The entrance to our farmhouse in the middle
 of Tuscany and the agritourism fields

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.  

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 Respiro, 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, lectures and  prayer.

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. 

 

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.

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 

as I used to.

breath
acrylic on canvas
30" x 30"

Waiting produces a response

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.

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.

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 in order to see a white transparent cloud in front of me.  
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 www.phyllisthomasart.com to read the complete reflection under the menu item Artist Reflections.  I'm currently working on two more pieces that may become part of a series.

Painting Visual Narratives

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.

I found an article posted online that gives me hope; photographer David duChemin (http://www.davidduchemin.com) wrote about Knowing Your Rhythm. 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.

This painting . . .and the wind ran out of breath 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 http://www.phyllisthomasart.com  , click on Artist Reflections from the menu.

. . .and the wind ran out of breath

acrylic on cradled board

24 x 48", diptych

As I regain my rhythm in the studio, I look forward to gradually rising to the peak and continuing my next decade of paintings.

Visual Haiku 

In January I posted on this blog my thoughts about the books I was currently reading. The Artist's Rule, and Haiku~the sacred art, have influenced my latest series.  Both underscore a process of taking time to see what is around me and holding it in my heart.   It reminds me of the Hebrew word, Selah that I pondered several years ago which means pause and think about that. 

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. 

This series of images captures the moment in a most economical manner and pasess it on; what I call a Visual Haiku. 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, www.phyllisthomasart.com along with my reflections about each piece.  If you have a chance, please visit

The Artist’s Rule; nurturing your creative soul with monastic wisdom, Christine Valters Paintner, 2011

Haiku~the sacred art, Margaret D. McGee, 2009

Life for Life
acrylic on paper and 24K gold leaf
38" x 12"
copyright phyllis thomas 2013

Meditations on Lent

Perhaps 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:

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.

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 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.

References:

Leviticus 17:1; Hebrews 9:11-12; Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 2:13; Ephesians 2:8-9

              

              

Threads of Redemption: 

meditations on lent

My meditations for Lent this year started on Ash Wednesday and continued throughout the season with daily scripture reading and thoughtful research.  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. 

He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever—

holy and awesome is his name.  Psalm 111.9

(For complete reflections on these pieces, go to www.phyllisthomasart.com

 under Artist Reflections)

how much more
30" x 30"
acrylic on canvas with stitching

Excerpt:  . . . 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. 

a pound of nard
30" x 30"
acrylic on paper mounted on canvas
with stitching

Excerpt:. . .though 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.

    

why are you so far?
30" x 30"
acrylic on canvas with stitching

Excerpt:. . .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 easy is a lie.  This abandonment by the Father of His Son was excruciating, indicated by His crying out:  My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?!  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. . . 

Do you ever ask the question, “why”?    Sometimes I feel abandoned, unhelped, unheard and ask why am I sick?  Why is this delayed?  Why did you allow this tragedy?    Though I know God is sovereign and everything is under His control, I still sometimes wonder why He withholds an answer. 

this hour has come
30" x 30"
acrylic on canvas with stitching and beads

Excerpt:. . . 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. . . A significant part of this work is the bright light.  The sun in my physical universe is the source of biological life and it illuminates everything.  In my spiritual life it is comparable to God, the source of all truth and life. Dr. Timothy Keller says in The King’s Cross, if we are orbiting around anything else except the light of God, we are heading toward darkness and disintegration. 

 

Tide In,  30" x 30", acrylic on canvas

New Work Accepted
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 journeys to, from and within Florida, to coincide with a September Exhibit.

The opening will be Sunday, March 4, 2012 from 2-4pm and closes on April 27, 2012.  

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.

www.gatewaycenterforthearts.org

Signatures on the Sand

Tide Out

30" x 30", acrylic on canvas

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.

Reflection about this series:

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"(1); 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 The Gift of the Sea (2)

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.

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.

References: 

(1) Warren Wiersebe, God Isn't in a Hurry, p. 48; (2) Anne Morrow Lindbergh, The Gift of the Sea, p. 16; a Grain of Sand; nature's secret wonder, Dr. Gary Greenberg, photographer.  copyright, phyllis thomas, 2011

Tide In

30" 30", acrylic on canvas

In between Tides

30" x 30", acrylic on canvas

High Tide

30" x 30", acrylic on canvas

Gift-Giving Weeks

"All art is a gift.  It is first of all a gift that the maker can do it.  It is then a gift to someone else, whether they pay for it or not."  Robert Genn, The Painter's Key

I have been in the process of making gifts for the past couple weeks.  One piece is for a dear friend celebrating his 80th birthday,  one is for dear friends who are getting married in a couple weeks and the third is a practically designed folder to hold letters to a congressman that a friend asked me to create.

The 80 year old I have known for about 40 years and about 10 years of friendship for the couple. I found the making of these gifts part of a celebration for their lives.  I find it extraordinary that I am able to gift them part of myself in the process of art-making and as I worked, there were memories of our friendships which make the work all the more enjoyable. 

While I am not always able to do this "gifting", this year's slowing down and stepping out of the traffic of constant events and initiating plans allowed me to indulge in this process.  Though I sometimes feel the world is going on without me, I am still convinced that at this season of my life it is "okay" to step back and enjoy some of these activities that have been put aside for some years. 

That doesn't mean I'm not doing any other work.  I am actively pursuing inspiration which is coming from all directions regarding the continued meditation about hours of the day as well as continuing practice in the new process of using acrylic paint. It is energizing to have so many ideas in process; some on the wall and some on the table in my studio.  I hope to share some photos soon so you can see some "in process" work.  Keep checking back!

I also am the new owner of two pieces of artwork I found online while reading blogs about other artists.  I bought one small piece from Whitney Johnson; another from Rachel Smith.  These are young emerging artists who recently completed their degrees in art.  I felt some personal message in each of these pieces and can't wait to get them framed so I can look at them each day, listening to what they will speak to me.  If you want to see their work go to their web blogs:

http://www.whitneylewisjohnsonart.blogspot.com/; 

http://rachelmarysmith.com/artwork. 

I love supporting the next generation of artists!

I'm off with my husband to California this weekend to celebrate the 80th Birthday for our friend. Then we travel to our other friends' Wedding a week later to celebrate a marriage.  I'll catch up later on the progress of all those inspirations beginning to happen in my studio.

The journey continues

Witness, testify and believe.  These three words are primary in John 20:24-30, an Easter meditation I'm reading.  Made me stop to ponder how my art-making could be part of all those proclamations when I translate the scripture, thoughts and impressions onto paper.  I came to the conclusion this is a huge responsibility and probably one of the reasons I take my art-making so seriously.  But I also found great liberty in receiving the gift of creativity and gave myself permission to continue enjoying the act of painting without restrictions.

My process is still in transition as I review the techniques from the workshop and spend time in research and study to find fresh and contemporary images  visually expressing my innermost thoughts and feelings.  Bear with me as I continue to find my way--perhaps the beginning of a series in the near future.  I would like to post some images soon but am not in a hurry to do so.

Last week I spent a day at my friend Kaye's studio with another workshop participant, Annette.  We had some great dialogue about abstraction and life and proceeded to challenge ourselves with some exercises similar to those we practiced at the workshop.  We are all learning and it is a great journey!  Perhaps the journey is the work for now?

This is where I am

I've been feeling guilty that I haven't posted for over a week.  Then I was brought back to a quote from Barbara Brown Taylor in her book, An Altar in the World:

"Most of us spend so much time thinking about where we have been or where we are supposed to be going that we have a hard time recognizing where we actually are.   When someone asks us where we want to be in our lives, the last thing that occurs to us is to look down at our feet and say, "Here, I guess, since this is where I am." 

This reminds me of a previous painting I made titled Stand Still (image above).   It references Psalm 46:10 and Moses standing on Holy ground at the burning bush.  He was there present in the moment listening to God's voice.  So, I'm okay.  I'll go forward from here.  If you want to read the writing about the image, go to http://www.phyllisthomasart.com/ where it is posted with the image.

I'll be traveling to New Smyrna Beach today to the Atlantic Center for the Arts to participate in an art workshop:  The Spiritual Language of Art:  Abstract Painting coached by Steve Aimone (http://www.aimoneartservices.com/).   I'm going totally with no expectations as this is a challenge and stretch for me using a different medium, technique and in community.  I'm leaving my computer at home so I can be totally present in the moment!  I'll give a report on my return.