I’ve discovered that life needs a little bit of whimsy. Lately, I’ve needed a lot of it! So, I have decided to put my inner critic aside and start being creative! I call it my “cheap therapy” and I have grown to love it!
Now, please understand, I know that no one will be knocking on my door in hopes of buying any of my work! But I love it just the same. It’s the process that is so fulfilling. There’s something about a blank canvas or rock that beckons to me! Just like a tiny cursor on a blank screen that challenges me to fill it up with something meaningful.
So, I am going to be brave and share some of my art. I hope that in sharing my attempts at being artistic, you will be inspired to also hush your inner critic and be creative too!.
This is a canvas I created of my husband, Rich, and Sadie, our Wonder Dog. Rich loves to crab, and is known as the local Crab King, so I had to add crab to the painting. Our son, Luke, liked it so much, that I had to paint one for him too! (inspired by artist Annora Spence)
A Family Rock portrait! This is Rich, Sadie, and me! (The beauty of whimsical art is that I can make us all look a whole lot younger!)
This is the canvas that got me started! My grilfriends took me out to a Sip and Paint party for my birthday. I didn't want to paint what everyone else was painting, so I created this flamingo instead. One pink bird and I had a new hobby!
Once upon a time, our house was a chicken coop. (True fact!) Thus, I have a little affection for chickens--the more whimsical the better! Here is a glimpse of some of my chicken rock "art" which makes me smile!
I'm pretty sure my dad has seen every western ever made at least a dozen times! And I'm pretty sure he has Poulsbo's largest collection of westerns on DVD! So of course, I had to paint some rocks for him of some of his favorite western stars! Thanks, Dad, for watching Sadie while we were on vacation!
If you know my husband, you know he loves reading about church history. Recently, he taught a class with his Think Theology team on the Five Solas of the Reformation. Needless to say, I had to paint a portrait of Martin Luther in honor of the event!
Some watercolor chickens to add to our crazy coop!
The past few days Rich has been getting up early to go salmon fishing. He came home with a handful of rocks for me to paintl So, of course, I painted a salmon on one and my fisherman on the heart-shaped one! I love my thoughtful man!
As an educator, school is a pretty big deal for me! As a mom, I loved walking my kids to school with backpacks and lunchboxes in hand, anticipating the learning and fun that lay ahead! As a teacher, I loved getting to know each of my students and helping them to discover their hidden talents. Tomorrow is a BIG day! My two oldest grandkids are starting kindergarten! (Watch out world!) And, thus, I have found that my rockpainting has taken a "Back-to-School" theme in recent days. Here are the rock portraits of the two cutest kindergartners around!
When it comes to painting, it's pretty obvious that portraits are not my strength, but I like this canvas anyway. It's a picture of my brother, sister, and me on one of their recent trips to Poulsbo. I enjoy their visits each time they come! (I blame any odd looking perspectives on that fact that I use a "whimsical" touch in my paintings!)
I'm not sure exactly why, but this cow has remained one of my favorite rocks for quite a while now. He just screams personality to me! I painted the pig because he looked like he needed a barnyard friend! Oh the whimsy of rock painting!
We recently had to say good-bye to our beloved Sadie. She was a wonderful family dog and she loved us fiercely! Our hearts are sad. So, of course, Sadie is dominating my painting sessions! It's good therapy! Here is a canvas of our sweet dog. (I'm sure it won't be the last that I paint...or share!)
My "Missing Sadie" theme keeps on going. Here is a whimsical rock I painted of Sadie and my husband. "To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace." (M. Kundera)
This rock portrait is for my father-in-law, Norm Jacobson, who was affectionately called "Bear" by his adoring wife, Susie. They had quite the romance! Despite illnesses and memory loss, their love remained strong and true! Norm passed away this week, leaving a hole in the hearts of those who loved him. "The best thing to hold onto in life is each other!"
Sometimes it is not only good, but necessary to stop and remind ourselves of things that bring us joy. This October has been a rough month! Thus, I am choosing to post a picture of a rock I painted in honor of our youngest son, Luke, who graduated with Highest Honors with a Masters in Philosphy from Talbot. We are so proud of his commitment to not only stay the course, but to soar while doing it! He has always been a HUGE source of joy for our entire family! Our hearts are filled with love and admiration!
Although there are some questionable theories behind the Scandanavian Tomte, it is a popular holiday character that decorates many a fireplace mantel, especially in our little Norwegian town of Poulsbo, WA. I can remember family members creating tomtes to sell at Swedish Holiday Fairs. I have collected a few for myself along the way. I sat down this weekend and painted a few tomtes for the upcoming Christmas season and discovered that they are pretty fun to create! I have decided that painting "A Tomte a Day, Keeps Scrooge Away!"
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:5). Today is the first day of Advent 2018 so I am posting my Nativity rocks. I love Christmas and the hope that it stirs deep in my soul.
Legend has it that the Swedish Tomte works at night to provide protection against any misfortune. Stories have been widespread and passed down throughout generations. I just like them because they are whimsical, cute, and fun to paint! I think I may have been a little carried away with painting Tomtes this Christmas season!
A Mother's Love.
from i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)--a poem by e.e. cummings
"here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows highter than soul can hope or mind can hide and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)"
Although I use a laptop and not an old-fashioned typewriter, I love this little rock because it represents the joy I have in writing. Painting and writing have become my creative outlets of late, my "cheap therapy!" Anne Frank once penned, "I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn." Although writing doesn't make everything "all better", it does fill me with hope and the persistence to keep writing.
I think I am falling in love again with folk art. It is whimsical in its use of color, perspective, and simplicity. And so I love this new little addition to our chicken coop! Painting her made me happy! Perhaps she needs a friend or two!
A whimsical crab! Bold, yet simple! This was fun to paint and sparks joy in my heart!
Whimsical folk art has captured my heart of late, so why not a "Folk Heart" in honor of Valentine's Day next week? On the back I have written, "You are loved forever. Romans 8:38 - 39." This is truth that we need to cling to!
"A sweet friendship refreshes the soul." As I was snowed in this past week, I found myself dreaming of warmer days with these two beauties! They consistently refresh my soul and I count them as two of God's most precious gifts to me!
Those who know me know that I have a special affection for chickens since our home started as the original homestead chicken coop. I have always loved doodling, so this was a fun chicken to create! I call it "What's for Dinner?" (I think a few more might be coming to add to this theme!)
Here's another "What's for Dinner." Doodling is a wonderful way to paint away the cares of the day!
I don't eat much pork, but this is a cute addition to the "What's for Dinner" theme I've been creating.
My husband is the king of crabbing, so we love to eat crab! (One of the many perks of living on the Hood Canal in the PNW!) I love to paint crabs and use them in my decorating. Thus, I couldn't help by add a crab to my "What's for Dinner" theme.
After fishing while on vacation in Idaho, I decided to add a fish to my 'What's For Dinner' art. These are so much fun to paint!
I am having so much fun combining my love of using chickens in my art with my renewed love of decoupage! I used strips from our local newspaper and then outlined with black acrylic paint. Whimsical and creative!
Well, after creating my first rock with decoupage and newspaper, I knew another theme was in the making! Another chicken for our coop!
And yet another chicken created from decoupage and newspaper has joined the cooop, Choosing just the right strip of newspaper and cutting it to fit is fun! I love making these rock!
I wanted a new piece of art for my wall in the diningroom so I pulled out the watercolors and acrylics! This fiesty little chicken is the result! I love the color and spunk it adds to the wall!
Feeling a little sentimental. I painted this rock of me holding my four kids close to my heart! A mother's love remains strong and true! (And yes, I had 3 blondes and 1 brunette!)
A rock to celebrate fathers and sons! One of our favorite photos is a black and white of our son Ben holding his very first catch! My husband has started to make time for fishing again. Here's to all the fishing memories in the making!
My decoupage craze is moving over to crabs! I used paper scraps for this one!
This chicken was inspired by our cute little Norwegian town of Poulsbo. You can see the landmark church in the background. I especially like this one becaue I used a large, flat rock that I found while camping on the coast with family.
I love it when I find heart-shaped rocks to use in my painting. These bright colors make this rock pop! And of course, who doesn't love chickens?
My husband will be starting his early morning salmon fishing on the Puget Sound soon. So, in honor of fishing season, I painted this little cutie! I wonder if any of the fish he catches will be half this cute!
Doodle Art is so fun to do! I found some wooden hearts at a local sale and decided they could use some color. Here is the first Doodle Heart I created. I love the vibrant colors and Love theme. It is one of my favorites!
Another Doodle Heart from the wooden hearts I bought at a local antique store. Each one takes on its own personality.
Doodle Heart 3 of 3. Painting these wooden hearts brought me much joy!
I've started painting what I call "Faith Rocks." I work in a word or a phrase from an old hymn or Bible verse somewhere on the rock-canvas. Creating them is fun! When I start, I never know how it will look or even what word I will add. It just happens.
I think this was the first of my Faith Rocks. God is Good is something my husband and I remind each other nearly every day! No matter how difficult our circumstances can become, God is ever good, ever faithful, and always in control!
I love painting chickens and I love doodling. So doodling on a chicken is definitely one of my favorite things to paint! I feel content and relaxed when I doodle.
This is the Doodle Chicken I painted when I was showing my sister how to paint them. (Now she's addicted too, and does a lot better job than me!)
I love painting birds! I LOVE hearing the birds sing before the sunrise. They are so cheery and hopeful! "God's loyal love couldn't have run out, His merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great Your faithfulness!"
My husband loves to go crabbing as often as he can! He'll drop crab pots on the Hood Canal or go crab raking during low tides with his buddy Bill. Crab season recently opened for the season so I decided to create a watercolor crab to celebrate!
Watercolors are fun to work with as I feel like mistakes can blend right in and create unexpected colors! I love this little crab! Our family loves living in the PNW where we can enjoy fresh crab!
I love hunting for unique rocks and then deciding what I will paint on them! This "heart" shaped rock was perfect for me to combine my love of painting chickens with the joy of doodle art!
Faith rocks are not only fun to paint but serve as good reminders! I am so thankful that I have a God who is trustworthy!
My faith rocks combine my love for doodling and incorporating reminders of my faith. Joy is something we can have regardless of our circumstances.
Folk art chicken. Who said painting chickens could get boring?
I call this chicken Elvis. :)
It seems that I spend most of my art time rock painting but I occasionally like to practice with canvas or paper. This is a watercolor chicken on paper.