New Old Town

This is a painting of a few houses in Baldwin Park, Orlando. It has the feeling of an old small town but only a few years old.

Hope of Harvest

Most of the time I start with a concept and then find a way to portray it visually. This painting came about a bit differently. I was drawn to the imagery of a hand in wheat. (Think of the scene at the beginning of the movie Gladiator.) I had my husband take a reference shot by the side of the road over a month ago. I wasn't sure why that imagery was so powerful in my mind. As I thought about the imagery, I thought of hope: hope of seeing a harvest, results for work done, a sense of satisfaction, of homecoming. I ran across the following passage:
"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal." John 12:24-25 (The Message Version) I portrayed a young mother with her child. She gives of herself generously, endlessly, dying to self for the sake of caring for and training her child. She looks forward when she will see the results of this loving sacrifice in her child's life. The wheat is a reminder, a promise that that time will come. Her efforts will be rewarded.

Through the water

Isaiah 43:2,4
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life
I've always loved this passage and wanted to do a painting that would show this idea of God being with us through the difficult times in life. I tried to picture what it would look like for Him to be with me through the waters. Holding hands, side by side? I decided to show Him holding us, protecting us. Again I used my Husband and son as models, showing how strong our father is, and how much we need him.

Tree Painting

I had the opportunity to paint these two paintings during our church service. They wanted to show a visual representation of what was being talked about. The pastor talked about how there are things that are root issues in our lives, things that bear fruit-weather good or bad. Thus they wanted me to paint images of trees. It was a bit nerve wracking being on stage, being watched, wondering if I'd be able to finish each piece in a hour, but it was a great opportunity. (I'm glad I did it and that I attend a church that values visual expression.) Here are the results.