tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2144717209799782232024-02-21T05:39:29.955-08:00Phyllis Thomascontemporary visual translationsphyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-12365787144776057532017-03-10T14:44:00.002-08:002017-03-11T07:27:10.918-08:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDu9Wgrz25ADV0vOAdaRHwlkzwOhAMoYo0mLouGPX0cghvEH_8Qsp7TXn1saeIgqNyvDAfCZA4pVbil_L8MNfW7Zw4pUNDUMPMdFq6Oj4gRoXCpLBJZj0GfYROwUA0OJnHv1nlqc1GI8/s1600/Taize+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDu9Wgrz25ADV0vOAdaRHwlkzwOhAMoYo0mLouGPX0cghvEH_8Qsp7TXn1saeIgqNyvDAfCZA4pVbil_L8MNfW7Zw4pUNDUMPMdFq6Oj4gRoXCpLBJZj0GfYROwUA0OJnHv1nlqc1GI8/s200/Taize+I.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Taize I</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Diversions</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes I need a diversion.When I'm stuck in my painting process or sequence, I experiment with something totally different.These small tapestries were inspired by organic forms found in my landscape.We have banana plants surrounding our property. When I trim the dead leaves I often pull off strips of bark and dry them by laying books on top as a press. When dry, I find beautiful variations of texture and natural color imprinted on the strips. I also dry and press leaves I find on the ground in our landscape. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywdvWstImJ7Hw4O2gnFHbOkOVo-WGimhNy3CqpdmCcrXfv1cV5yvOIs8WXs8mFAfAbceZYTHgbL5QEd8hhnG97CKVBXdWMTOeWvixEwC_-3t-vq3BeYGLMbh_JGltPhBU0DyMmjlSpX4/s1600/Taize+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywdvWstImJ7Hw4O2gnFHbOkOVo-WGimhNy3CqpdmCcrXfv1cV5yvOIs8WXs8mFAfAbceZYTHgbL5QEd8hhnG97CKVBXdWMTOeWvixEwC_-3t-vq3BeYGLMbh_JGltPhBU0DyMmjlSpX4/s200/Taize+II.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Taize II</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another activity I do when stuck is read about other artists. I subscribe to a weekly email titled Sam & Joe - <a href="http://www.textileartist.org/" target="_blank">TextileArtist.org. </a>Their letter features various textile artists and processes. Recently I read one of the posts and found inspiration for combining stitching with natural forms by artist Alice Fox.I often incorporate thread and stitching in my paintings but this time I was inspired to combine thread with natural forms on raw linen sans paint. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObGauCYJLqkpfJqs8BnQ_vswFBUF2lwCuK2tIfMpbW4LkUYegit7KUZaBc8kgcT_imUc7JLWM2O89KOVOhOs_80iPkBRm7_gLDmj2jb6e94CE-2R8XKFqvlM-Wa70p_-jyvd-LWWkSug/s1600/Taize+III.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhObGauCYJLqkpfJqs8BnQ_vswFBUF2lwCuK2tIfMpbW4LkUYegit7KUZaBc8kgcT_imUc7JLWM2O89KOVOhOs_80iPkBRm7_gLDmj2jb6e94CE-2R8XKFqvlM-Wa70p_-jyvd-LWWkSug/s200/Taize+III.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Taize III</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">By combining these two inspirations I made five 8" x 8" meditative pieces. The process reminded me of Taize music. A friend introduced me to Taize choruses a few years ago at a contemplative retreat. The music emphasizes simple phrases, usually lines from Psalms or other scripture, repeated several times. I searched Taize music on my iPad and played it while I was working.One of the phrases was; </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bless the Lord, my soul/And bless God's holy name/Bless the Lord, my soul/Who leads me into life.</i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The music is uncomplicated, often with organ and choir accompaniment. That's the backstory for<i> Taize Tapestries</i> and I hope you'll enjoy seeing the results of my diversion. I'm back on track with painting again so I think it was worth the change in process. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Click image to zoom.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPY6qBz8CoUmZ1S8z6F_4sQjlXjVl8qs-IY5J6tC9duFMM2asfkh-3KUdkpZTO2lwOtVEyAxMusQiqZwRa79C2jas1lP4fWebcgCRonXZ2r7T37rGxUNhTpZMyILjpVTGj0SCkTWlXOI/s1600/Taize+V.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPY6qBz8CoUmZ1S8z6F_4sQjlXjVl8qs-IY5J6tC9duFMM2asfkh-3KUdkpZTO2lwOtVEyAxMusQiqZwRa79C2jas1lP4fWebcgCRonXZ2r7T37rGxUNhTpZMyILjpVTGj0SCkTWlXOI/s200/Taize+V.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Taize V</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cBk1KvX9Fu-juIafkLA8M3-93kzub7NC6HnI170pN2AA21PK93SjXhhlMKfc8zcOMweenhm9ryxalVypvmjpoc6wC_0OZP9lGHFVKqNGGPQ8a-tBSMfzagceixpaiYnb7G6AUbfzrIQ/s1600/Taize+IV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-cBk1KvX9Fu-juIafkLA8M3-93kzub7NC6HnI170pN2AA21PK93SjXhhlMKfc8zcOMweenhm9ryxalVypvmjpoc6wC_0OZP9lGHFVKqNGGPQ8a-tBSMfzagceixpaiYnb7G6AUbfzrIQ/s200/Taize+IV.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Taize IV</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-42253902016479416202016-01-22T15:35:00.000-08:002016-01-22T15:35:28.292-08:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2RZzOL04hC7q8dtyJ_LIJlD_RcPNKRBh3MjnY_A7SrOZCnouLUBkXNPlMEM0B6S3rzlV8o42zswBt2H5pBUnFqPGUlmh9HgcnvGe-jCl8k7FyqvPzJasy9PvtFbLoj6tvHnYo28ajBw/s1600/2015-08-04+17.54.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2RZzOL04hC7q8dtyJ_LIJlD_RcPNKRBh3MjnY_A7SrOZCnouLUBkXNPlMEM0B6S3rzlV8o42zswBt2H5pBUnFqPGUlmh9HgcnvGe-jCl8k7FyqvPzJasy9PvtFbLoj6tvHnYo28ajBw/s320/2015-08-04+17.54.43.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The entrance to our farmhouse in the middle<br /> of Tuscany and the agritourism fields</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
<span style="color: #666666; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's hard to believe 2016 has begun and I have not written for months on this blog. One of my intentions this year is to be more consistent with communications on my blog, website and social media. </span></span></h4>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reviewing my previous posts, I realize I did not mention an amazing three week journey to Italy last summer near the town of Castel del Piano. I was privileged to be accepted as an Artist in Residence with <i>Respiro</i>, a residency offered by Transform, the creative ministry in New York City with Cru. I joined 17 other artists from various cities in order to be in community making art, sharing stories, workshops, biblical studies,</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> lectures and prayer.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I made some sketches of the landscape while we were there and other small watercolor pieces. Last fall I began responding on larger panels using these sketches as inspiration. However, I got stuck and nothing was progressing in a way I wanted. After a dialogue with a friend and colleague, I'm now moving forward with those pieces and they are totally different than I thought they would be. I plan to share the pieces as they are finished. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDX9bMNI3y-Nz6hPb1CC8C_TOPFRp-7Mu9SGNxF8pTHkkan-pvWA7FueeEfVZs9hQRSKHmSBRt8wKVHhW1wIM7P1M6jdGQb-HpLo-7y6wlYNzbNBY5beY2Cr_vX0X0N3BbxDfHAKCcOak/s1600/2015-07-31+03.08.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDX9bMNI3y-Nz6hPb1CC8C_TOPFRp-7Mu9SGNxF8pTHkkan-pvWA7FueeEfVZs9hQRSKHmSBRt8wKVHhW1wIM7P1M6jdGQb-HpLo-7y6wlYNzbNBY5beY2Cr_vX0X0N3BbxDfHAKCcOak/s200/2015-07-31+03.08.07.jpg" width="195" /></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For now, I'll post a watercolor sketch I completed in the studio from a photograph I took on a walk around the town of Arcidosso. The history of the town is so interesting and the textures of the buildings beautiful. I found my eyes feasting on all the beauty surrounding me and had to respond.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is an introduction to the process of several months in making a series inspired from this trip. Every time I make a series the inspiration takes a different form and the process has different timing. I'm beginning to accept the timetable without stressing as much </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">as I used to.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-41059039482947869672015-02-04T15:33:00.002-08:002015-04-29T07:11:56.321-07:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYq9peYURqsHanveals_w1E4tRtDCNI2AodulJ-pZ4fPH8ROvCZyrZjLwKU8EkIitk67vOPrUekUBa3bTsh31u5hO9a8MJEdEC9L1h6KrfHwb5noZ8wkPR5OmL0im6K0zqFOrZMqX-xM/s1600/breath+final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuYq9peYURqsHanveals_w1E4tRtDCNI2AodulJ-pZ4fPH8ROvCZyrZjLwKU8EkIitk67vOPrUekUBa3bTsh31u5hO9a8MJEdEC9L1h6KrfHwb5noZ8wkPR5OmL0im6K0zqFOrZMqX-xM/s1600/breath+final.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">breath<br />acrylic on canvas<br />30" x 30"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waiting produces a response</span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This piece is the first of my works for 2015. It comes as a response to recent personal experiences. Within two months, I had two medical tests which could have been life-changing. I waited one month for results on one and over a week for the other.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During that time, I had many opportunities to learn how to live moment by moment. I found a new thankfulness for every breath I take and responded with making this piece.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I decided to use the color of soil referencing the dust of the ground from which Adam was formed and the transparency of breath, referencing the breath of life that God breathed into Adam. I remembered the many times I walked outside in the cold when I was a kid and purposely blew my breath</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in order to see a white transparent cloud in front of me. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the weeks of waiting I studied the names of God and their meanings and found a thread of peace and calmness with a deeper understanding of who God is. You can visit my website at </span><a href="http://www.phyllisthomasart.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.phyllisthomasart.com</a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to read the complete reflection under the menu item </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Artist Reflections. </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I'm </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">currently working on two more pieces that may become part of a series.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-70907039044029649382014-08-15T12:05:00.000-07:002014-08-15T12:09:15.313-07:00<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Painting Visual Narratives</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">My studio time has been up and down recently with challenges in getting back into the flow of painting. I find when I have been inconsistent in my studio for a period of time, I can be discouraged and dissatisfied with my work.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">I found an article posted online that gives me hope; photographer David duChemin (</span><a href="http://www.davidduchemin.com/"><span style="color: #666666;">http://www.davidduchemin.com</span></a><span style="color: #999999;">) wrote about </span><i style="color: #999999;">Knowing Your Rhythm. </i><span style="color: #999999;">He relates the inevitable ups and downs in our creative work using the wave as an analogy. I can't write here all he said, but in a summary, he states when we find ourselves in the lows of the wave, we can consciously feed our inspiration by going to a museum, gallery, coffee shop, library, theater or wherever we are inspired. He mentions a wave is not a wave without the lows and creativity often happens in the space between the highs and lows. So I keep painting and doing the research waiting for the momentum to push me up again.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">This painting</span><i style="color: #999999;"> . . .and the wind ran out of breath</i><span style="color: #999999;"> was actually painted several months ago but I'm just now posting it. The inspiration comes from the story of Jesus calming the water while the disciples are in the boat crossing the Sea of Galilee. It contrasts the stormy sky with the glass-like sea. I feel a little familiarity about this piece because of all the tumultuous thunderstorms we have had this summer. I imagined myself in a boat in the midst of that storm and thought how frightened I would be. The instantaneous calm made the disciples stand in awe. If you want to read the whole reflection and references, go to</span><a href="http://www.phyllisthomasart.com/"><span style="color: #666666;"> http://www.phyllisthomasart.com </span></a><span style="color: #999999;"> , click on </span><i style="color: #999999;">Artist Reflections</i><span style="color: #999999;"> from the menu.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaV2fiNF1zTEIkKrPCaqNEgLYdnLlywhJTZFCatx2oPy639rRcopfkhHBG8NWRboEPMPJpgY3bbcb4dMJUqItaOAXwJSf2Q3OpY6DmUM3mEALl7JS6frHltnZTcBJ-HS8KuVBZpUfd2xc/s1600/and+the+wind+ran+out+of+breath4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaV2fiNF1zTEIkKrPCaqNEgLYdnLlywhJTZFCatx2oPy639rRcopfkhHBG8NWRboEPMPJpgY3bbcb4dMJUqItaOAXwJSf2Q3OpY6DmUM3mEALl7JS6frHltnZTcBJ-HS8KuVBZpUfd2xc/s1600/and+the+wind+ran+out+of+breath4.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>. . .and the wind ran out of breath</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">acrylic on cradled board</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">24 x 48", diptych</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I regain my rhythm in the studio, I look forward to gradually rising to the peak and continuing my next decade of paintings.</span></div>
phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-29009904293314521112014-04-05T11:41:00.000-07:002014-04-05T15:31:09.171-07:00<h2>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Legacy</i></span></h2>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been many months since I've posted. Life has a way of squeezing out these tasks that are important but seem to take a back seat to other items at the top of the to do list. Today is the day I am intentionally moving the task of writing to the top of the list.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My husband and I have been on staff of Cru for over 40 years. When that milestone was reached the <i>Legacy Project</i> invited us to videotape our stories. Two years ago we taped our 3 hour session telling various parts of our pilgrimage. It was then edited down to very concise 4-5 minute presentations.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just received notice that the story of my art journey is now edited and posted on YouTube. I'm sharing this video link with you so you can join me for a look at my mission over the years. It's an emotional journey for me and I'm full of gratitude that I have had the privilege of making art and connecting with so many wonderful artists and patrons all over the globe.This has not been a journey alone, as I would like to acknowledge my husband and our children as well as many artists and art organizations who have mentored me and shown me the way.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out the link below:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t2VcLpGuxc&feature=youtu.be">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t2VcLpGuxc&feature=youtu.be</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may also be interested in viewing other staff person's stories. These videos represent many years of service from very gifted and committed people we have had the pleasure of working alongside for many years. .</span></div>
</div>
phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-91529133421237306712013-09-21T13:06:00.000-07:002013-11-22T09:44:26.854-08:00<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"> The Back Story</b></h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZNGAUzK2cDh1TCu86LRHOBhrNiwDNbV7257TudiNzgemrQmSCETTnWKbM6wzfvCysJLl3fCXDs_yWq04yEWSXBOD1B2WXmWWOIu9KeoeecYartvDsCWAkXjRuJ4EVFxxP5-_WDM7CV4/s1600/harvest+guy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZNGAUzK2cDh1TCu86LRHOBhrNiwDNbV7257TudiNzgemrQmSCETTnWKbM6wzfvCysJLl3fCXDs_yWq04yEWSXBOD1B2WXmWWOIu9KeoeecYartvDsCWAkXjRuJ4EVFxxP5-_WDM7CV4/s320/harvest+guy1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Harvest Psalter</i><br />24" x 24"<br />acrylic on canvas with gold thread<br />commissioned by Spark and Echo Arts<br />photo by Guy Gerrard</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm always engaged in my art process. The image begins in my head weeks before I apply paint to canvas. This work, <i>Harvest Psalter, </i> was no different with the exception that I got stuck several places along the way. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was commissioned early in the year as an artist for Spark and Echo Arts who have a</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> vision for creatively illuminating every scripture in the Bible. Because that is my normal inspiration and I am a supporter of their mission, I thought this would be easy. I had an image in my head after my usual research and reading and I enthusiastically began to paint.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But doubts soon took over. I've never experienced so much opposition to what I thought I was supposed to do. I ended up painting over and over the work and then</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> decided to abandon one piece and start on fresh paper. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A still small voice said keep climbing the hill. I started the second piece with only values of color, dark to light. After some time, I stood back and began seeing the heads of wheat faintly appearing. I kept adding subtle layers of color along the top until I stepped back and saw what I wanted. . . .a field of wheat ready for harvest! Comparing the two pieces and asking friends for critique, I had no doubt this was the one.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I began the process of adding the gold thread only to notice I did not have enough yardage to complete the width. I discovered the online site where I previously ordered the non-tarnishing thread no longer supplied it. After research, I found a site in London that had it in stock and ordered it and waited for it to arrive. In case you didn't count, there are 50 threads of varying lengths individually sewn into the paper! </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next step was to adhere the paper onto a cradled board so it can be displayed. I've done this often and had no problem gluing it on, weighting it down and waiting 24 hours for it to dry. However, .when I took the weights off I saw two small and two big air bubbles appear. Now I was really questioning if I was supposed to do this. I requested prayer from artist friends and one was kind enough to research and give me a possible solution. I tried it and it worked! I'm so grateful for my artist community and supporters.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Final step: photograph in high resolution to post on the website by a certain date--no problem. As hard as my husband and I tried, we could not get good enough lighting to capture the color and gold threads in enough detail. In the end, I was fortunate to find a professional photographer at our office that agreed to take the photo as shown at the top. Finally complete, I could relax and truly enjoy this work!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you've made it to the end of this long epistle, I hope you have a little more insight to the work an artist faces in the whole process of making art. Some pieces are easier than others, but all the time it is a work of joy to serve humanity with my hands and the gift God gave me. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To read the reflection about Harvest Psalter, visit</span><a href="http://phyllisthomasart.com/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: white;">www.phyllisthomarart.com </span></a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and click on "Artist Reflections".</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-43122517505692358332013-06-16T13:12:00.001-07:002013-08-07T13:17:30.183-07:00<h4>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Visual Haiku </span></h4>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">In January I posted on this blog my thoughts about the books I was currently reading. </span></span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;">The Artist's Rule</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;">, and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;"> </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;">Haiku~the sacred art, </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">have influenced my latest series. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;"> Both underscore a process of taking time to see what is around me and holding it in my heart. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;">It reminds me of the Hebrew word,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;"> </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;">Selah</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;">that I pondered several years ago which means</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;"> </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 13.5pt;">pause and think about that. </i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The principles of haiku and monasticism complement my introverted temperament which needs time, silence and meditation to ruminate on what I have seen, heard or read. Margaret McGee writes that a haiku is a prayer of praise, celebrating God’s creation and reflecting back simply and clearly what we experience. I have been intentional about saying more with less and leaving only the bones of the composition and/or finding the essence of the object or moment and leaving everything else out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This series of images captures the moment in a most economical manner and pasess it on; what I call a <i>Visual Haiku</i>. I can imagine this to be an ongoing series with pieces added throughout the year(s) as I become aware of those special fleeting moments. I have posted these images on my website, <a href="http://www.phyllisthomasart.com/">www.phyllisthomasart.com </a>along with my reflections about each piece. If you have a chance, please visit</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 12px;">The Artist’s Rule; nurturing your creative soul with monastic wisdom, Christine</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 12px;"> Valters</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 12px;"> Paintner, 2011</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 12px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 12px;">Haiku~the sacred art</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 12px;">, Margaret D. McGee, 2009</span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-33262647103598869032013-05-19T12:55:00.000-07:002013-05-19T12:55:24.727-07:00<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Art Retreat 2013</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgjxRWFCmMDVnZjzJAFrqn24qnsvnext1oOalNvlglzeDIjmKPvWcv8mUMkC1ZSegKTKvaldCesqDrSN-fYT-911EHvujVFUkMe9G94Oq9hhk61-naBOw5Bs9-ahSJMyOfedTf5F6gyE/s1600/IMG-20130515-00530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgjxRWFCmMDVnZjzJAFrqn24qnsvnext1oOalNvlglzeDIjmKPvWcv8mUMkC1ZSegKTKvaldCesqDrSN-fYT-911EHvujVFUkMe9G94Oq9hhk61-naBOw5Bs9-ahSJMyOfedTf5F6gyE/s320/IMG-20130515-00530.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">silvery morning concert</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">My Annual Art Retreat
for 2013 is complete.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It’s sad and yet
exciting for now I move forward with everything I discovered.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I’m never disappointed by what shows up in
God’s creation and it is always something different.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: #666666;">I try to get out of
my routine while here. . . .stay up a little later, sleep a little later,
mix-up my meal times, give myself permission <i>to be</i>. I read scripture, art
books and magazines, research books and previous notes from past retreats and
make new notes in my journal of discoveries.
I sketch and take notes in my sketch book and make painting sketches for
future works. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: #666666;">I’m grateful I have a
good imagination for that also plays into my time. I walk the beach in the morning and evening
without my camera until the last day. On
that day I record those inspirations I discovered the previous days. This year I discovered the </span><i><span style="color: #666666;">Songs of the Sea.</span><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: #666666;">In high school I
learned to love music partly because of my concert band instructor and his
passion for excellence in music. I
played the clarinet and competed with my best friend for first chair, a
position I managed to sustain for awhile.
I learned discipline in practicing and study of scores of music and the
language of sheet music. Those memories
came back to me this week.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxoAQQDAOEMYTzq4PEq1K7PM5NtPy6fCoTQT8ACPkUWugduW9TxUQIcdGniHEx86xNwdT1N0w7hxfSrV1AZoRTfyp6BhAIX1-aGNEhPTSlessvQRu2Wqo6fxuzbwp51uG4mzGNdGYNr0/s1600/North+Peninsula-20130514-00514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxoAQQDAOEMYTzq4PEq1K7PM5NtPy6fCoTQT8ACPkUWugduW9TxUQIcdGniHEx86xNwdT1N0w7hxfSrV1AZoRTfyp6BhAIX1-aGNEhPTSlessvQRu2Wqo6fxuzbwp51uG4mzGNdGYNr0/s320/North+Peninsula-20130514-00514.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bright afternoon concert</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I imagined the ocean in
concert with all its parts complementing one another: the roaring forte of the ocean as a whole;
the crescendo undulating rhythm of the splish-splashing white caps, the
leisurely adagio water coming forward to the shore with the final pianissimo cadence
of the foam swishing onto my toes. I don’t know that I ever played
Mendelssohn’s </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Songs Without Words but</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
that’s what I imagined the ocean to be playing; a song without words.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I've</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> posted just a few
photos for your enjoyment of some of my discoveries. Stay tuned as I try to put on canvas a series
that may be titled: <i>Songs of the Sea; an anthem. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(listen to Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words Op 19 No 1 (Gortier) on <a href="http://youtube.com/">www.youtube.com </a></span></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Then there were the other whimsical discoveries I always find. It was a delightful three days of refreshment and inspiration. I'm so grateful</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFkOv0AoqWOqalEvXwaWm1LuHHAPhEh5EBOKS0mFFsOIeO4MhUQaSmgz8pb_IjqQVg_pVwUFmHYxSDwx3ZD-ZfxkruXRrX6Q6ai46dnCyf8qzcLeTYfehCKqvtTB78LVAM8cIyp8cK7M/s1600/bubblebath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFkOv0AoqWOqalEvXwaWm1LuHHAPhEh5EBOKS0mFFsOIeO4MhUQaSmgz8pb_IjqQVg_pVwUFmHYxSDwx3ZD-ZfxkruXRrX6Q6ai46dnCyf8qzcLeTYfehCKqvtTB78LVAM8cIyp8cK7M/s200/bubblebath.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>bubble-bath</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYX_MLkyAIfB8HkVyTIeLnVsgFOOTRmPTateb947XSGnFHQ7xAonbJEmw2DfJ6VdTdouU6tj1OoBM6RlLWN65VehVTErfPGj-jikb4FUcSOZc6RrFVyXp2LMHOWxEWMSmpFGft8GBqvc8/s1600/Flagler+Beach-20130515-00518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYX_MLkyAIfB8HkVyTIeLnVsgFOOTRmPTateb947XSGnFHQ7xAonbJEmw2DfJ6VdTdouU6tj1OoBM6RlLWN65VehVTErfPGj-jikb4FUcSOZc6RrFVyXp2LMHOWxEWMSmpFGft8GBqvc8/s200/Flagler+Beach-20130515-00518.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Henry Moore</i> sculpture</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-11337376327813438442013-03-29T09:43:00.001-07:002013-03-29T09:45:46.146-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZy-KE-3A4pAPtjSVmETOh4sZmEgSWcySj1rAWT5N3ufG8w9UrVTOMs6KJGK8iSz38w0ndVcm7_vA9BdeKoMlGzCVNwNwn-EPp16D4buTzL2hXsWQFUStuTQbeofSdKICrP8e0-cVrHk/s1600/life+for+life+2013+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZy-KE-3A4pAPtjSVmETOh4sZmEgSWcySj1rAWT5N3ufG8w9UrVTOMs6KJGK8iSz38w0ndVcm7_vA9BdeKoMlGzCVNwNwn-EPp16D4buTzL2hXsWQFUStuTQbeofSdKICrP8e0-cVrHk/s640/life+for+life+2013+2.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: small;"><b><i>Life for Life</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666;">acrylic on paper and 24K gold leaf<br />38" x 12"<br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;">copyright phyllis thomas 2013</span></span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meditations on Lent</span></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">P</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">rhaps I've begun a tradition: the last two years I've made artwork for my Lenten meditation. This year the piece was a surprise and turned out different than the image I had in my head. Below is the reflection from making this piece:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The life of a creature is in its blood. The Old Testament is full of writings that tell of the shed blood of goats and calves during the many festivals and ordinary sacrifices performed by the Priest in accordance with the Law of Moses. The animal's blood was sacred and offered as atonement for sin.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>These writings in the Old Testament point forward to the New Testament and the final, eternal redemption offered by Christ. It's no longer necessary to sacrifice over and over for the forgiveness of sin; Christ died and shed His sacred blood once for all and ascended into the true heavenly sanctuary.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I painted this piece in response to the scripture references listed below. All I could see was red for the blood. As I started with the red pigment and added black, there were many surprises that happened and I finished quickly, leaving the unplanned textures. When I stood back and looked at it I almost left it untitled because I could see many possible titles. I finally committed to Life for Life but maybe you can see another title more meaningful for you.</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">References:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Leviticus 17:1; Hebrews 9:11-12; Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 2:13; Ephesians 2:8-9</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"> </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><b> </b></i><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><b> </b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-6350936105061423412013-01-31T08:12:00.001-08:002013-01-31T08:14:30.769-08:00<h3>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Beginning 2013</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The new year always brings its challenges as I review the year before and make goals and plans for the year ahead. I find January to be a month of more quiet reading, making journal and sketchbook entries and just looking at other artists' work which feeds my soul and makes preparation for the work of my hands that is incubating in my inner artist.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the books I've been reading besides <i>The Artist's Rule</i> that I mentioned in my previous post, is<i> Haiku~the sacred art </i>written by Margaret D. McGee. There are so many quotes from this book I'd like to share, but for now, I'll share a paraphrase, "A haiku honors the moment and passes it on." </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's all about taking notice of the environment around me and pausing long enough to take it into my heart. I think this mindset will be foremost in one series I'd like to do this year; finding the essence of the moment and saying more with less. I already have a <i>moment</i> I experienced last year which I'm working on as the first images of the series. Who knows, maybe I'll even write some haiku. Margaret says<i> In haiku, it is the moment, not the poem, that really matters.</i> So I don't need to fear my proficiency in writing to try it.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another part of the new year is my communication to you by way of my website and blog. I have updated my website with images of the series: <i> Gold, Blue, Purple and Scarlet; a sanctuary. </i> Check out the menu link <i>Galleries</i> to view at <a href="http://www.phyllisthomasart.com/">www.phyllisthomasart.com </a> This work is still hanging at Manchester University but will be coming home in February.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll keep you up-to-date on my haiku art explorations and see what develops.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-63009669245669693312013-01-14T19:55:00.000-08:002013-01-14T19:55:05.215-08:00<i style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Always We Begin Again</b></span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Last year was so busy I neglected updating my blog in favor of being in the studio and making, packing and shipping art to shows. I also read a book, </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The Artist's Rule: nurturing your creative soul with monastic wisdom. </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The title for this post is from that book that Christine Valters Paintner references from St. Benedict's Rule. The assurance is that no matter what disappointments or unfulfilled goals are true for me, this year, this month, this day, hour and moment, </span><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">always I begin again. . . . </i><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though I usually rebel against rules, the thoughts expressed in the book actually gave me a lot of freedom to consider my inner artist and embrace my inner monk. Though I've never lived in a monastery or been a monk, I identify with the contemplative temperament of that calling. I have come to embrace my tendency toward contemplation and the need for stillness and quiet which enhances my artwork. I have a fresh acceptance that my temperament is God-given and He delights in me. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is always a time, however, for moving out of the inward mode and back into the world. Last year was the year many opportunities opened for me to show my work in galleries outside my own locality. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In September, White Stone Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, curated <i>Unearthed and Revealed: ancient and contemporary discoveries. </i>This show references the unearthing of the Dead Sea Scrolls and illuminates the longevity, integrity and value of Scripture preserved under the earth. <i>The Signatures in the Sand </i>series, also included, was inspired by the neutral palette of sienna, black and grey sand that appeared briefly then washed away leaving impermanent brush strokes revealed on the shore at Flagler Beach, FL. I embraced their beauty and imagined them saying to me: listen, simplify and appreciate the uniqueness of every moment in time. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdmThZ5yaQ7N3e7XHQzZ9REvSSsvtAjUhGupJyyUF9QSa4EjykMrDl4mOgwo180vpjl15UKAhvxoy6lr2kUOfysqCwSIEERR83Oja_SG0nC1zkwoEQreKltyi30wRn1RVUCQwNDaQeE8/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdmThZ5yaQ7N3e7XHQzZ9REvSSsvtAjUhGupJyyUF9QSa4EjykMrDl4mOgwo180vpjl15UKAhvxoy6lr2kUOfysqCwSIEERR83Oja_SG0nC1zkwoEQreKltyi30wRn1RVUCQwNDaQeE8/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That show was held over and on December 3 was moved to Cairn University, Langhorne, PA, to grace the gallery where students and faculty from that institution could view the work. This</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> show hangs until end of January.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38UxiRH3nJkES7nRHozaTI7vzvGQeM9-IsarqsMn6Ub6sDm88FzhV9u90WS8f5k2iHth8CtKesmfNP8Y4AHKBA73ea0F3McZ-eZ2Cm2KhY3UgxzqFQwWTg0yY1iQ2oqP128fdt5AAGso/s1600/cairn+u+exhibit+2012+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38UxiRH3nJkES7nRHozaTI7vzvGQeM9-IsarqsMn6Ub6sDm88FzhV9u90WS8f5k2iHth8CtKesmfNP8Y4AHKBA73ea0F3McZ-eZ2Cm2KhY3UgxzqFQwWTg0yY1iQ2oqP128fdt5AAGso/s320/cairn+u+exhibit+2012+10.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Concurrently, my Alma Mater, Manchester University, N. Manchester, IN hosted a combined show of three series of mixed media images titled, </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Visual Renderings of the Word.</i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;">The artwork was hung alongside the display of sculptural crèche scenes from the university’s collection which complemented the Biblically inspired paintings and brought a spiritual presence on campus.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYO4vmJDkqOAFtUc9oe5NVRR0I31SshEzYkYvOsr0KANwsl46ceWNrMAUA0VlINvCQWDJDuX2nI9RfI7wKiyBst70FqO0MHQUeGMLuT5LxaubHS_8A-e_Ja_7u8_XdMFb1TkrNZLLzvsA/s1600/tabernacle+series.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYO4vmJDkqOAFtUc9oe5NVRR0I31SshEzYkYvOsr0KANwsl46ceWNrMAUA0VlINvCQWDJDuX2nI9RfI7wKiyBst70FqO0MHQUeGMLuT5LxaubHS_8A-e_Ja_7u8_XdMFb1TkrNZLLzvsA/s320/tabernacle+series.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With these shows ending in January, and holidays passed, I begin again with new work. I've been in the studio since January 3, but am struggling with the work so far. When that happens I know I just have to keep painting and let it happen. Perhaps going inward again in contemplation will bring fresh inspiration and prepare me for the work yet to come in the new year.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-48358302986354108872012-03-30T07:49:00.000-07:002012-03-30T07:49:27.561-07:00<h2>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Threads of Redemption: </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">meditations on lent</span></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">My
meditations for Lent this year started on Ash Wednesday and continued
throughout the season with daily scripture reading and thoughtful
research.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">These images were responses to
those meditations. I used thread and stitching in each image to unify the work
as a meditative action bringing me back to the mending and healing of Christ’s
death and resurrection</span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. </i></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: #666666;">He provided redemption
for his people; he ordained his covenant forever—<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: #666666;">holy and awesome is his
name. Psalm 111.9</span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">(For complete reflections on these pieces, go to <a href="http://www.phyllisthomasart.com/">www.phyllisthomasart.com</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;"> under Artist Reflections)</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpEYPHy1EResQcgPHBSub-DFOAOLCoNBBztO2su_Q3PpWmoLUiUbdWCW86_-TRzzpr4EwdazHc3hq29awpogrbbmhZ7KwWLANv-AchtYeT1QmYS5K4zb_PtA27uc2mcuTd1OXq6n_gao/s1600/how+much+more+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwpEYPHy1EResQcgPHBSub-DFOAOLCoNBBztO2su_Q3PpWmoLUiUbdWCW86_-TRzzpr4EwdazHc3hq29awpogrbbmhZ7KwWLANv-AchtYeT1QmYS5K4zb_PtA27uc2mcuTd1OXq6n_gao/s320/how+much+more+2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">how much more</span></b></i><br />30" x 30"<br />acrylic on canvas with stitching</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Excerpt:</span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. . . </i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">as I pondered the questions about my own
practices on my Lenten journey, I came to this conclusion: the Cross of Christ
overshadows every outward sign of repentance meant to soothe my conscience. It
is what is left when everything else is burned away. If I am hanging on to
anything in my life as a traditional ritual practice hoping to come closer to
God, it will fall short. A change of heart from the inside out and an awareness
of what is essential summons me to cling to the One who dwells within. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU90T64Gnt9IGJl99yFbi0H9xGDiRx77bI0scI6Yk3l9grXE5ijhi7_-2F6gklDp0QZOdLU8bdQ_iL3cJQz_1m9AoBQmFa05-0ho8LdzKMA28NnIDPFLbH4ilSH6g1oQFQC886rgg-aJI/s1600/a+pound+of+nard+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU90T64Gnt9IGJl99yFbi0H9xGDiRx77bI0scI6Yk3l9grXE5ijhi7_-2F6gklDp0QZOdLU8bdQ_iL3cJQz_1m9AoBQmFa05-0ho8LdzKMA28NnIDPFLbH4ilSH6g1oQFQC886rgg-aJI/s320/a+pound+of+nard+2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>a pound of nard</i></span></b><br /><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">30" x 30"<br />acrylic on paper mounted on canvas<br />with stitching</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Excerpt<i>:</i></span></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>. . </i>.t</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">hough a fragrance is not seen visibly, I let
myself imagine how it might look with the aroma filling the dark room. I was curious about this intense ointment and
found in my research it is only obtained from the Spikenard plant. The
plants, consisting of stalks and ribs of leaves were dried and bundled together
and sold in the markets. When the
rhizome was crushed and distilled, the thick, amber-colored essential oil had a
sweet, woody, spicy and musky aroma, sometimes overpowering to the senses. It was and still is known as healing oil in
some countries, reserved for deep-seated grief or pain and used in palliative
care to help ease the transition from life to death, though effects no cure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5AZs2EDWGDCwdMSc187PRSpmcSeswnfQVabZaeyJV-YSweqPtSJ1WipohnzKh0KJ6EA3F8BYXpmiua5zQiuq8jKIt8J7FdZGKLXE9bb5b9N96FngNKuB4Fimh6HhmzPgcVplkSYdU40/s1600/6+cross+edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5AZs2EDWGDCwdMSc187PRSpmcSeswnfQVabZaeyJV-YSweqPtSJ1WipohnzKh0KJ6EA3F8BYXpmiua5zQiuq8jKIt8J7FdZGKLXE9bb5b9N96FngNKuB4Fimh6HhmzPgcVplkSYdU40/s320/6+cross+edit.jpg" width="320" /></a> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>why are you so far?</i></b><br />30" x 30"<br />acrylic on canvas with stitching</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Excerpt:</span>. . .the
sky dramatically darkened in the middle of the day as divine wrath fell on
Christ. He voluntarily sacrificed
Himself for me. To say this was <i>easy</i> is a lie. This abandonment by the Father of His Son was
excruciating, indicated by His crying out:
<i>My God, My God, Why have you
forsaken me?!</i> He had never been
abandoned by His Father before. His human soul departed and his body was left a
limp and breathless mass of clay. . . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">Do
you ever ask the question, “why”? </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">Sometimes
I feel abandoned, unhelped, unheard and ask why am I sick?</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">Why is this delayed?</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">Why did you allow this tragedy?</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;">Though I know God is sovereign and everything
is under His control, I still sometimes wonder why He withholds an answer.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0in;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKYX4WAuJL7qmPkFZeRaN0hBLWXwPbQFx2ILJTqk6UpVjgEOyEvSc-_1AS6-VlImd4Rb2AUHXNEvdb6zp_NSoophpy4Cva2hGbfAl3oDGDv82vHY4_d3cE0AKFp2KIyjDQGTueUIHcu0/s1600/1+cross+edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKYX4WAuJL7qmPkFZeRaN0hBLWXwPbQFx2ILJTqk6UpVjgEOyEvSc-_1AS6-VlImd4Rb2AUHXNEvdb6zp_NSoophpy4Cva2hGbfAl3oDGDv82vHY4_d3cE0AKFp2KIyjDQGTueUIHcu0/s320/1+cross+edit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>this hour has come</b><br />30" x 30"<br />acrylic on canvas with stitching and beads</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">E</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0in;">xcerpt:</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. . . at
first glance this piece may seem simplistic with familiar symbols and you may
want to yawn. But I challenge you that it is quite a complex image. . . </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">A significant part of this work is the bright
light.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The sun in my physical universe
is the source of biological life and it illuminates everything.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">In my spiritual life it is comparable to God,
the source of all truth and life. Dr. Timothy Keller says in </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><u>The King’s Cross</u><i>, if we are orbiting around anything else except the
light of God, we are heading toward darkness and disintegration</i></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-69755039447720639352012-02-19T19:06:00.000-08:002012-02-19T19:29:01.971-08:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UNdcH6nvz2oWM79za9w52l9tVF9_rp7LpBA29ZscR78O2EO2lcNPhlXdLoWQnwmhV81rM8Wslg9SqjT0E9baa2qA7hKCVZMPi1iBDqg5nFnAVo826is0ezCtR-Hq-ooE1RxbDybLsrA/s1600/signature+in+the+sand+2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UNdcH6nvz2oWM79za9w52l9tVF9_rp7LpBA29ZscR78O2EO2lcNPhlXdLoWQnwmhV81rM8Wslg9SqjT0E9baa2qA7hKCVZMPi1iBDqg5nFnAVo826is0ezCtR-Hq-ooE1RxbDybLsrA/s320/signature+in+the+sand+2a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Tide In, </b>30" x 30", acrylic on canvas</span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>New Work Accepted</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received notice this week the painting shown to the left was accepted into the Gateway Center for the Arts Biennial Juried Exhibit titled "Odyssey". The works are to depict <i>journeys to, from and within Florida, </i>to coincide with a September Exhibit.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The opening will be Sunday, March 4, 2012 from 2-4pm and closes on April 27, 2012. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Scroll down to my entries from April 15, 2011 and November 26, 2011 for inspirations and reflections on this piece and its relevance to a place within Florida.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.gatewaycenterforthearts.org/">www.gatewaycenterforthearts.org</a></div>phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-89652453482591073832012-01-10T16:25:00.000-08:002012-01-10T16:33:00.765-08:00<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>An Award of Merit</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcA2XrNkqPGKoLBLmU8vjmsfJotxNvheXuU8HvVYPSWbGrq_HL4_brafabW2CvQWGq-amVnCU5Daq8nWJmMkbqd6nbSXS2ZCBWSvMmGBmCxMOXBIGEayfeTGCcNdPdwAK2PVnL28yv5U/s1600/Qumran+Eleven+unearthed+evidenceVII+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcA2XrNkqPGKoLBLmU8vjmsfJotxNvheXuU8HvVYPSWbGrq_HL4_brafabW2CvQWGq-amVnCU5Daq8nWJmMkbqd6nbSXS2ZCBWSvMmGBmCxMOXBIGEayfeTGCcNdPdwAK2PVnL28yv5U/s320/Qumran+Eleven+unearthed+evidenceVII+.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">QumranEleven: unearthed evidence VII</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">acrylic on paper with stitching</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">20" x 9.5"</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">I was surprised and honored to have received an Award of Merit at the 7th Annual ArtistsRegistry.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;"> com members</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">' juried show in December. There were about 100 works of art exhibited. I have been included in and attended this opening reception for several years, but received my first award this year. There is always new and innovative work from local Florida artists and the Gallery at Avalon Island is a beautiful space in the heart of Downtown Orlando.</span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-10179765163942607202011-12-26T15:08:00.000-08:002012-01-10T16:32:29.497-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Merry Christmas 2011</b></span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfqka8ZjfTZReadS5WLkrsJKsqAnxqHnDmS50BbFfUl6DgD6ZmlrZjST6PqV5MavnBYgvrlK8ZjsVh1SFFzwRoDruMQchdW2L3f4nnjT-etartAvexlhevT4f6A7cYPGBN6Nsm8bdkPY/s1600/do+not+be+afraid+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfqka8ZjfTZReadS5WLkrsJKsqAnxqHnDmS50BbFfUl6DgD6ZmlrZjST6PqV5MavnBYgvrlK8ZjsVh1SFFzwRoDruMQchdW2L3f4nnjT-etartAvexlhevT4f6A7cYPGBN6Nsm8bdkPY/s320/do+not+be+afraid+image.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; font-style: italic; line-height: 15px;">Gabriel’s Message</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 15px;">, 6” x 4”, linoleum cut print<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Luke 1:30-32</span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-align: justify; text-justify: newspaper; text-justify: newspaper; text-kashida-space: 50%; text-kashida-space: 50%;">
<span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 119%;">This year I have been studying angelic beings throughout Scripture. They are the heavenly messengers, guardians and worshippers of God appearing to man at numerous times beginning in Genesis and continuing to Revelation. Very few books make no mention of angels.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-align: justify; text-justify: newspaper; text-justify: newspaper; text-kashida-space: 50%; text-kashida-space: 50%;">
<span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 119%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-align: justify; text-justify: newspaper; text-justify: newspaper; text-kashida-space: 50%; text-kashida-space: 50%;">
<span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 119%;">The Christmas story includes the angel Gabriel appearing to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. The message is the same: </span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; font-style: italic; line-height: 119%;">do not be afraid</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 119%;">. Because of this repetition, I settled on imaging the annunciation when Mary heard an unexpected message; she would become the mother of Jesus, the Son of the Most High! Though I’ve never seen an angel as Mary did, </span><span style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 119%;">I can imagine how troubling it must have been; how naturally fearful she was.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-align: justify; text-justify: newspaper; text-justify: newspaper; text-kashida-space: 50%; text-kashida-space: 50%;">
<span style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 119%;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: justify; text-align: justify; text-justify: newspaper; text-justify: newspaper; text-kashida-space: 50%; text-kashida-space: 50%;">
<span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 119%;">In the present state of our nation and the world, I can feel fearful, too. I’m vulnerable to the chaos of unexpected natural disasters, financial insecurities, joblessness, threats of international terrorists, consumerism which teases me with unhealthy choices and other things. Fear can creep into my thoughts. What ifs sometimes take over rational thinking.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: justify; text-align: justify; text-justify: newspaper; text-justify: newspaper; text-kashida-space: 50%; text-kashida-space: 50%;">
<span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 119%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: justify; text-align: justify; text-justify: newspaper; text-justify: newspaper; text-kashida-space: 50%; text-kashida-space: 50%;">
<span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 119%;">So the Christmas story brings hope to me: God’s involvement with Zechariah, Mary, Joseph and the shepherds shows his concern for mankind and me. He has purposes for the world and will take action to ensure these purposes are carried out—including the gift of redemption through Jesus.<span style="font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: widow-orphan; text-align: center; text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 119%;">©</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 119%;">copyright, </span></span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #003e98; font-family: 'Arial Narrow'; line-height: 119%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">phyllis thomas, 2011</span><span style="font-size: 7pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-89339775400030098472011-11-26T08:28:00.001-08:002012-02-19T19:26:57.213-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Signatures on the Sand</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPR5qQsybXsUTFbgp07OQwc1eU6Hy2XCPuie2PC96lKXTX_JA0ZnoSJbFxhtx4Vl6uTapDIEi8gNSpRqXvIlqcV-jdxeaASnVg4s9lOiZZCwZbOz09Vaa4LHUVCUWC0x4c1vN7BPg7Jw/s1600/signature+in+the+sand+1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPR5qQsybXsUTFbgp07OQwc1eU6Hy2XCPuie2PC96lKXTX_JA0ZnoSJbFxhtx4Vl6uTapDIEi8gNSpRqXvIlqcV-jdxeaASnVg4s9lOiZZCwZbOz09Vaa4LHUVCUWC0x4c1vN7BPg7Jw/s320/signature+in+the+sand+1a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Tide Out</b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">30" x 30", acrylic on canvas</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm happy these pieces are now complete after many months of incubating in my creative mind and several weeks of coming to completion. There are four canvases in this series based on the photos from a previous post on April 15, 2011. After reading the reflection, please enjoy them all.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reflection about this series:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My brain reaches a point of saturation overload and I have to stop to debrief and take a breath. Flagler Beach is where my "soul catches up with my body"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(1)</span>; the place I can walk the bare open sands and allow the "tides to erase all of yesterday's scribblings" as Anne Morrow Lindbergh writes in <i><u>The Gift of the Sea</u> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(2)</span></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My gifts were signatures of the sea on the neutral palette of sienna, black and grey sand which appeared briefly then washed away leaving me with a sense of awe. I was so excited at what I'd found! I was witnessing a one of a kind brushtroke that was impermanent; created by the rhythms of the seashore and never to be repeated. My curiosity was aroused and I wondered what this language might say, where all these tiny bits of shells may have originated and what stories they would tell.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I transferred the land art signatures onto my canvases in my studio I realized how powerfully simplistic they are. The marks are grand yet fragile and say just enough to speak with authroity. I embraced their beauty and imagined them saying to me: listen, simplify and appreciate the uniqueness of every moment in time.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">References: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">(1) Warren Wiersebe, <i>God Isn't in a Hurry</i>, p. 48; (2) Anne Morrow Lindbergh, <i>The Gift of the Sea</i>, p. 16; <i>a Grain of Sand; nature's secret wonder,</i> Dr. Gary Greenberg, photographer. copyright, phyllis thomas, 2011</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJsXDx3LHrKL7UxPvNldQmDTc9gaJbd8SeDsAyq_vlMlXU2N1_EUYqDocKCQPDei0FKHOv7uygCiFhnMtkzSpPgGZ_Y6Ms0d0tqptTkNDmTn0cj71k_x_lS-lLDfncKZgDOrUXLfV_Fo/s1600/signature+in+the+sand+2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJsXDx3LHrKL7UxPvNldQmDTc9gaJbd8SeDsAyq_vlMlXU2N1_EUYqDocKCQPDei0FKHOv7uygCiFhnMtkzSpPgGZ_Y6Ms0d0tqptTkNDmTn0cj71k_x_lS-lLDfncKZgDOrUXLfV_Fo/s320/signature+in+the+sand+2a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>Tide In</b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">30" 30", acrylic on canvas</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMJEX80ikcbfGvadbaVHEz0nxsIsH5P2bCMokQ5Hzp4zmJp-GwKnUW-IgA_hSGlbIW3X8L0fJ9vwij_sy8OLtHHQuMuSdVBPUbkSPxCk-8OE-mY2Cq_Em2GVLpWJJWv9qVG9ibtbN2H8/s1600/signature+in+the+sand+3a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMJEX80ikcbfGvadbaVHEz0nxsIsH5P2bCMokQ5Hzp4zmJp-GwKnUW-IgA_hSGlbIW3X8L0fJ9vwij_sy8OLtHHQuMuSdVBPUbkSPxCk-8OE-mY2Cq_Em2GVLpWJJWv9qVG9ibtbN2H8/s320/signature+in+the+sand+3a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>In between Tides</b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">30" x 30", acrylic on canvas</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAqD2k2uoC4CvSSw3vt8iZscIaVT9bx__EHBFr-qcWBU7YoH-5jLp1zzKUafDzqiZ17uFqb8qMw8zOpMc9txgF6SCxRslRnZ3AuQGaJ4tI8gU1vqI5Vj-cf2mthRQ1cmWv1zxDILNlZs/s1600/signature+in+the+sand+4a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAqD2k2uoC4CvSSw3vt8iZscIaVT9bx__EHBFr-qcWBU7YoH-5jLp1zzKUafDzqiZ17uFqb8qMw8zOpMc9txgF6SCxRslRnZ3AuQGaJ4tI8gU1vqI5Vj-cf2mthRQ1cmWv1zxDILNlZs/s320/signature+in+the+sand+4a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>High Tide</b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">30" x 30", acrylic on canvas</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-9876864131219670342011-11-11T17:58:00.001-08:002011-12-14T11:09:24.454-08:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Just in time for Christmas</span><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been AWOL on this blog since April and now hope to catch up to date. I have been learning online publishing and how to re-make my website. If you'd like to view my current updated site, please visit<a href="http://phyllisthomasart.com/"> www.phyllisthomasart.com.</a> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other digital projects completed include online publishing attempts. I have successfully published two online books using blurb.com. The covers of these books are shown below:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlKlGMexLRvScxf09cFqYYBHZKXr3hMHAph4X8QuBgaZ_1ccXMU03yC5u23SSTMja9FhmL9-KY_6QcsJiPWhHgKS__9TTfIRQzleKzQFqSV9qMjmmp92AtMIzbuVXx22oke5Bnf6nXBI/s1600/qumran+online+book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlKlGMexLRvScxf09cFqYYBHZKXr3hMHAph4X8QuBgaZ_1ccXMU03yC5u23SSTMja9FhmL9-KY_6QcsJiPWhHgKS__9TTfIRQzleKzQFqSV9qMjmmp92AtMIzbuVXx22oke5Bnf6nXBI/s320/qumran+online+book+cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This publication references the hand-written pieces of parchment and<br /> papyrus scrolls that were discovered in eleven of the Qumran caves<br />from 1947-1956.This is a soft-cover edition of 32 pages, 8" x 10" <br />and sells for $28.00 plus shipping.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ic1KKbSFm6FXHs9AqL18wyOYMUaaMJ-W8aPHJwre9nFkWh_VuS8JyRZZeZ8BUbKB_iNBvNAcwDpk6c4O0zFUWNbKUWdjJ_O1QD-Zb55pGYvq-_yVNy-lTfDc6MGiUz6NaUmu3JJKXtw/s1600/icon+online+book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ic1KKbSFm6FXHs9AqL18wyOYMUaaMJ-W8aPHJwre9nFkWh_VuS8JyRZZeZ8BUbKB_iNBvNAcwDpk6c4O0zFUWNbKUWdjJ_O1QD-Zb55pGYvq-_yVNy-lTfDc6MGiUz6NaUmu3JJKXtw/s320/icon+online+book+cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This publication is meant to illuminate and cultivate an awareness of divinity</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> everywhere and always. It is an image journal to record a brief summary of </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">personal</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> insights</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> about your own time. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> This is a soft-cover edition of 28 pages,</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 7" x 7" and sells for $19.00 plus shipping.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #535154; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">These would make wonderful Christmas gifts for anyone who values quiet meditative devotional time. Please contact me at<a href="mailto:visualtranslator@bellsouth.net"> visualtranslator@bellsouth.net </a>if your are interested in ordering these for Christmas or any other time.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #535154; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #535154; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">The learning curve for these publications was not difficult. I encourage anyone who desires to compile artwork or photos into one publication to consider visiting www.blurb.com and try their templates and publishing offerings.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #535154; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #535154; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="goog_1698251283"></span><span id="goog_1698251284"></span></span></div>phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-15908062946750651372011-04-15T18:01:00.000-07:002011-04-18T15:14:25.644-07:00The Ocean as Fleeting Artist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDS-ktmPRceRDPWTR4ImjSipAVeSRaGFns8SntRh4U0tnC1unfPmPXa0SvldjvsidYzst7Dfx60FfXGMUxcFX5xMqocIdlPFalputM6J1HDku-pTM6yB0n4j5fM8xTNQBO9onnHZPIGU/s1600/flagler+2011+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDS-ktmPRceRDPWTR4ImjSipAVeSRaGFns8SntRh4U0tnC1unfPmPXa0SvldjvsidYzst7Dfx60FfXGMUxcFX5xMqocIdlPFalputM6J1HDku-pTM6yB0n4j5fM8xTNQBO9onnHZPIGU/s320/flagler+2011+6.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoeQFNLt6n-0RipSogyZy8wkfCNLLQxmbEem4c65V4SCoy28l3UWIhGCz_pa6pocqqaY8kv_x-mQZfG_C-kgnu3UwON4CZlpViZZdn6PLaS1gDxB5CcjqQOrcItKB5omDCor_vNJgwHeA/s1600/flagler+2011+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Photo of line and mark on the beach</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>How many are your works O LORD</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Psalm 104:24</span></div><br />
This month I was given a Personal Art Retreat at a friend's condo just yards from the beach. This often is an annual gift which I am most grateful for. Previous visits have uncovered some discoveries about the <i>language of the sea and shells </i>(see previous posts) and this year I discovered the <i>ocean as artist. </i><br />
<br />
One of my favorite activities is to take long walks along the beach. Breathing the ocean salt-air clears my head and brings clarity to my thoughts as well as opens up all kinds of creative thinking. So, when I began to discover patterns, lines and textures on the sand, I was overcome with excitement at what I found! I started taking photos of these "paintings" and now have a whole file of ideas that could become inspirations for future paintings about the <i>sands of the seashore</i>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4DCBVwtQdrdEVmGy_0OmvOo-BaYJbmr7b12tm0K3blaSmXtqhd5oSsvy6mAFa25B3mOPqznZTRFpJSrKweE3AVOFHwLArWhP2m4Lwl14P33zvwaaLv7gu4RtsN_7v41Pato_tmbzWDk/s1600/flagler+beach+2011+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4DCBVwtQdrdEVmGy_0OmvOo-BaYJbmr7b12tm0K3blaSmXtqhd5oSsvy6mAFa25B3mOPqznZTRFpJSrKweE3AVOFHwLArWhP2m4Lwl14P33zvwaaLv7gu4RtsN_7v41Pato_tmbzWDk/s320/flagler+beach+2011+009.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Photo of line and mark on the beach</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">A remarkable thing happened as I photographed some of these patterns and designs which made me aware of the fleeting work of the ocean as artist. As soon as I clicked the shutter on the above design, the surf came ashore and wiped away these marks. So I feel I have an <i>original,</i> never to be created the same again. How special is that?!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgys2z6cbHzHTu9mGG_jY8fEa3fin5QD1qxrpZe5meIPQ4Ydd7LfdUIRU-iAkjZ_Ipe5weD05YxiAUg-O8S_bIuol0_qZyqY4XPiW6AVoo4gOFXywu4YHPdT5wT-4f98veeui-DKhRB40I/s1600/flagler+beach+2011+019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgys2z6cbHzHTu9mGG_jY8fEa3fin5QD1qxrpZe5meIPQ4Ydd7LfdUIRU-iAkjZ_Ipe5weD05YxiAUg-O8S_bIuol0_qZyqY4XPiW6AVoo4gOFXywu4YHPdT5wT-4f98veeui-DKhRB40I/s320/flagler+beach+2011+019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Photo of design on the beach</div><div style="text-align: center;">"snakeskin" </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">The above pattern looked like a snake had lost it's skin and left it to dry in the sun, all stretched and flat and ready to be framed. Remarkable! I have many others, but these will give you an idea of what can be discovered when I take time to see and observe the environment around me. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><!--Session data--><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><div id="refHTML"></div>phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-71522430049951248382011-03-16T08:09:00.000-07:002011-06-23T19:09:33.342-07:00Beginning <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiL7-vYxX50Ck1LLPbnq63k8HTvVjdZjnOi39Z7pJdTYPxjuUNDV0XlyNsA4RrdWacaJC9GUvTXHjw0RSOwe7mAj2JB5_0j7pDTi0CUfxa1KEWQvRNh1maKz7b4XGYvVe-dyDZzs0YPs/s1600/book+of+hours+beginning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBiL7-vYxX50Ck1LLPbnq63k8HTvVjdZjnOi39Z7pJdTYPxjuUNDV0XlyNsA4RrdWacaJC9GUvTXHjw0RSOwe7mAj2JB5_0j7pDTi0CUfxa1KEWQvRNh1maKz7b4XGYvVe-dyDZzs0YPs/s320/book+of+hours+beginning.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> <i>beginning</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">6" x 6"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">acrylic on paper</span></div><br />
It's March, but I feel like my year is just beginning. January started with wedding activities for our son's February wedding then our whole household suffered with the winter flu which disrupted all regular activities. Now that spring has come forth with new growth I too, feel like I'm finally emerging into 2011.<br />
<br />
The image above is one of twelve that makes up a collection of images and reflections inspired by Medieval Books of Hours. The collection is titled<b><i> icons of time: a visual marking of the hours</i></b> which is a reminder that every hour of the day should be a time to pray. They were made last year while I was re-reading all my books addressing contemplation and meditation. While applying what I was reading, I slowed down enough to become watchful of the time and color changes throughout my day. That practice began a renewal process in my spirit. These works are visual expressions combining color with the symbol of the unending circle to visually move the viewer through 24 hours and ultimately 365 days of the year.<br />
<br />
I'm now in the process of deciding how I will present these images in a format that could be available as a publication. A friend recommended <a href="http://www.blurb.com/">www.blurb.com</a> as a <leo_highlight id="leoHighlights_Underline_0" leohighlights_keywords="tool" leohighlights_underline="true" leohighlights_url_bottom="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsBottom.jsp?keywords%3Dtool%26domain%3Dwww.blogger.com" leohighlights_url_top="http%3A//shortcuts.thebrowserhighlighter.com/leonardo/plugin/highlights/3_2/tbh_highlightsTop.jsp?keywords%3Dtool%26domain%3Dwww.blogger.com" onclick="leoHighlightsHandleClick('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseout="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOut('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" onmouseover="leoHighlightsHandleMouseOver('leoHighlights_Underline_0')" style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: repeat; border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(255, 255, 150); cursor: pointer; display: inline;">tool</leo_highlight> for online publishing and I'm investigating the possibilities of making a visual journal for personal reflection and writing. I enjoy finding new ways to share my art and make it accessible to more people. Stay tuned to find out what and how I decide to do that.<br />
<br />
<br />
<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><span id="leoHighlights_iframe_modal_span_container"></span><br />
<div id="leoHighlights_iframe_modal_div_container" onmouseout="leoHighlightsHandleIFrameMouseOut();" onmouseover="leoHighlightsHandleIFrameMouseOver();" style="display: none; height: 391px; position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 520px; z-index: 2147483647;"><iframe allowtransparency="true" src="about:blank" frameborder="0" height="294" hspace="0" id="leoHighlights_top_iframe" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="leoHighlights_top_iframe" scrolling="no" style="height: 294px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 520px; z-index: 2147483647;" title="leoHighlights_top_iframe" vspace="0" width="520"></iframe><span id="leoHighlights_iframe_modal_span_container"> <iframe allowtransparency="true" src="about:blank" frameborder="0" height="" hspace="0" id="leoHighlights_bottom_iframe" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="leoHighlights_bottom_iframe" scrolling="no" style="left: 96px; position: absolute; top: 294px; z-index: 2147483647;" title="leoHighlights_bottom_iframe" vspace="0" width=""></iframe> </span></div>phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-57190435688339273522010-12-14T17:16:00.000-08:002010-12-14T17:19:54.848-08:00Merry Christmas 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJvUv_slSM2nmQHXEMy__S4PvaaUCCIEIEPSCtNlt4tHwAA3dmpioKWXfig2z4RLWY2llpIWi_X2lkCAZ464x6S23qUa5hoVxQkpImq5ZYPbqUgvjY7sJIWC36YdsMRdl-X5xRlgc9Qk/s1600/christmas+card+for+word.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiJvUv_slSM2nmQHXEMy__S4PvaaUCCIEIEPSCtNlt4tHwAA3dmpioKWXfig2z4RLWY2llpIWi_X2lkCAZ464x6S23qUa5hoVxQkpImq5ZYPbqUgvjY7sJIWC36YdsMRdl-X5xRlgc9Qk/s320/christmas+card+for+word.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #38761d;">. . .there was no room</span></span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #38761d;">5" x 7" linoleum-cut print</span></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><b><i>And she gave birth to her Son,</i></b></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><b><i>her Firstborn;</i></b></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><b><i>and she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes</i></b></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><b><i>and laid Him in a manger,</i></b><br />
<b><i>because there was no room</i></b></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><b><i>or place for them in the inn.</i></b></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Luke 2:7 (Amplified Bible)</span></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">This year I have been researching historical and archaeological writings and images. I am finding comfort and insight in the evidences of Scripture and faith from those who have gone before me. I am honoring those historical artists who were the first to proclaim the birth of Christ through the works of their hands.</span></span></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">When I found two bas-relief sculptures documented as the first nativity scenes from 6th Century Byzantine art, I was inspired to design a linoleum-cut print after the manner of those artists' works. I wanted a sense of history and old world look. I simplified the image until I had just the parts that said "Jesus was born in a stable". </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I love the attentive excitement the stable animals portray as they view the Christ-child and the star announcing Jesus' birth. As I celebrate Christmas I don't want to take for granted this exceptional Gift that was so generously given to me and that lasts for eternity.</span></span></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;"></div><div style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>Merry Christmas to all my friends!</b></i></span> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><!--Session data--><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><div id="refHTML"></div>phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-66882959662105343992010-11-30T09:43:00.000-08:002010-11-30T09:49:53.933-08:00Clay Jars and Ancient Scrolls; a contemporary version<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNGiI-3oaKLFf17YlshDbpK9pEZd4FNGQGAk6q8kuWzimG-uY7LdbWzhb6r4yBpTt36YPhRWc0vEtN1nUA1Apb6AvZuMe4q3yPAwZF2eTT4cDByxqeBx_PYAFxrUtG78-s-8Tx2C6YDw/s1600/qumran+clay+jar+final+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNGiI-3oaKLFf17YlshDbpK9pEZd4FNGQGAk6q8kuWzimG-uY7LdbWzhb6r4yBpTt36YPhRWc0vEtN1nUA1Apb6AvZuMe4q3yPAwZF2eTT4cDByxqeBx_PYAFxrUtG78-s-8Tx2C6YDw/s320/qumran+clay+jar+final+2010.jpg" width="89" /></a>I'm finally putting "finished" on my new series titled <em>QumranEleven: unearthed evidence.</em> This has been an ongoing journey for several months but one I have thorougly enjoyed and learned from. Though not an archaeologist I have been gathering and filing articles and reading books that have been written about the unearthing of the ancient Scriptures I cherish so highly. This series of paintings references these hand-written pieces of parchment and papyrus scrolls that were discovered in eleven of the Qumran Caves in Israel from 1947-1957.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Hence, there are eleven pieces in this series including a hand slab-built clay jar that I just completed after taking a pottery class in hand-building last month. I'm delighted with the way it came out and even more delighted I can add another dimension to my work. The clay jar is 17" high and 6" wide in bisque-fired clay. The rolled scroll is the eleventh piece in the series which is three pieces sewn together in scroll-like fashion.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My process of art-making for this series was also a discovery for me. Unlike most of my previous works, I did not "pre-plan" these fragments as thumbnails. After reading and researching in books and articles about the Qumran Caves and the terrain and environment as well as viewing photographs of the land and fragments of the preserved scrolls, I began by tacking 3-4 pieces of paper on the wall in my studio. The first brush strokes were automatic drawings of line and mark representing yet not translating the beautiful languages of Hebrew and Aramaic. Then I quickly added color in order to break up the space and obliterate any marks I didn't want. I continued refining and adding as I saw sky, land, crevice and rock emerge. Some pages have many layers of acrylic; others were quickly finished and left. The pairs were unplanned until I began to see one page flow into another. Below is the opened version of the rolled-up piece sticking out of the jar.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgo1gz5VnUP5IvjJ9g2_-zWBqoRUkjz7ndOqVk8Z-VMI0lLMnq1T7eYalOt3EMILLiTpXC98nm7vq8YpEKtLWzArK-iYqqDddTZmWLBh5d3vEZVrkkJWO87NFffGmeQ5bY2TtA-cTXiQ/s1600/Qumran+Eleven+unearthed+evidence+X1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> </a><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgo1gz5VnUP5IvjJ9g2_-zWBqoRUkjz7ndOqVk8Z-VMI0lLMnq1T7eYalOt3EMILLiTpXC98nm7vq8YpEKtLWzArK-iYqqDddTZmWLBh5d3vEZVrkkJWO87NFffGmeQ5bY2TtA-cTXiQ/s1600/Qumran+Eleven+unearthed+evidence+X1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgo1gz5VnUP5IvjJ9g2_-zWBqoRUkjz7ndOqVk8Z-VMI0lLMnq1T7eYalOt3EMILLiTpXC98nm7vq8YpEKtLWzArK-iYqqDddTZmWLBh5d3vEZVrkkJWO87NFffGmeQ5bY2TtA-cTXiQ/s320/Qumran+Eleven+unearthed+evidence+X1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>QumranEleven: unearthed evidence XI</em></span></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">acrylic on paper sewn with thread</span></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">14.75"x 28.50"</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When I read about these findings they shed light on and confirmed the trustworthiness of God's Word. To me they proved the long-ago existence of real people in real places who lived real circumstances. They made Psalm 85:11 read more than stanzas in a prayer: </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><em>T</em><em>ruth shall spring out of the earth ; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As I lived with <em>QumranEleven: unearthed evidence I-XI</em> for several months, I realized my interest in the old and aged carries over into my personal life. Perhaps it's my desire for antiquity and nostalgia that keeps me cherishing old things kept from my grandparents, parents, school days, early marriage or even children's books and toys from our children's childhood and a "little something" from every place I have travelled and lived. Or perhaps it is because they are evidence of my life lived. These old objects have endured. They have roots. They have outlived the trends and fads and they bring stability. Likewise, unearthing the Hebrew and Aramaic texts is evidence of a people who tirelessly copied the ancient yet relevant words on parchment and papyrus in order to pass on the proof and integrity of the Scripture that is eternal. </div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Heaven and earth will pass away</em></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>but my words will never pass away</em>.</div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Matthew 24:35.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-51521033766040728982010-11-05T08:43:00.000-07:002010-11-05T08:49:49.444-07:00Mustard Seeds and Plants<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSW0Le63z_uZnGioR_O87klqEtBEZmeOMo1AF-Z20e25T4TuLnkrO-hVQen94LovfwwoyYEc6or7jPk8vLKJVDnQAGr1RVLXZRPyrfOacCf5RHkFWzZsBOimU2n_6lGfuA-izt0_cr9Zk/s1600/mustard+plants+mature+2010+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSW0Le63z_uZnGioR_O87klqEtBEZmeOMo1AF-Z20e25T4TuLnkrO-hVQen94LovfwwoyYEc6or7jPk8vLKJVDnQAGr1RVLXZRPyrfOacCf5RHkFWzZsBOimU2n_6lGfuA-izt0_cr9Zk/s320/mustard+plants+mature+2010+004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Bountiful Harvest</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>A little diversion today from art-making. Or is it? I'm sharing my thoughts about a gardening experiment I did this year with our church. Our theme for 2010-11 is <em>Sustaining Faith</em>. We were all given tiny Florida Broadleaf Mustard seeds at the beginning of the year with reference to Matthew 17:20 where we are challenged to grow in the quality of our faith.<br />
<br />
On January 24 the children planted some of the seeds in one big pot during our worship service. I volunteered to take them home and be the "gardner". I thought it would be an easy job. The cold weather in January and February proved to be an obstacle to their growth as well as the screened porch where I put them thinking they needed some protection from the cold. By March 14 they were still tiny! Nonetheless, I transplanted them in small pots and brought them to church to display on the communion tables as a visual illustration of their sprouting. I was embarrassed because another friend said hers were HUGE!<br />
<br />
I took advice from my son who suggested I should set them outside so they would get direct sunlight and grow better. He was right. They began to add leaves and height and by April they were looking pretty good.<br />
<br />
Then we traveled to CA for a week. When we returned, these plants had faced another obstacle: hungry caterpillers or cabbage worms. Whichever they were, they almost destroyed them by eating holes in all the leaves. Despite the fact they looked very bedraggled, I decided to let them grow and see what would happen. They withstood the pests but by the time August rolled around, the temperatue was getting hotter and they produced long stems, then bloomed yellow flowers and seeded--but their leaves were still not thriving. I came to the conclusion this had been an unsuccessful experiment and cut off the stems and leaves with holes and ignored them, thinking I failed as the keeper of the seeds.<br />
<br />
Then we took another trip for two weeks in September. About a week after we returned I walked passed the pots and amazingly they had begun to flourish! The cool weather had revived a couple original plants and there were several small seedlings growing, some not even in pots! I perceived these were the 2nd generation sprouts produced from the seeds of the original plants. So, I potted the seedlings in soil and started nurturing them all again. With the cooler weather they thrived and I now had a <em>Bountiful Harvest</em> as shown in the photo above. I was able to bring these mature plants to the worship service recently so the children could see the fruit of their plantings.<br />
<br />
I learned several lessons about <em>Sustaining Faith</em> in this project: These plants would have been thrown on the compost pile way before their harvest if it would have been up to me! I almost did not give them a second chance, but after changing their environment and allowing them to keep on growing despite the eaten leaves, they continued to survive according to their seed's characteristics and God brought the harvest as a testimony to His faithfulness. Likewise, my trust is in the LORD because He is faithful to be who He says He is and is the Sustainer who helps me maintain, endure and withstand obstacles in my life.<br />
<br />
This lesson also transfers to my art-making because sometimes I want to throw away a painting when it is not turning out the way I want. But, if I keep on working past the "ugly stage", oftentimes the finished piece is just what it is supposed to be!phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-69563228224547723202010-10-25T13:43:00.000-07:002011-03-31T19:27:00.957-07:00Language of the Sea and ShellsI'll ignore the fact it's been too long since I've posted and go directly to sharing some discoveries I made this month while I was at the beach for a<i> Personal Art Retreat</i>. As a birthday gift, my husband reserved a week for me at a friend's condo who generously offers it when available. There is no other environment that clears my mind and opens my soul to fresh inspiration. This week was no exception.<br />
<br />
Have you ever noticed the language of the sea and shells? I previously had noticed the markings on the beach left from the surf when the tide comes in and goes out. I walked over this language many times before stopping to look at it closely. Perhaps it's because I am taking note of lines and marks within my paintings that I now remembered to take a photo. As I walked on the beach I wondered what the surf was saying; where it had been and how often it came back to the same place. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEm3gXChyphenhyphenG-6F_4BUnWeRchzHSjf9oSDJB74Boks96gTb6F1w501W1OFzbJ2SOICNQTN_4UcwfZ-ol8EahWG7hSiG1XO23CCbVoIsieLVXJl9eiMbjYNsI1st7_dRFIPH_E80dwI6El8/s1600/language+of+sea+smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEm3gXChyphenhyphenG-6F_4BUnWeRchzHSjf9oSDJB74Boks96gTb6F1w501W1OFzbJ2SOICNQTN_4UcwfZ-ol8EahWG7hSiG1XO23CCbVoIsieLVXJl9eiMbjYNsI1st7_dRFIPH_E80dwI6El8/s320/language+of+sea+smaller.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br />
This is the first time I noticed the hieroglyphics on shells. I've passed over these marks many times but on this visit I began to see a language as shown in the photo below. Do you see the smile, the arrow, the exclamation point and the semi-colon? How do these symbols get carved into the shell? How long have they been tossed to and fro along the sand? Who knows their language and the stories they tell?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrzTKdRUUcYHxq63GfX0Ld2f8XpwfXJT6dEjNVmWdZKydpdK1Fa9sEiS9rRjN3RrI2e1hhJ0l8GmBOLUK_h1u0fBkREXhyJ9eSlGUaoUAyjCaGJrCnRogGzDFArf4fub16zSw6JeCfgg/s1600/beach+shell+language4a++cropped+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrzTKdRUUcYHxq63GfX0Ld2f8XpwfXJT6dEjNVmWdZKydpdK1Fa9sEiS9rRjN3RrI2e1hhJ0l8GmBOLUK_h1u0fBkREXhyJ9eSlGUaoUAyjCaGJrCnRogGzDFArf4fub16zSw6JeCfgg/s320/beach+shell+language4a++cropped+2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Not be overlooked, the feathered friends also leave their bas-relief sculptures in the sand as they dart back and forth finding delicacies to feast on.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZ6XRtHQbw2ZJZvikmW4CFvyu5k1rp1AmUNxPKgo0r5iZATnJBmaXlmFOMMB5A08KrwMwh1vNEOv3HuO6rbW2-pFID6eJEkmCbqDYuVpJKdzUQn45OtPemW6mPkHWJE5X-DHZrzTutyQ/s1600/beach+bas+relief+prints+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZ6XRtHQbw2ZJZvikmW4CFvyu5k1rp1AmUNxPKgo0r5iZATnJBmaXlmFOMMB5A08KrwMwh1vNEOv3HuO6rbW2-pFID6eJEkmCbqDYuVpJKdzUQn45OtPemW6mPkHWJE5X-DHZrzTutyQ/s320/beach+bas+relief+prints+2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Then there are the paintings that last only as long as the tide is out. On this beach there are two distinctly different colors of sand which combine into an exquisite color scheme. I wanted to cut this painting from the sand and take it home with me to hang on my wall!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZywpxYpzR6957FI76YRKtpUk47bZP0Bv-zTZdk_eNjI0DOQ0ro8Hd3TjFWmVlNumORQmm1Hc1hEQ1bPVF3yh9iG0n3veS3-41oFUewMNDVVR9S7pRH2n5TDL0Eza6lJeJdPqr-jukW0/s1600/beach+colors3+2010+.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZywpxYpzR6957FI76YRKtpUk47bZP0Bv-zTZdk_eNjI0DOQ0ro8Hd3TjFWmVlNumORQmm1Hc1hEQ1bPVF3yh9iG0n3veS3-41oFUewMNDVVR9S7pRH2n5TDL0Eza6lJeJdPqr-jukW0/s1600/beach+colors3+2010+.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
These discoveries feed my soul and move me on to explore ideas and images for my work. God's creation brings such a wealth of creativity and I'm so grateful for eyes to see what is around me.<br />
<br />
These "language" inspirations prompted me to begin writing the text from research on my last series: <i>Qumran Eleven: unearthed evidence</i> inspired by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls that I mentioned in an earlier blog. I'll be posting more images of that series and excerpts from that writing later.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I hope you'll take careful note of the environment around you. If you discover some new "languages", post them here so I can enjoy them, too. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><br />
<div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden" /><!--Session data--><input id="jsProxy" onclick="if(typeof(jsCall)=='function'){jsCall();}else{setTimeout('jsCall()',500);}" type="hidden" /><div id="refHTML"></div>phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-39515847889029164692010-08-07T16:45:00.000-07:002010-08-07T16:50:00.035-07:00Inspired by an 81 yr old artistI'm always encouraged and inspired when I meet an artist who in his/her elder years is still making art and influencing viewers by showing work. I was privileged to be invited by my friend and colleague Kaye, to an opening reception for an artist last weekend. The event was presented at the <em>International Portfolio Gallery</em> in Orlando, FL and curated by owner Winsome Edwards.<br />
<br />
I was also encouraged to know another artist friend and colleague, Prof. Trent Tomengo had written the essay included in the book about the artist, Jacqueline Peters-Cully, from which I will summarize for this posting. I don't like to single out enthnicity but the amazing story is much stronger knowing Jacqueline is an African-American artist and her journey as an artist began way back in 1947 when she declared her goal was to study fashion design. Her teacher openly discouraged her stating "There are no Negro fashion designers."<br />
<br />
Jacqueline proved her wrong as she pursued her career at the <em>Art Institute of Chicago</em> and excelled in drawing and painting having been awarded full academic scholarship in her 2nd year. I can't tell you the whole story, but suffice it to say she persevered in the design field and eventually earned the place of a top textile designer in 1966-1970 and went on to launch her own design company in New York.<br />
<br />
After marriage, she and her husband traveled to W Africa and she was inspired by the textile designs which eventually influenced her work, using the medium of dyes on silk. Her work is beautiful! Of course I have a soft spot in my heart for African designs.<br />
<br />
The work that was exhibited at this event and the book that was written, specifically features a new body of work begun in 2004, consisting of 37 pieces which were in some way inspired by an exhibit of <em>Gee's Bend</em> quilts (which I was fortunate to view at the Orlando Museum of Art). I learned Jacqueline is a "keeper" of processes and all through the years of her silk paintings, she saved the undersheets which left an imprint of the finished silk design. From 2004-2007, she began assembling bits and pieces of these sheets into quilt-like collages which now make up this exhibition. Her African-American heritage is proclaimed throughout her work, referencing the pathways of her journey and others of African decent which document such history as the Reconstruction and Railroad system which played a large role in Peters-Cully's life. The title of the exhibition is in fact,<em> "Journeying: The Colours of Our Pathways.</em><br />
<br />
Another amazing part of this exhibition was the compilation of music by Prof. and musicologist Samuel Gaustad. After viewing a roomful of her works, he was inspired to research and arrange Negro spirituals and jazz renditions which are counterparts to Ms Peters-Cully's collaged collection. We were able to hear and view a "mini" rendition on video of this work complete with images from the collection. An amazingly inspirational evening! <br />
<br />
Ms Edwards, who is Peter's-Cully's dealer is working on a traveling schedule for this collection to be viewed at various museums and venues around the country. If you ever read or hear when this will be shown, <strong>DON'T MISS IT</strong>! It will likely be titled the same as the book: <em>Journeying: The Colours of Our Pathways. An Exhibition of Mixed Media Works Chronicling an American Experience</em>.<br />
<br />
In conclusion, I'm impressed afresh that one never knows how the LORD will use our history/heritage or previous work. I think of Jacqueline's foresight to "save" all those papers for "sometime". I'm a keeper, too, and I thought of all the small "thumbnails" I've kept of most of my artwork from my work beginning in 2000. Perhaps sometime it will be used as inspiration for someone else to keep making art and exploring the gift God has given them..phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214471720979978223.post-7739058675095300492010-07-26T18:15:00.000-07:002010-11-28T16:01:36.019-08:00New Works and ThoughtsI'ts about time I return to blogging. I'm surprised I've waited this long. I've been privileged to spend a lot of time in my studio the last couple months and have completed several new works except for final presentation. I've been working on some calls for entries to three FL Museums and have one more submission to complete. They all were listed about the same time so I've tried to make decisions about what goes where. I'll be sharing where these are later, if I've found favor to be accepted in any of them.<br />
<br />
I also visited the <em>Florida Museum for Women Artists</em> in Deland, FL where I have several friends exhibiting in a special <em>Witness to Creativity</em> show which allowed visitors to observe the art-making in progress for a week. Go to <a href="http://www.floridamuseumforwomenartists.org/">http://www.floridamuseumforwomenartists.org/</a> to check it out and if you're in Florida, be sure to see it.<br />
<br />
I took a one-day <em>Letterpress and Bookbinding</em> workshop at Rollins College under Prof. Rachel Simmons a couple weeks ago. It was tedious and time consuming but I'm happy to have printed four copies of the small four-page book and now I'm finishing it by adding color and illustrations and vellum. When the pages are completed, I'll bind them and will have four limited-edition books! I'll try to post a couple images when completed.<br />
<br />
I've mentioned before I've been inspired to do a series of paintings based on the 1947 discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls by a shepherd boy in the Qumran Caves near the Dead Sea in Israel. I'm so caught up in this work and have been consumed by studying the archaeological implications of this unearthed evidence that the Scriptures existed, were hand-lettered and preserved in clay pots down in these caves for years! God's hand at preserving them is evident. I've posted one image of <em>QumranEleven: unearthed evidence I. </em>It's been a new experience to incorporate "automatic drawing" that I learned in my Feb. workshop which gives a sense of "language" even though there are no recognizable words on the page. <em> </em>I have so many notes to accompany the works--presently seven and potentially eleven to complete the series. I'm contemplating the manner in which they will be presented and how I will compile all I have learned. Writing about my work and inspiration is defintely closure for me in the process of art-making. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEP1iU-vnkqr6E4SzrjSCiOVfYtYsu7D-TwxoyuJ-Kzsx8UfEB4_V2KJGwfnIEAvTz1jLs-B9KXI7LBNV4m0adymOga1alo7csPqKMMBCF-AjJesbevRScdrw7SaYUdMsFgxvz3JAbT6M/s1600/Qumran11+unearthed+evidence+I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEP1iU-vnkqr6E4SzrjSCiOVfYtYsu7D-TwxoyuJ-Kzsx8UfEB4_V2KJGwfnIEAvTz1jLs-B9KXI7LBNV4m0adymOga1alo7csPqKMMBCF-AjJesbevRScdrw7SaYUdMsFgxvz3JAbT6M/s320/Qumran11+unearthed+evidence+I.jpg" width="205" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">QumranEleven: unearthed evidence I</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">acrylic with gold leaf on paper</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">14.75" x 9.5"</span></div>I'm also heavily in the middle of another series inspired by the Medieval <em>Books of Hours</em>, mentioned in a former post. These are small, 6" x 6" images and I'm contemplating how they will be presented along with the writing of all I've learned. Then there's the 2010 Christmas card I've begun to make. So much, so few hours in a day. . . .sometimes I'd like to have energy to work into the night. But, I'm still trying to establish balance and quiet/meditative time so I don't miss out on what comes across my life on a daily, hour by hour basis. Challenging.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>phyllis thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928306967785752203noreply@blogger.com0