This was a painting my father did many years. He loved southwestern art and the style seemed to fit him.
After I took the painting to my home recently I noticed several scratches in it that needed attention. I carefully set the large canvas on my easel. While I was hesitant to even touch my father’s work, I carefully mixed and added paint to the scratched areas. I have to say the scratches are no longer noticeable.
A few days ago I uncovered a little known thread in my mother’s genealogy line. Her grandfather had a wife that the family did not know about or they just did not talk about her. She was full blood Cherokee and was listed as a free Indian woman.
While this woman is not in my direct line…I joke and say that is where my wild spirit comes from. All joking aside I have nothing but respect for all of the Native American people of this country.
After a morning of tedious cleaning, I decided the best way to spend a Friday afternoon was to pick up a brush.
Mountains And Waterfalls
This painting depicts two of my favorite things…mountains and waterfalls. I guess my attraction to mountains stems from the fact that they are all unique. There are no two alike. The fun thing is if they are not perfect…it doesn’t matter.
Waterfalls on the other hand are more difficult. I have to stop and tell myself the same thing…they don’t have to be perfect but getting the right color and effect really tries my patience.
I have always been drawn to mountains. This comes from partially because even the Bible speaks a lot about mountains. As early at Genesis mountains are mentioned in Genesis 8 :4 “On the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat”. In Isaiah 2:2 “It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills, and all shall flow to it”. For more biblical references here is a good site to go to: https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-mountains.
There is a spiritual connection with the huge peaks. Certainly when I stand on a mountain I feel closer to God. It is not just the height but more a presence. I have painted a lot of mountains. Here is this week’s mountain ridge.
The mountains tremble and quake before Him and the hills melt away and the earth is upheaved at His presence–yes, the world and all that dwell in it Nahum 1:5.
As children of God we can be mountains, firm and strong. We can stand and endure all things because our feet are firmly planted in the word. There is no need to worry about falling because our roots are embedded in the rock of salvation, Jesus Christ. In a time when “all things” are in question, God is the only thing that is certain.
Be a voice that can be heard in the wilderness. Be a cry that echos from the mountain top. Stand tall and unafraid because there is nothing here on earth that is too big for God. The Bible tells us multiple times to not have fear. If you live with fear you have already given up. Be like the pine tree that grows tall and wide. Let your words lead others to righteousness.
I am very hyper so it is often hard for me to focus on one thing. I tend to bounce from one painting to another. Being somewhat of a perfectionist I tend to keep going back over a painting. Formerly I thought it was just a flaw in my character until I started studying the works of Akiane Kramarik. If you are not familiar with her look her up on YouTube. She is an artistic prodigy and best known for the painting “Prince of Peace” shown in the movie “Heaven Is For Real”. She paints over or makes changes to her paintings numerus times before completing a painting.
I on the other hand, just cannot be satisfied. The painting you will see below I have touched up or reworked several times and am still not completely satisfied with the face.
Native By Birth – American By Choice
I guess my biggest problem is I want my paintings to say something and not just be paint on canvas. A painting should convey a message or feeling. I love going to galleries and seeing paintings that just pull you in and then there are those that you wonder why they are even there. You know the ones…not just abstract but the ones that are so simplistic they lack any depth at all.
When you look at a portrait you should be able to have a sense of who that person was….needless to say I have not arrived yet but it does not deter me from trying to get to that point.
Well on to the next canvas. Until I lay the first stroke down I never know where the brush will take me.
I typically don’t do portraits but I was inspired by faith to create a painting of Christ.
While it pales in comparison to some paintings, this is my interpretation. Of course skin color is my biggest hurdle. Whites like to think he is white while blacks like to think he was black. I based the skin color based on what I know of his lineage.
He is not as perfect as he should be but then I am far short of being perfect.
As a painter you should challenge yourself daily. Keep Christ in your life and maybe add a little spirit to your paintings.
I will sometimes stray from drawing and painting the realistic to doing something abstract or from the world of fantasy. Here are a few pages from my sketchbook.
This world of fantasy is calm compared to the world of fantasy we really live in.
As a child I was fascinated by the enchanted forest in The Wizard Of Oz. Well trees may not have faces or talk but their shapes will sometimes lead us to dream.
While you may not agree with my views on things, I appreciate each one of my followers.
No it is not finished yet.
I started this painting to represent both the past and the present. Not unlike most Americans I have a number of ancestrial links to the Civil War. Unlike some I am very proud of these ancestors. Most of them lost their lives not fighting for slavery as some are misled to believe but to simply maintain control of their own land.
You need to realize that during that time period they had been fighting for years prior to the war. The slaves benefited from the war but they were not the reason it occurred. In fact most slaves were freed prior to the start of the war.
Now we all know that the act of slavery was something this country should have never gotten involved it. And you can thank not Americans but the British for that! The fact is there was not enough manpower for the large plantations and farms to continue to operate. Slavery was seen as a solution to a problem. They never set out to destroy another race. It became evident very quickly that you were either a slave or a slave owner. Here are a few little known facts… 1. While most people assume that all slaves were black, that also is not true. There were white slaves often referred to in Wills as Indentured Servants. 2. There were black slave owners of black slaves. There were not many but they did exists. 3. Were slaves mistreated….in some cases yes but in other cases they were well respected by their owners. Most earned their freedom on their own. In my family tree there were both white slaves and slave owners and I am not ashamed of either.
The disgust over our monuments being destroyed is warranted. When you erect a statue to a common criminal but destroy monuments to fallen heros that just shows how far our society has fallen from reality.
Every race, every society has the right to celebrate their history. There is always some good and bad in every society. While this country has fallen on its knees it doesn’t mean that we cannot get back up.
It is time to unite our past with our present and allow that knowledge to make us stronger. We do still have an opportunity to make this country great again!
It starts with the simplicity of love and respect for all of mankind.
Through My Eyes 