FEB. 10TH CLASS

SORRY I HAVE BEEN AWAY FROM THIS BLOG FOR SO LONG! It has been a glorious new year...I can't begin to tell you all that God is doing in my inner life since I have made it a priority to slowly and prayerfully read at least one chapter in the New Testament every morning.  I have been reading and studying the Bible for almost 70 years but it has never been so alive and fresh to me!  I consider this an amazing gift from my dear Father.  I am seeking to see how human Jesus is... without a halo - not just pretending to feel, think and act like an earthly person...just like me.  Paul explains it in Philippians 2

"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.  He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.  Not at all.  When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became HUMAN! Having become human, he stayed human.  It was an incredibly humbling process.  He didn't claim special privileges.  Instead he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death - and the worst kind of death at that - a crucifixion.  Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on east - even those long ago dead and buried - will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father."

The Chapel work with my husband fills my mind and life so that painting & blogging have to wait their turn.  Others in our fellowship are discovering this daily, Bible reading walk with Jesus and our days are full... like the song someone sent us...My cup is full and running over - so much so that i am drinking out of the saucer!!!

BUT I DO MAKE TIME FOR CLASSES... and what a joyous time we had yesterday painting with a Valentine sing-along tape and just enjoying our time together.  Don't you love this old-time portrait of Audrey's parents on the farm? She will be back to finish it at our next class on Feb.24 before she heads back north.  Audrey has been with me for about 10 years and has done over twenty paintings. Joyce finished up her portrait of her beloved Heidi that left her a few months ago. It is a very emotional painting for her... 

HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US FOR CLASSES - FEB.24 - MARCH 9  - APRIL 13 - MAY 11

TODAY'S CLASS

Had a wonderful day with four terrific gals.  Good to have Joyce back but did not get a photo of the two pastels she is working on.  Sonya  is working on a delightful portrait of her deceased step-father peaking out of the house.  She shared her experiences at an Albert Handell workshop and is busy with learning and doing art.  Judy finished a lovely portrait of one of her sons who will be visiting her soon. Eileen worked hard on the portrait of her father taken from and old black and white photo and is eager to have it framed and up in her home.  Looks like the February class is full and the March one is filling up. Hope to hear from you soon.

God's Provision!!

Posted this painting so you can see that I am still working on it during this busy Christmas season. Just wiped out all those flowers so I can create an nice bouquet.  Will I get it done next week???

Must share my excitement to what I see as my Father's clear answer to prayer. Every year our Chapel gets the names of 10 needy families at our local school and we give them a huge Thanksgiving food basket. At Christmas we get the names, sizes and toy wish of all the children in those families and our folk pick a child to shop for gifts.  This year we had hoped to also supply them with some food but nothing was happening and hubby and I were disappointed because the gifts are to be delivered tomorrow.
Three days ago a man came to our Bible study asking if we could find some people that could use the food in his trunk. A Beauty salon had collected it and he tried to deliver it to a food bank today but they told him to come back later.  We piled the food bags into our trunk. The next day we got a call from our Stonecrest Art Society saying they wanted to give us a $200 check to help with caring for these families.  We rushed to Sam's and bought ten $20 baked hams wrapped in beautiful gold paper to put on top of our food baskets. What a mighty God we serve!  We think we have to do it all but He does it all in His own amazing way! Hope to get a good photo of all this "stuff" to post tomorrow.

I'M PAINTING!!!

Just want you to know that I am not goofing off with my painting.  Feels so good to have an idea on canvas that has been in my head for over year.  Took this photo of our daughter at her daughter's graduation celebration in her back yard. Years ago I saw a painting that was a portrait, still life and a landscape and that is in my mind as I work on this.  I  did not use the projector... just washed in values and shaped and let it take form. Just trying to decide on colors before I work on more detail. Decided to make the background grass lighter and more yellow to bring out the portrait in the shade. Goal right now is to make the flowers strong and keep the portrait soft.  Thought you might like to watch the changes take place.  Will lower table and change angle..Think I like that table cool. Need something vertical - like that cup - on the table.  What color? Will post today's work here tomorrow.  Hope you are painting and that I can keep at it!!!

NEW FAMILY PHOTO

I neglected to post this year's family portrait at our Thanksgiving gathering. Tom was not with us so we put a photo of his head on a stick to make the family complete.  We took the last family photo in August of last year when I was very tired all the time but had no idea that I had leukemia....This year we celebrate my healing plus so many other blessings.

I don't have a painting to post every day but I rejoice that each day I do something involved with my art.
Had bought two cheap, rough canvases at Michaels and tossed them aside because they were so horrible...thought that I could at least use the stretchers for my roll of good canvas.  But I sanded the canvas and got it fairly smooth.  Then I painted it with three coats of gesso and am excited about getting a new painting on it.

Hope you are making plans to paint at least once a week.  Set up a corner with your pastel paper or a small canvas and get excited about some photo you want to copy or an old painting that needs new inspiration... Send it to me so we can rejoice together!!!!
Hugs,
Janet

COLOR!

Thank you so much for signing up for emails from this site.  Nice to know someone is reading this besides just me!!  Enjoyed getting a response from that chicken recipe... Share some of your favorites with me and I can pass them on.
I am truly trying to paint almost every day. . . but when I get started I don't want to stop and then have to  give a whole day to working around the house....  Had to work on this one because I promised you that I would and I appreciate that incentive.

 I never did anything like this before and really am enjoying myself... I don't think of this as finished...I see lots of changes I want to make but I just have to do the dishes and make supper....will put it aside and make adjustments later.  Nice to throw reality to the wind!!! Hope you understand what I am trying to do with color.  We will chat about it as I go along.

LEUKEMIA!!!!

Had to share this with all my praying friends - right away!!!!

Just came back from my visit with my cancer doctor to get the result of my bone marrow biopsy.  It was 90% infected last year.  David and I just sat in silence as Dr. Rohatgi seemed to read and reread the report.  Finally he said "I looks like it is all gone!"...then he said that his usuall procedure is to follow up with a few chemo sessions but, in my case, he sees no need to do that!!! 

WOW...I have been feeling  so great that I knew that God had been at work in me and part of me expected that report.  Strange, but I am not so much rejoicing in this possible healing as I am in the certainty that I have experience this year that God is truly at work in my life - no matter what happens to my body....His ways are always perfect and I want Him to do whatever He deems His best for my entrance into His visible Kingdom.  I know that right now I am a part of His invisible Kingdom in this world ruled by "the prince of the power of the air"...the one who tempted Jesus by offering Him all of this world if He would just worship him!  I would not have missed this past year for anything... It has made the invisible so much more visible to me and I am excited about each day He gives me until He takes me home.

Thank you so very much for all your prayers for me - I know that He has answered within me no matter how He handled this body tent in which I live. I pray His best for you this coming year - whatever that might be . . .accept it with thankfulness and anticipation as you draw closer to Him.  As we get older we know that the worse is yet to come - possibly the loss of a spouse or other unhappy things within our family and friends -  but He has promised to never, never, never leave our side - to never, never, never forsake us... WOW - that is a fantastic promise - and He never breaks a promise!!!!

lots of love and hugs,

Janet and David