying life is these days. Everyone on earth is aware that things are not …so peaceful.
One of the most glaring of trials is that of war; the atrocities of taking another human, life for whatever reason, doesn’t sit well with many of us yet… it is happening. We see evidence of the toll it is taking in the weary eyes all around us and we feel helpless, it is upsetting to say the least, emotions are high and trust is low.
Disease is also very high on this list as we see so many who are suffering, hospitals are jammed… if one can afford to go to a hospital. Children are suffering with so many more illnesses than the world has ever seen and the blaming… doesn’t stop. “Who is at fault?” is the question on many minds; we simply want to find answers so that we can save the children and comfort those in agony.
Our food is another extreme concern, simply because the very substance that was created to heal us, is making us sick; oh yes…tampering with the seeds plays a enormous role in this dilemma. Pollution, water contamination and soil depletion are a few of the concerns we, our children and grandchildren are encountering.
Economy, here is an enormous giant that has been overstuffed and yet is never satisfied and while sitting on the structure made from splinters it’s foundation is about to collapse threatening to cause the monstrous giant to come tumbling down on top of the nations…you and me.
So far I have only given you a brief sketch of some of the issues this world is facing, and I am sure we all know that there is so much more going on; we cannot even imagine.
Knowledge is increasing at an incredible rate as a result of the internet, you can have your wildest dreams brought right in front of you in your own home; it will fill your mind with so much to buy, so much to know, so much to do, so much to hear and it keeps everyone very hectic. So busy that there is no time for family, no time for friends no time for love…no time for… peace and quiet.
This painting is filled with symbolism.
The tree is a symbol for one who is living a good life, like a tree planted by the rivers of water. This tree is bearing fruit in its season, it is spreading out the branches to give shade on a hot day. This tree is strong to withstand any storm and it is beautiful. The tree has many meanings, in this painting the tree represents a human being who is living a life in harmony with the Creator he is planted firmly by the water where he will never be thirsty, he is strong to withstand any storm and gives shelter to those who abide near him.
The water in this painting is a symbol for Living Waters, water that satiate the dry and thirst land …you will never thirst again because it is the water of life, it is the Life Giver dwelling us and continually flows through us quickening us and pouring out His life giving truth to others that we touch.
The horse is a symbol of the Pure Spirit in us Who gently shows us the way to walk, who quietly waits to answer us whenever we call on Him, He is watching, listening and interceding on our behalf with words that cannot be uttered.
The light is a symbol of being illuminated, it comes from the One who made light, HE illuminates the mind by opening the eyes and causing the blind to see.
Ah peace, yes beautiful peace… there is one source where we can find true peace for our souls, a peace that is there even in the most difficult trials, it fills with assurance that our Creator is Sovereign over all, we trust Him and He never lets us down.
Over the past years I have come to the realization that a painting is not just something captured on a board or canvas to look at. It is the experience that the artist has encountered, it is time which the artist has captured and held still onto the surface in order to be revisited over and over again. A painting to inspire, or stir up one’s emotions or speak out against tyranny…or simply is beautiful to behold are all meaningful and historical pieces ensuring perpetual discourse to as many souls as possible.
A painting or any other art work is antiquity, fleeting moments that are stilled and preserved for years to come.
This is a piece of the artist, drawing snippets and morsels from their life experiences that has brought them (me) to that particular point in time. What value can we place on that?
This is a session that I had with a beautiful young lady named Leah. She is a nurse who works for Pure North S’ynergy Foundation http://www.purenorth.ca/ she works so hard, most often at the homeless shelter http://www.theseed.ca/ starting in the wee hours of the morning in order to help the vulnerable before they head out the door for the day.
Leah is also co-founder of an orphanage called Darja Foundation here is the link. https://www.facebook.com/darajafoundationinc?pnref=story http://www.daraja.ca/
Daraja means bridge in Swahili, isn’t that lovely? Isn’t that what life is all about bridging relationships between fellow, flesh and blood human beings? 🙂
I met Leah at Pure North (which is another story for another time but please read about them, the founder of this program is a very generous and caring man Allan Markin) and have had the pleasure of spending time with her creating our artwork.
Leah lost all of her art supplies (among other things) in the Calgary flood that happened in 2013 and that is why she comes to paint with me at my studio. She paints her artwork while I paint her. We spend our time working and listening to music while we get to connect and share our experiences in life.
This thing called art has brought me in touch with a lovely young lady who has blessed my life.
Thank you Leah and thank you to all of you who stop by and take the precious time to read and comment.
Going out to my dad’s at any time of year will always prove to be a beautiful experience. I love the country, not only is it peaceful but there are so many stunning views in a landscape full of simplistic, delicate, natural beauty.
This is one of those times when the sunset was just so breathtakingly soft yet warm, shining onto the snow, displaying intimate, soft pastel colours contrasted against the naked trees and bushes.
It is so satisfying for me to paint thin layers of paint onto the canvas and see the bounty of life’s blessings come alive.
Sometimes you just have to do it…the time isn’t ideal, the situation isn’t ideal and you just have to take the plunge…ok that might sound a bit exciting, a bit scary and even daunting to some.
What I am talking about is this situation where I have wanted to paint a portrait of my daughter for the longest time BUT she is as elusive as a Snowy Owl …so when she was writing a math exam, even though she didn’t sit “still” and pose for me, I managed to capture a painting from of her, Alla Prima style 😉
The trick was to not let her know what I was up to and to be very calm; she thought I was painting an image from my computer screen.
For me 90 minutes isn’t long enough, but being plunged into a situation and taking advantage of the moment, I actually found that my senses were heightened somewhat and things happened in the painting that were more intuitive than anything else.
When she was done the exam and saw what I had been up to she laughed and seemed quite ok with it all, for me it was so much fun.
The new painting that you see below is titled “Trees at Night”; it is done with thick painterly strokes using a palette knife and brushes. Take a close look, the colors are deep and lush, mimicking gems, they are alive with rich, vivid pigments.
There was a flood that caused a lot of damage in Calgary last June. [see link below] One place that is still affected is Bowness Park.
Bowness Park was one of our favorite parks to go to on a weekly basis; they were hit hard by this flood. I was at the park one night while there was still snow on the ground before the flood; I was taking photos of the trees. I shone my headlights into the trees to see what effects it would have in my photos, this painting is inspired from those photos.
I have fond memories of Bowness Park and those times were special to me because it was a place where I could go to have some quiet time. We would often walk the paths and there were sections of the park where we felt as though we were not in the city….almost.
There will be many more paintings to come from the inspiration and impact that Bowness Park had on me and my family.
Painting this yesterday was very freeing for me. I have been in somewhat of a holding pattern lately because I desire to go out and paint but it is not always possible, especially right now with the weather being so cold. Hopefully one day soon I can take the Westy Van out to do some plein air painting from it with the heat on.
Style: Impressionism
Oil on panel
10″ X 12″
Available.
Contact: Heather at homestudio1@shaw.ca for pricing, questions, requests or commissions.
Even though there are days when everything seems to be going wrong, even the most simple of tasks are a challenge, I can say with confidence stay with it.
We hear it all the time, but it isn’t something that seems real unless you push through it yourself. Trials come our way and we tend to give up, but that is the most important time to stay the course, don’t give up!
When I worked for a sales company, one of the leading instructors would say to me…”You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.” In other words he was saying that it is a good thing to learn from others’ mistakes and successes. Well yes, that is easy to say but until we actually do take good advice and apply it to our situation, we may continue to reinvent the wheel.
I have been constantly setting the standard for my work higher and higher by constantly learning and applying the skills that I could. When I would apply those skills I was happy with the results, until the next day, because I am constantly pushing to grow and hone my skills. This can be depressing and sometimes it is…but because I have this intense desire to do the work it pushes me to do more.
Today was one of those days, I study other works, I apply techniques and it just doesn’t seem to cut it…well I kept at it and finally I thought of trying something different, it took 3 or 4 tries until I decided to start this painting from the other direction, dark to light; however when I saw what was emerging I liked it so much that I left it at that. I think this image is one that I can do over and over to continue to learn from so expect to see more of this one.
This Van Gogh quote is encouraging to me because I know Who is the source of LOVE and I find it to be very true.
One of my favorite time of year is when the weather is so gorgeous and I get to go outdoors to paint…it’s called Plein Air painting.
I pack up my paints, a lunch and all of my gear and head out usually toward Kananaskis to paint with my painting partner Shirley Adams. It is a lot of work sometimes, but it is sure worth it. I get refreshed and in spite of the wind or the heat of the sun or the bites from bugs…I love it.
Here are some of the paintings from this year, I painted at Spray Lakes West, and CNIB, Glenbow Ranch and a few other places.
I hope you enjoy the paintings.
These are poppies that were blooming at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
heatherdawnfineart 