September Painting

Hello Y'all!!!   I hope and pray that this post finds each of y'all doing well and loving life!!!   The weather here in my neck of the woods is kinda wonky.   ggg   One minute, it looks like it's gonna rain, the next minute the sun is shining and then the next minute, it's sprizzling.   Go figure.   Oh well, it's just weather and we need something to keep us on our toes.   It won't be long till the bad weather will roll in and then winter will be upon us.   I love fall and all the beautiful colors that comes with it.   Pumpkins, all the other winter squash, colorful falling leaves, corn shocks, end of mowing season, clear skies, cooler nights, first frost, end of gardening, harvest season, sorghum making.......what else tells us that fall is in the air?  

I had a weekend to spend with my Mom this past weekend and I must say although it was short, it was sweet!   I got to see three of my brothers while at Mom's, that's always a great thing.   One came Friday and was there when my husband and I arrived.    Mom and I went to church on Friday night.   A preacher comes to the Village and they have church services in the recreation room.   There was 16 at church and that was a great number.   On Saturday morning, my brother that was there on Friday came back and took us to breakfast then we went to the new local nursing home.   It has been opened a little over a year.   Going in the front entrance it looks like you are entering a beautiful resort.   It really is something.   We spent about 3 hours there visiting with people we have grown to love, we could have spent more time, but we needed to get back to Mom's.   Early that evening another brother came and visited with us for a while.  While he was there, another one came with his wife and we had a great visit.    On Sunday morning we went to my Mom's church.   It is always a great time to go there, I love them and they love me.    I got home early enough on Sunday to go back to my own church.    We are getting close to getting into our new church building.   On Sunday nights in September, we are meeting at the church and having walk thru prayer services.   We go where ever the Lord leads and pray.   It has been a really big blessing to do that.   Just to pray and ask God to give us His direction and guidance, it has been an awesome time.   After all, it's all about God, not us!    We will be in it shortly and that is so exciting!!!

This Monday, the 15th, was our oil painting class at the Senior Citizen Center.   I am so in love with oil painting, but I'm telling ya', I have a hard time venturing out on my own and trying something.   I just can't get the courage.   But....I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying these classes.   I really wish I could remember everything that she tells us so I could repeat it on my own.   I am just afraid to venture out on my own.    But, I did take pics of the steps we done yesterday.    I so loved this painting and I hope y'all do too!!!!

We started with a black canvas and then brushed on some oil that would let the paint that we use go on evenly and smoothly.   We only used four colors on this painting.   A liquid white, a thicker white, then a dark blue and and a brown.   We mixed the blue and brown and covered the canvas with that, brushing north to south and then east to west to make sure we got good coverage.  Then we used some of the thicker white and started making our clouds with the one inch brush.   Just making x's on the canvas.

Then we used a fan brush and laid in the liquid white just pushing the fan brush on the canvas till it bends and swirl it.

Here we done the same thing on the bottom layer of clouds and then we used the big brush to lightly blur the lines of the clouds to make it look misty, sorta.

Then we put in one small final cloud with the same technique used previously.

Here, we put in the line between the sky and the sea.   On the lefthand side of my canvas, it is really blurry between water and clouds and that is what I wanted.   We got some of the sea painted in and the we put in the diagram of the sea wave.  This is where I really started getting nervous about this.   I was NOT confident at all doing this painting.

Ok, we started putting in the roll over of the wave.   We tapped the fan brush in white, placed it on the right hand side of the wave, pressed till the bristles bent and pulled down.   Wiping the brush between each brush stroke.   We got to the top of the roll and stopped.

Then we used the same fan brush and went in to what is the eye of the wave and made a "C" shape and carried it all the way from the left hand side to the right hand side of the canvas.    We made the "C" shape to fill in the eye but we kept it just the width of the brush under the wave.

In this pic, we added the little splashes around the wave and up the side, making the spray that happens when a rolling wave comes in.

Here we added a little more of the splashes  and then we made the water on the beach, in the forefront bottom of the canvas.

This is my framed oil painting.   About half way thru, I thought my painting was not gonna be frame worthy, but....in the end, I am thrilled with it!    My husband is just so happy with what I have done.    I so love the look on his face when he see's my paintings.    He loves them and I am so happy that he does.    He totally supports me in what I do and is always encouraging me.

Before I leave you, I want to leave you with some scripture to think about.   I am going to pick up with Psalm 23:3  "He restores my soul: He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

What do you think of when you think of the word "He restores my soul"?    God renews us, He refreshes us, reinvigorates us, recreates us, God quickens us, He makes us alive, God puts new life into us.   Have you ever needed to be refreshed, renewed, recreated?   I don't know about y'all, but I certainly have!!!!    Gods refreshing us is like a tall glass of ice water after being parched and dry.    Have you ever been so thirsty and then get a cold glass of water, you know what that feels like.   Transforming you from parched and dry, to refreshed and renewed.    That is exactly what Jesus Christ does for us!    He is the Everlasting Water!   He refreshes us and renews us.   He actually recreates us and makes us into new creatures.

"He leads me in paths of righteousness".  With the Lord being our shepherd, He directs our paths.    He makes our paths straight and safe.   He directs us in truth and holiness.   When we listen to the Lord, He will prevent us from wandering.   We can NOT walk in righteousness in and of ourselves!   God has to direct our paths to the paths of righteousness.   Do sheep really know where to go without a shepherd?    No, they don't.    Neither do we.

"for His names sake".     This says is all!    It's not about me, it's not about you!   It is all about the faithfulness of God, of His glory, and His goodness!   The Lord does not direct our paths just so we will be saved; but for He, Himself to be glorified.    God had promised that He would lead His people and in doing so, He is keeping His promises in our lives.    The Shepherd knows His sheep and the sheep know their Shepherd.    I pray that you know the Shepherd.    God loves us so much and He wants to be our Shepherd, but.....He will never force us to follow Him.    It is totally our choice, lets choose wisely!

Ladybug, sweetpea had a great time this past weekend and looks forward to visiting again.   Sweetpea loves you!

I hope and pray that y'all have seen something here that you liked, if you did, tell someone.    Share with someone what you seen here.    Tell someone you know that the Shepherd is good and faithful!    God loves y'all and so do I!   hugs, Patty