"..the lands of sunrise and sunset you fill with your joy."

"the lands of sunrise and sunset you fill with your joy." (Psalm 65)
11.25x14", watercolor on 140lb. cold press
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I had so much fun painting this watercolor inspired by the photo below by photographers Yann Meersseman and Moria Fitzgerald at Vinyard Colors. Their work inspires me to pick up a brush and grab my paints. I have had this image stashed away in my heart since 2016. 

Watercolor seemed the perfect media for transparent layers of clouds, dazzling light and churning waves of foamy water. 

When I came across a quote from my Morning Prayer, I knew immediately that had to be the title of the piece because just seeing the photo filled my heart with joy. 

Here is the reference photo.

Thank you for viewing.

nancy

To see more of my art click Online Gallery • Email  • Website  •  Graphic Design Studio • Fine Art America

An Evening of Awesome, Art, Wine & Jazz

"Pondering on a Pond", 24x12", oil on stretched canvas

"Bend in the Road", 10x8", oil on Gessobord

"Bounty", 10x8", oil on Gessobord

These are a few pieces I will be showing at "An Evening of Awesome Art, Wine and Jazz",  along with other local artists. This is a benefit event for Fill the Gap, a program of the Peace and Justice Network of Montgomery County, serving the homeless. Come see me this Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. 50% of all sales go to help the homeless. 

Location: Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 3801 South Panther Creek Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77381.  See flyer below for full details. 

First Light

"First Light", 8x10", Oil on Gessobord

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“Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.” — Rabindranath Tagore 

Today's painting was completed on our 3-day trip to Galveston, TX last weekend. I was on the beach each morning, camera in hand, before the sun had even blinked its sleepy eye out over the wide expanse of somber Gulf Coast.  

With the exception of a few scattered fishermen dotting the horizon in hopes of a catch, I sat alone at the outer-most tip of a jetty surrounded in the hug of darkness, and amid the soft crashing sound of waves gliding methodically in rows of foamy caps to shore. Even the daily winged scavengers hadn't arrived for the handouts left exposed on the wet sand by receding tides.

As I sat quietly waiting for the day to show up, I noticed a huge charcoal-gray bank of clouds lining up center stage, just above the horizon. The sky began taking on a soft pastel glow as the sun started kicking off the massive blanket of sea green it had been hiding under. I sat mesmerized as huge swatches of brilliant oranges, pinks, violets and golds splashed across a backdrop of aquamarine canvas. Next piercing yellow rays, like jabbing arms and legs, began to emerge at the focal point. The intense glow continued illuminating clouds into warmer lighter grays with golden hues that appeared as thin as a veil around the outer-most edges. 

Lighter and lighter the clouds continued to transform until suddenly all were outlined in a bright golden halo of pure radiant light. Spellbound, in that moment, I heard the silent words in my heart, "In spite of all the surrounding darkness in the world, know I am here in the brightness and fullness of glory, waiting." In awe-struck reverence and abandonment, I could only utter, Amen!

Thanks for letting me share my catch of the day.
nancy

To see more of my art or to contact me: Online Gallery  • E-mail  • Website  •  Graphic Design Studio •  Saatchi Gallery •  Fine Art America

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

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I was totally surprised and thrilled to find this article about my chair paintings in our local newspaper this morning. The article was beautifully written by fellow artist and columnist, Maggie Gutierrez. Thank you, Maggie. If these chairs could take a bow, they certainly would. :  )

~ nancy

______________________________________________________
To see more of my art, or to contact me: Online Gallery  • E-mail  •  Website  •  Graphic Design Studio •  Saatchi Gallery •  Fine Art America

Figure Painting

"Reclining Nude", 20x16", oil on gessobord

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"He who does not master the nude cannot understand the principles of architecture." — Michelangelo

I am happy to report I am not dead nor behind bars, but rather took some time off to attend a 5-day figure painting workshop in Fredericksburg, TX with nationally know oil painter, David Shevlino. It was pure joy to paint from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. or later each day with such an accomplished artist. David is an excellent teacher with a great gift for patience. I will be digesting all I learned for years to come. 

This 16x20" nude study is the only painting successful enough to post. The human body, with it's angles and curves is the most difficult of all subjects to paint, but also the most beneficial for the growth of an artist. Rarely having the opportunity to paint from a live nude model, I truly struggled and at times wanted to pull my hair out. It's always a challenging experience to draw the human figure, but to then mix the delicate skin tones in just the right values of lights and darks which accurately capture each subtle value shift in every shape and form of the body required 100 percent concentration and focus. Needless to say, I left the workshop completely exhausted, yet ever so grateful for the experience. 

I was also blessed to have shared a room with my dear friend, and one of my very favorite painter's, Rene Wiley. Rene is a highly accomplished and FABULOUS artist from Galveston, TX. If you've never seen her amazing work check out her gallery. 

Thanks for baring with me today. 
nancy 

_______________________________________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: Online Gallery  • E-mail  •  Website  •  Graphic Design Studio •  Saatchi Gallery •  Fine Art America

SOLD - Room Service

"Room Service" 8x8" oil on gessobord

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"All of life is an empty room. It is our task to fill it with something worth listening to." 

— Joan Chittister

As Shakesphere said, "All the world is a stage"... and this empty chair is merely a player. A stoic prop, positioned slightly off-center stage, sits transfixed in the warm flood of first light pouring in through glass and splashing across the floor. 

This painting is of another corner of the hotel room where I recently stayed in Fort Worth. This delightful room serviced me well, an unspoken invitation to pause in the solitude of the great abyss. Or at least, that's how I perceived it. 

I've mentioned in previous blogs about my need for silence, and how important it is to my soul. I suspect this might have something to do with the fact that the TV broadcasts day and night at my house, especially during football season. I rarely ever sit down to watch it myself cause nine times out of ten, I'll be asleep within a matter of minutes. My need for quietude really is very productive because it spurns me to retreat to another room of service—my studio—where I can listen and paint to my hearts content in the utter soundlessness of "Do Not Disturb."

Thanks for checking in today! You've earned a tip!!!  : ) 

*****FREE SHIPPING***** For the month of October treat yourself to FREE shipping on all domestic shipments, and 1/2 off all international shipping charges. Offer applies to any paintings purchased from my Online Gallery. 
_______________________________________________________
To see more of my art or to contact me: Online Gallery  • E-mail  •  Website  • Graphic Design Studio 

SOLD - Kick Off Your Shoes...

"...And Sit Right Down" 10x8" oil on gessobord

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"We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much and don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow our minds and hearts to heal."

— Thich Nhat Hanh

We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow our minds and hearts to heal.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thichnhath531576.html#Hii8FOkCeFImWgdV.99

We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow our minds and hearts to heal.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thichnhath531576.html#Hii8FOkCeFImWgdV.99

We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow our minds and hearts to heal.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/thichnhath531576.html#Hii8FOkCeFImWgdV.99

I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting. Mark Twain

Sleeping, Exercise, Taken

Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of God's grace. Charles Spurgeon

Life, Faith, Alone

Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired. Jules Renard

Tired, Laziness, Habit

On the plains of hesitation lie the blackened bones of countless millions who at the dawn of victory lay down to rest, and in resting died. Adlai E. Stevenson

Lie, Victory, Rest

You know, I think of the global economy as an inverted triangle, resting on the shoulders of the American consumer. And if the American consumer cannot have enough disposable income in order to maintain a standard of living that creates more opportunities generation after generation, that's bad for everybody. Hillary Clinton

Bad, Enough, Living

After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working. Kenneth Grahame

Best, Yourself, Busy

Resting on your laurels is as dangerous as resting when you are walking in the snow. You doze off and die in your sleep. Ludwig Wittgenstein

Sleep, Snow, Die

A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men. Martin Farquhar Tupper

Love, Peace, Men

I get a lot of the ideas when I'm resting - either when I'm meditating or getting some kind of work done on my back, like physical therapy or acupuncture. That's where I get my best ideas, maybe because I'm balancing my body. Katy Perry

Work, Best, Done

Rest until you feel like playing, then play until you feel like resting, period. Never do anything else. Martha Beck

Else, Until, Playing

I'm always trying to do stuff I haven't done before or challenge myself so I'm not resting on my laurels all of the time because if I just found my little niche and never left it, I'd be pretty boring, I think. Zooey Deschanel

Time, Boring, Done

Not a having and a resting, but a growing and becoming, is the character of perfection as culture conceives it. Matthew Arnold

Character, Culture, Growing

My girlfriend is much better than I am at working hard then resting, and she demands that from me, too. She insists on having time when we don't do anything. We leave the housework and watch a movie. Cynthia Nixon

Time, Hard, Working

I guess I just have one of those resting faces that makes me look like I want to beat you up. Jeremy Renner

Makes, Guess, Beat

As I hope it doesn't come to the point where I need to take a day off. I feel pretty good right now and I'm not resting or saving for any other game. Tim Duncan

Good, Hope, Game

A man's motive in the small actions of daily life, like resting a moment on his pitchfork in the sun and listening intently, may be the most important thing about that man. Haniel Long

Life, Daily, May

Resting for me is fitness training. Jenson Button

Fitness, Training

We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow our minds and hearts to heal.

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/resting.html#DADE37VR9mFH35f6.99

I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting. Mark Twain

Sleeping, Exercise, Taken

Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of God's grace. Charles Spurgeon

Life, Faith, Alone

Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired. Jules Renard

Tired, Laziness, Habit

On the plains of hesitation lie the blackened bones of countless millions who at the dawn of victory lay down to rest, and in resting died. Adlai E. Stevenson

Lie, Victory, Rest

You know, I think of the global economy as an inverted triangle, resting on the shoulders of the American consumer. And if the American consumer cannot have enough disposable income in order to maintain a standard of living that creates more opportunities generation after generation, that's bad for everybody. Hillary Clinton

Bad, Enough, Living

After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working. Kenneth Grahame

Best, Yourself, Busy

Resting on your laurels is as dangerous as resting when you are walking in the snow. You doze off and die in your sleep. Ludwig Wittgenstein

Sleep, Snow, Die

A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men. Martin Farquhar Tupper

Love, Peace, Men

I get a lot of the ideas when I'm resting - either when I'm meditating or getting some kind of work done on my back, like physical therapy or acupuncture. That's where I get my best ideas, maybe because I'm balancing my body. Katy Perry

Work, Best, Done

Rest until you feel like playing, then play until you feel like resting, period. Never do anything else. Martha Beck

Else, Until, Playing

I'm always trying to do stuff I haven't done before or challenge myself so I'm not resting on my laurels all of the time because if I just found my little niche and never left it, I'd be pretty boring, I think. Zooey Deschanel

Time, Boring, Done

Not a having and a resting, but a growing and becoming, is the character of perfection as culture conceives it. Matthew Arnold

Character, Culture, Growing

My girlfriend is much better than I am at working hard then resting, and she demands that from me, too. She insists on having time when we don't do anything. We leave the housework and watch a movie. Cynthia Nixon

Time, Hard, Working

I guess I just have one of those resting faces that makes me look like I want to beat you up. Jeremy Renner

Makes, Guess, Beat

As I hope it doesn't come to the point where I need to take a day off. I feel pretty good right now and I'm not resting or saving for any other game. Tim Duncan

Good, Hope, Game

A man's motive in the small actions of daily life, like resting a moment on his pitchfork in the sun and listening intently, may be the most important thing about that man. Haniel Long

Life, Daily, May

Resting for me is fitness training. Jenson Button

Fitness, Training

We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow our minds and hearts to heal.

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/resting.html#DADE37VR9mFH35f6.99

I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting. Mark Twain

Sleeping, Exercise, Taken

Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of God's grace. Charles Spurgeon

Life, Faith, Alone

Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired. Jules Renard

Tired, Laziness, Habit

On the plains of hesitation lie the blackened bones of countless millions who at the dawn of victory lay down to rest, and in resting died. Adlai E. Stevenson

Lie, Victory, Rest

You know, I think of the global economy as an inverted triangle, resting on the shoulders of the American consumer. And if the American consumer cannot have enough disposable income in order to maintain a standard of living that creates more opportunities generation after generation, that's bad for everybody. Hillary Clinton

Bad, Enough, Living

After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working. Kenneth Grahame

Best, Yourself, Busy

Resting on your laurels is as dangerous as resting when you are walking in the snow. You doze off and die in your sleep. Ludwig Wittgenstein

Sleep, Snow, Die

A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men. Martin Farquhar Tupper

Love, Peace, Men

I get a lot of the ideas when I'm resting - either when I'm meditating or getting some kind of work done on my back, like physical therapy or acupuncture. That's where I get my best ideas, maybe because I'm balancing my body. Katy Perry

Work, Best, Done

Rest until you feel like playing, then play until you feel like resting, period. Never do anything else. Martha Beck

Else, Until, Playing

I'm always trying to do stuff I haven't done before or challenge myself so I'm not resting on my laurels all of the time because if I just found my little niche and never left it, I'd be pretty boring, I think. Zooey Deschanel

Time, Boring, Done

Not a having and a resting, but a growing and becoming, is the character of perfection as culture conceives it. Matthew Arnold

Character, Culture, Growing

My girlfriend is much better than I am at working hard then resting, and she demands that from me, too. She insists on having time when we don't do anything. We leave the housework and watch a movie. Cynthia Nixon

Time, Hard, Working

I guess I just have one of those resting faces that makes me look like I want to beat you up. Jeremy Renner

Makes, Guess, Beat

As I hope it doesn't come to the point where I need to take a day off. I feel pretty good right now and I'm not resting or saving for any other game. Tim Duncan

Good, Hope, Game

A man's motive in the small actions of daily life, like resting a moment on his pitchfork in the sun and listening intently, may be the most important thing about that man. Haniel Long

Life, Daily, May

Resting for me is fitness training. Jenson Button

Fitness, Training

We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don't allow our bodies to heal, and we don't allow our minds and hearts to heal.

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/resting.html#DADE37VR9mFH35f6.99My husband had a writer's conference in Fort Worth last week for a couple of days, so I tagged along, while he worked I played at the Modern Art Museum.

My husband had a writer's conference in Fort Worth last week for a couple of days, so I tagged along, while he worked I played at the Modern Art Museum.

Today's painting is a corner of our room at the Renaissance Hotel where we were staying. You can tell it's our room—not to mention names—because those are someone's shoes left sitting out in the middle of the room, just waiting for someone else to trip over in the middle of the night. Just kidding dear, they actually add a human touch.

I painted a similar piece a couple of years ago from this same hotel. I love painting those dark moody shadows and muted colors illuminated by the light of one lone lamp. The ambiance of this wonderful getaway is enchanting, but it sure makes me feel like Cinderella coming home from the ball. Oh well, time to take off that glass slipper...hi-ho, hi-ho...it's back to Conroe I go. 

Thanks for resting and relaxing with me for a spell. 
 -nancy 

PS: If you're in the Fort Worth TX area, be sure to visit the Modern Art Museum. It's like walking on water literally. The current exhibit, Mexico Inside Out: Themes in Art Since 1990 was extremely powerful and one I will never forget.

___________________________________________________________________

To see more of my art or to contact me: Online Gallery  • E-mail  •  Website  • Graphic Design Studio