Celebrating God's Glory, one brushstroke at a time

 

The world around us is getting darker and darker, but there is a light!  I pray we all can see this light, bask in it, and draw much peace from it.

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  John 1:1-5

 

For a limited time, this painting is being auctioned; please click here for the auction of "A Light in the Darkness."

 

A Tutorial is available for this painting.  Check it out in the Lessons section.

 

Cars, cars, cars!!! That was my father's life. He worked for the Chrysler Corporation for many, many years. Before that, he worked for Chevrolet for a short time. He sold them, was a sales manager, a tri-state executive, and ultimately owned his very own Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge dealership in New Carlisle, Ohio for many years. As I was growing up, I was privileged to drive the latest and craziest cars on the street. Was that fun! So, I told myself, it's time to paint some! Here's my first, an old Dodge Truck, with a scene of the Painted Desert in the background (that place is so gorgeous!). This is my first car painting (an older vehicle!), but I've got ideas for some newer models rolling around in my noggin.......................well, what do you think? .............Please leave your comments below.

 

For prints, or simply to see this much, much larger, please click here.

 

To purchase original, please click here.

 

The "second" in my recent fog series, "Quiet Contemplation" was painted from our backyard.  Both this one and it's predecessor, "Morning Meditation," are painted on 12 x 12" Ampersand Gessoed "cradle" board, which requires no framing because it is one inch deep.  The one inch sides are made of birch and can be stained or painted to complement your home.  

 

Below you can see both "sister" paintings.  I will have the third in this series posted next week.............................

 

 Morning Meditation   Quiet Contemplation

 

"Morning Meditation," one of 3 paintings (fog series), was done from my own backyard.  Our backyard faces acres and acres of corn fields (next year it will be soy beans) and beyond the fields, there is a little wooded area that runs along a stream (where deer frequent in herds). Every day, a new beautiful scene reveals itself and the foggy mornings have been exquisite this year.  To read more about this painting, or to purchase this painting, please click here.

 

After I complete this Morning Meditation Series, I plan to do more fog paintings (but, this is NOT the surprise that is coming after Thanksgiving!).  In preparation for the fog painting series, I have taken a large number of photos of foggy landscapes, from the backyard and beyond.  Below are 3 possible photos I have to choose from for my next "fog" series (Lake Waynoka, Ohio).  Which would you like to see me paint first?  A, B, or C?  I'm having a really hard time deciding!!  Thanks for helping!   [for more on "Following Your Dream" see the end of this Blog Post)

 

A

 

 

B

 

 

C

 

More on Meditation and "Following Your Dream"

The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart - this you will build your life by, and this you will become.  (James Allen)

 

For more insights from James Allen's book,  "As a Man Thinketh" (click)

The gently rolling waves of The Little Miami River literally sang to us, as Michelle and I painted on the banks. Oh, what a marvelous experience!  Ohio IS so beautiful!

 

 To read more about this piece and/or to purchase, please click here.  

 To bid on this auction, please click here.

"Ristras de Taos Series" gives you an idea of what all 4 paintings look hanging near to one another.  Individually, they are selling for $80 each; however, if you are interested in all 4, I am offering a 20% discount.  Click Here for more information.

 

I have a New series (of 3) in the works...........it's all about Fog. These new paintings are gentle on the soul. I love painting them! For a peek, click here.

"Ristras de Taos II" is the 4th and last in this series.  Artists, please note the greenish background where the ristras are.  I hope you'll agree the red chilis stand out because of that green"ish" adobe wall.  To purchase this painting, click here.   Or have a go at the auction, click here.

 

More photos from our Hocking Hills trip...........

    

 

 

 

 

"Ristras de Taos" is the third in this series of 4 paintings.  One more to come!  

 

Did you try the Chili Recipe? What did you think?  You can leave your comments below ♡

 

To purchase this painting, click here.

Or have a go at the auction, click here.

Or order prints, click here.

 

Enjoy the making of this painting..........VIDEO BELOW............

 

Free digital slideshow made with Smilebox

 

 

 

 

This heavy but serviceable antique once belonged to my paternal grandmother (Mamah).  It has and still does grind meats for my family.  To purchase this painting, please click here. 

 

MEAT SPREAD

1.  Slow-cook a nice sized roast (chuck, rump....your choice) in a crock-pot.

2.  Enjoy that meal and the next day....... grind the left-over meat, sweet pickles, one chopped onion, and about 6 (peeled) hard-boiled eggs in the grinder.  

3.  Add a little mayonaise and spread on a cracker for a scrumptious snack!

 

A little VIDEO for your enjoyment:   Art in the Making..................

 

For the auction of this painting, please click here.   Interested in painting this yourself?  Please see my "Art Lessons" or click here.

"Hot, Hot, Hot! Chili Ristras!" is the second in my Ristra series.  For my dear artist friends who read this blog, please notice the adobe walls are purposefully a shade of green to give a POP! to the complementary red of the ristras.  To accompany this painting, I have included our family's favorite hot chili recipe.  Skyline eat your heart out!  

To  purchase this painting, click here.

Or  have a go at the auction, click here.

Or order prints, click here.

 

Boilermaker Tailgate Chili  (courtesy of allrecipes.com, with a few little twists from the Clark family!)

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef 

1 pound bulk Italian sausage

4 (15 ounce) red kidney beans, drained

2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 celery (full stalk, we like lots of celery), chopped

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

2 red peppers, seeded and chopped

2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped

4 cubes beef bouillon

1/4 cup chili powder (yepper!)

1 teaspoon each of dried basil, salt, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, white sugar

2 teaspoons each of ground cumin, cinnamon, molasses, and hot pepper sauce (oh, yeah!)

1 tablespoon each of Worcestershire sauce, bacon bits, minced garlic and dried oregano

1 (10.5 ounch) bag corn chips such as Fritos

1 (8 ounce) package shreded Cheddar Cheese

 

Directions

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evently browned. Drain off excess grease.

2. Pour in the beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chili peppers, bacon bits, and bouillon.  Season with Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, basil, salt, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, white sugar, cumin, cinnamon, molasses, hot pepper sauce, bacon bits, garlic, and oregano (did I leave anything out?).  Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat fora t least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  (Oh, it's beginning to smell so good in the house!)

3. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste, Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate and serve the next day (well, that is if you can wait that long!).

4. To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.