Little is much (Mixed Med - Lily 6" X 8")

Good Morning

I woke up excited as to which flower I would pick for you today. I am staying with the impressionism. I love the colors  and the movement.This is another small painting 6" X 8", but it carries bigness. Some of the classic pictures we have grown accustomed to, such as Van Gogh's or Rembrandt, carry strength and power, and we are shocked they are so small.

Little is Much (Mixed Med - Lily  6" X 8")

They loom so big in our minds and I have assumed they must be big.Isn't that the way of true worshippers of God. Once you get to know them, you are surprised their lives are so simple;  they are so big in the spiritual world before God, but usually their lives are hidden away, without any fanfare. They must stay small in the eyes of the world in order that they can stay pure before God.

Petal Tips! This lily goes outside the borders. I believe when you do this, the subject becomes big even on a small piece of paper. This was also a from a used piece of 300# paper cut up into small pieces. I saw partially an image of an open flower, then I began to carve out petals.

On the value side it is a one to nine. It is dark in the left bottom corner showing a shadow and the middle of the flower is highlighted with white acrylic. This gives it the three dimension. Also, when I add white acrylic, it becomes too chalky, so after it dries I put a magenta or Alizarian Crimson diluted watercolor wash over it. This cuts some of the white.

When I teach, I emphasise always, "save the whites", and span the value as dark as you can go. What I mean by this, think of the darkest dark as ten and the lightest light as one. Usually when a student brings me something they have done, many times it is flat and they do not know how to make it pop. Most often it is because they stay in the middle of values. They will paint it all between four and six.

Meanderings~~~~Once in life I wanted it all and I thought if I worked hard enough I could have it all. Today, I only want ALL that the Lord wants me to have. What a difference in my life.  Once I was straining my tether, running through life grabbing and getting everything I could get. I missed life in the process and it brought heartache to my family.

Now my life is so satisfying and fulfilled but I keep it very simple. I want time to worship, paint and write and enjoy my family. It means cutting out time spent running to town, and spinning my wheels. 

So this flower, is big with very little around it, just enough to support its existence.