Original Art, Story Or Journal

Thank you, Xueling......what a lovely backstory and image, and thanks for sharing from your journal.
There is no Journal per se that I keep. But, some of my work stems from my wish to post a story that is meaningful to me, via image and words.....when given the chance to be published somewhere that will help in some way - always about something important to me, though not always derived from an Art reference itself..l tend to paint in reaction to things in life that present themselves more from political or human-nature issues. Hence, the following..........the image in answer to the pressing matter about Honour Killings........I suppose it is a journal in a way.....

My entire Judaic series has accompanying text to explain each prayer..... Here's one sample:

Misheberach " He who blesses...."

MISHEBERACH
"May He who blessed our ancestors, bless and heal those who are ill. May the Blessed, Holy One, be filled with compassion for their health to be restored and their strength to be revived. May God swiftly send a complete renewal of body and spirit and let us say, Amen."

This image is an expression of the healing prayer as the energy transmits between sender and receiver. The purple orb represents the sender and the green shape, nestled in a maternal rocker, personifies the one in need of healing. When a name is offered up for this prayer, the person's mother's name is added to their own, as a validation of mother as nurturer.
The lines going between the two entities, exemplify the energy and speed with which we hope for, in asking for recovery. Once again, the red represents God's interaction. The celestial realm, in which the healing manifests, is illustrated with the metallic color palette. The shades of lavender and greens were carefully chosen for their healing and calming qualities. The circles represent wholeness and complete healing, the purpose of this powerful prayer.

Your stories are so profound and I'm deeply moved by them - I think this is a wonderful idea Xueling - most of us have no way of knowing whether someone who sees our artwork understands that there is a story behind it.
This image is out of the norm for me as I don't usually do composite digital work. But I heard a country western song by a group called Thompson Square at a time when I was dealing with loss and heartbreak and it didn't seem to me that it was possible to be really happy again. Then I had an epiphany, I guess you'd call it, and I realized that sometimes broken is beautiful. And this is the result of that epiphany. The poem came first - and strangely, it almost wrote itself and it became instead of a tragic drama, a song of hope and a certainty that behind every loss is gain.

IN THE SHATTERING

Shattered -
the fragile glass of me is shattered,
crushed and broken into tiny shards
now reflecting, diamond-like,
a thousand points of light -
magnifying what had once been
but a solitary beam, diffuse, opaque -
as if in the final breaking,
the small, soft, subtle glow,
so long and well contained within
the shape that was the whole of me
is now free to sparkle all the more -
brilliantly, blindingly more -
each crystal sliver multiplying
radiance only dimly shown before.

How could I have known
when I was whole and empty
that it would be in breaking
that I would shine so brightly,
be more luminously transparent,
with a glory all out of proportion
to the pain of the shattering itself?
How could I know that I held
a million different joys inside
just waiting for release?
How could I know that I
was never meant to confine
the light of the Divine inside
but was always and eternally
envisioned in the mind of God,
as each of us is truly meant,
to be at last its sacred shine?

@Vivian, Marlene and Lianne, Thank you so much for sharing your work and writing here! They are inspiring!


The Story on the back of the painting: Perched atop a little burro, she came riding along the irrigation ditch that passed my house. Dressed like a rag lady, she possessed the proud posture of a queen. The little burro was buried, all but for head and legs, under a burden of rags and bags, rolls of blankets, tarps and undoubtedly all of its mistress’ worldly possessions. A month later she came riding by again going back in the direction from which she came the first time. After that summer in 1986, I never saw her again. Twenty-five years later I got the notion to paint her from memory, and belatedly thought to do some research on her. I naturally named the painting The Burro Lady and researched the name on the Internet and, lo and behold, there, indeed, had been a Burro Lady, a legend in her own time. This is the second painting I did, not from memory this time, but with the help of some reference photos found.

Her name was Judy Mager. She died at age 65 in 2007 and was given a regional celebrity’s burial in the Big Bend area of Terlingua, Texas where she first appeared a mysterious figure in early 1980. She lived a nomadic life, becoming known throughout West Texas and Southern New Mexico, but nothing was known about her. She had gone through many burros and mules, her last white mule was with her when she was found on the desert where she died and his name was Merle.
Donna Vesely
New Mexico 2013

Faline is concerned... each morning she and Bambi meet in this spot of the cool stream to quench their thirst. But today he is late, and a distinctive human odor pervades the area. With fears mounting and eyes searching, Faline takes a cautious step forward...

Suddenly the air reverberates with the startling sound of gunfire, and she senses her world will never be the same again!

http://fineartamerica.com/blogs/the-omicron-paintings-of-robert-g-kernodle.html

@Clif, and Robert, thank you for sharing :)!


I was inspired by the Chinese traditional folk art style to create a couple of peacocks with eight peony-flowers oil painting on canvas recently, which I named "Peacocks Flying Southeast (孔雀东南飞)".

"Peacocks Flying Southeast" is well-known to Chinese and is a phenomenal poem in Chinese literary history. It is one of the collections of the Music Academy (YueFu) formed by the Han Dynasty (196-219 AD) courts to gather literary works created largely for the common people.

It was about a tragic love story between a young couple, who promised to love each other forever. Perhaps the morbid mother-in-law could not stand the daughter-in-law coming between her and her son. Eventually she broke up the marriage when her son was working out of the town. The young couple's dream and promise of living together was shattered. Both their families forced them to marry someone else. So this young couple took their own lives, fulfilling their commitment of love in a different world...

The first time I read this tragic but beautiful love story-poem, I had the passion and wanted to create a painting. Eventually, I have fulfilled my own dream now that I have the life experience after decades.

During the time I created this piece which was a very challenging artwork to me, I have found out how great and creative the Chinese folk artists were. At the same time, I interpreted more auspicious meaning into this piece, and I would love to share it with my viewers.

The symbolic meaning of flowers in Feng Shui is akin to the shared interpretation of flowers across many cultures. They evoke in all human beings a feeling of positive energy, healthy, prosperity, beauty in life.

In addition to the energy of beauty and grace, flowers also bring a flourishing, good luck, numerous blessings, and joy to any home. Feng Shui - wise, attention is often paid to colors, numbers, as well as the symbolism of specific types of flowers.

Peony - One of the most sensual flowers has a delicious scent and has long been used in Feng Shui as a cure for love and romance, especially applies to a couple of pink peonies. The symbol of peony is often considered a metaphor for female beauty.

In Feng Shui birds are considered powerful symbols of new opportunity and regarded as lucky signs of good fortune. Birds can also symbolize love and commitment (such as Mandarin Ducks), or abundance and good luck (such as the Peacocks).

Peacock - stunning in its beauty, the Peacock is considered the manifestation of the celestial Phoenix on earth. Its mesmerizing colors and the "thousand eyes" look on its tail is considered to promote fame-luck in Feng Shui, as well as enhance one's protection and awareness. Of course, such a beautiful bird as a peacock will also symbolize beauty and the feelings of love and attraction, thus the image of the peacock or peacock feathers are often recommended in Feng Shui as a love cure for single people to help attract the desired mate.

''FISSURE''

Xueling, your premise for this great thread, suggested I go through my work,to find art that resulted from emotional moments, and so, I post “Fissure”, with the added information of its reason d’etre .
FAA is now nothing like its ‘bad old days’, through which I lived and survived,lol, but not without controversies. I did manage to post a Blog in response to the situation here, so there is a diary of sorts.

http://fineartamerica.com/blogs/intervention.html - live link posted separately ..

Those days are behind us here now, mostly,lol...........but, I was so disturbed, I did have to paint through the pain – and “Fissure” is the result.......done without too much thought, just a wonderful release. There was great peace found through the posts of others who cared enough to 'intervene'....via the Blog, and at the forum. I was considered a 'drama queen' - not totally untrue,lol, nothing's changed !!!!!!!!!!

Live link , fyi........

http://fineartamerica.com/blogs/intervention.html

Mazal Tov is an expression used when offering congratulations or wishing good luck.
A more significant message is revealed by delving into the meanings of the word mazal.
The most common definition of mazal, is an alignment of stars.
Each of us in born under an astrological field with a particular energy flow.
Our mazal determines personality, circumstances and potential...our destiny.
The Jewish people believe that we can transcend our destiny. As referenced
in the Torah, G-d lifted Abraham above the stars and changed his destiny.
Another meaning for mazal is a 'drip from above.' Our tradition
sees our mazal as the influence of the stars trickling down on us.
The mystics have yet another meaning. It is said that our soul, our mazal,
shines like a brilliant star from above with only one ray inhabiting our bodies.
The visual expression of Mazal Tov combines all of these meanings.
The top of the painting shows the heavens filled with stars that are
shining and trickling downward. The main orb, symbolizing our soul,
emits an orange ray into the largest circle, representing our physical body.
Destiny is represented by the silver bar. As it travels through the stars,
the upward movement expresses the concept of transcending one's destiny.
The design highlights the juxtaposition of the down and up movements.
When we offer a Mazal Tov, we evoke the energy of the cosmic field to channel blessings.
When heaven and earth meet and blessings abound, our destinies can be transcended.

Goodbye Donald

Xueling, another picture I found. This was the result of my loss of my brother Donald..........again, at the time I lost him, words failed me.
I mourned for a full nine months, and then, found this painting within me to exorcise the grief somehow.
And then, I found the words – and so it goes, and so it goes. I grieved for one who loved me unconditionally.

@Marlene, thank you for sharing your description of your work!

@Vivian, So sorry about your lost! I can feel the deep sorrow through your master expression... thanks!



Carmen is commonly reputed as the most popular opera ever written. The story is about a Spanish soldier Don José who falls passionately in love with a beautiful Gypsy woman Carmen. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamorous toreador Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage. The depictions of proletarian life, immorality and lawlessness, and the tragic death of the main character on stage.

I was moved by the music and so shocked by this tragic love story... I always wanted to express this drama, but how could I create art piece differently than others? So many of them as well...

It was very challenge for sure! I knew that I would love to express the rhythm of the music through a flamenco dancer, as well as showing the passion and bravery, also the bull fighting, and the death...

Finally, I've finished creating this painting after three-month period time (studied and painted over and over) to fulfilled another my youthful dream.

Thank you, Xueling.

My compliments on your exquisite Carmen painting, and though you spent so long on it, truly it looks fresh and beautiful as if painted in one 'go' .......congratulations...it is beautiful.

Who am i... a Résumé

i am a bastard son of a circus/carnival Geek father and my mother was a Magician's assistant...
At age 7, i was abandoned by my mother who was last seen walking into a full length mirror during a tent performance
in the Apollo Feed and Grain parking lot in Crooked Creek iowa. According to one of the stagehands,
she winked and gave a little wave just as the mirror began to fill with smoke and was never seen again...
My Geek father never recovered from losing her and lost his appetite for chicken and rodent heads.
He began to binge on fast foods, candy and donuts... literally putting himself out of work
because no one would pay to watch a sad fat man eat Big Macs and Snicker bars.
We spent the next few of my formative years traveling with the circus/carnival because he didn't know anything else
and who would hire a washed-up has-been Geek anyway.
Fortunately, i was taken under the tutelage of the Carny Forman and was able to learn some circus skills
and supported the two of us by cleaning up after the elephants and bears. i think that's where i learn i had a talent for sculpture.
i was almost eleven when my Geek father tried to take some marshmallows from one of the bears, he only survived the attack for a few hours
but i remember his last words, "I sure could go for bacon and cheese stuffed deep fried pig in a blanket", i asked him if he would like fries with that,
he never answered.
A few months later my adopted guardian, the Carny Forman, was shot by the bearded lady with one of the shooting range
'HIT THE BULLSEYE AND WIN A KEWPIE DOLL' rifles. And once again, i felt abandoned.
Fate decided to smile upon me one last time and a loving couple who billed themselves as the Corsican Brothers let me move into their trailer
and life seemed good until they were both deported... i traveled with the carnival/circus until i reached the age of seventeen,
then ran away from one circus only to join another... and another and another…. and here i am today... on FAA...
Reminiscing made me rummaged though old photos and i came across one of the Corsican Brothers.

The Lord is my Shepherd::
23rd Psalm

A Psalm of David: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down
in green pastures, He leads me besides still waters. He restores my soul. He guides me
in straight paths for His Name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Thy rod and Thy staff, they
comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou
anointest my head with oil, My cup runneth over Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

This psalm of comfort addresses the concept that G-d is always with us,
particularly during life's most difficult times when our faith in the Creator is challenged.
This visual expression of the 23rd Psalm highlights the concept that we are never alone.
We are able to work through our darkest moments by acknowledging G-d as our partner.

The image of a shepherd'sstaff defines the predominant movement in the painting, cutting a
strong diagonal through the green pastures, still waters and the valley of the shadow of death.
These elements are represented by the green and blue lines and black bands flowing horizontally through the painting. By naming these specifics, we are able to recognize
that G-d provides us with comfort and protection as we face our challenges in life.
The double yud, as seen in many prayer books as G-d's name, is marked on the staff.
The staff's handle is superimposed over a complete copper circle, reminding us that
we are complete in the realization that we are not alone. The top of the painting in silver,
exemplifies the light that emerges from our faith and trust in G-d's presence at all times.
The Lord, as our shepherd, enables us to navigate our trials, leading us back into the light.
We are not left wanting.

As we slipped the bounds of our planet, for the very first time I felt a twinge of guilt. I imagined we were being watched by the envious eyes of those lost souls that had suffered a hellish fate!

I was inspired to paint this from a photo I took while riding horse behind my daughter. She led our horses down the trail she was quite familiar with, as she worked at this Wilderness Trail Ranch in Bayfield Colorado which is very beautiful. I really enjoyed doing this painting because it captured a moment in time that is very special to her. Its amazing how pictures
can bring back or create memories.

I've had a chance to catch up with all the stories. Thank you all for validating my life long held belief that art is a very valid form of communication!

Thank you everyone for sharing your wonderful art and story, love them all :)!

Dawn Senior-Trask's:

These horses aren't mustangs, they're the treasured mounts of Dawn and her family. When turned out they run on many, many acres of range land, and this is one of the places they come to drink, if they aren't too excited and spooked to stop that long. From left to right, the horses are Candy (Dawn's Quarter Horse mare), Toby (her nephew Joel's Welsh pony), Magenta (a wiley ol' ranch gelding that her brother Thor sold to her husband Juel), Geronimo (Joel's ranch colt), and Paycheck (Dawn's Foxtrotter gelding). When the family wants to ride, Dawn sometimes searches for hours to find them among the draws, ravines, and rocky ridges.

2D image of an old abandoned church near Langford Estates on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

You could say I have an affinity for old abandoned structures. Thinking back on it now, I feel rather stupid, taking the chances I did, going through these decrepit places when they could have collapsed at any time or had wild animals taking refuge there. Many of these dilapidated structures ceased to exist shortly after I visited them to explore and take pictures.

At the time, my parents lived near this area. There was only one way in and one way out and you had to pass by this old abandoned church on every visit to my parent's house.

Next to this church, near Langford Bay Estates, were some modest headstones in a small neglected, cemetery. Not long after this image was taken, while traveling to my parent's home, I noticed the old structure had vanished.

Exploring the Church...
As I started walking across the floor of the old church, camera in hand, a window on the right side suddenly flew up of its own accord. Don't ask me why I didn't high-tale it out of there pronto, but I'm convinced the vibrations I caused while walking triggered the window. When I looked on either side of the window, hanging inside the walls were ropes with counter-weights which at one time would have helped one to more easily raise the window up. Although an unexpected surprise, the experience proved to be a very interesting excursion into this old abandonment.

The original picture was taken with a Konica SLR film camera many years ago during the colder months. I breathed on the lens, aimed, and waited until just enough evaporation before snapping the shutter to obtain the foggy effect.

On an unrelated (I think) but also strange and unusual occurrence, I left my parent's home and was on my way back out to travel to my own home near Baltimore. It was warm weather and I had the windows of the car rolled down since it had no air conditioning. The Eastern Shore of Maryland is pretty much all country, made up of flat farmland. Traveling to and from my parent's residence consisted of roads between fields for much of the trip.

As I was traveling, and incidentally near the area of the old abandoned church, suddenly something from outside shot through the passenger side window. It hit the headrest and in the next instant there were green feathers floating about in my car. When I checked the back seat I found a small dead green bird!

Two things were very odd about this event...
One, the actual occurrence of a bird flying into an open window of the car while I was speeding down the back road.
Two, I had never seen a green bird on the Eastern Shore of MD my whole life growing up there!

For whatever reason, it seemed appropriate to call this event, an OMEN.

Great photo and documentary, Brian!

Thank you Clif. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

Some here know that I struggle with what is termed an invisible illness - I look fine, but my life is far from normal. I am housebound, and there is never any knowledge about how the next day is going to be, nor even the day you are in now. Often I wake up and look forward to painting, then suddenly pain starts or severe exhaustion sets in and I spend the day on the bed again. Here is a poem I wrote after one of those days, accompanied by a reverse collage on vinyl that expresses the feeling of living life behind the stage - everything is on the front and you can only participate by Looking Through.

Rebecca



It Was Not A Good Morning

May 24, 2009

Some days don’t go very far;
Short-sheeted by an unforeseen turn,
They remain suspended
And the noisy silence echoes
Through the remaining hours.

Shoulders hunched against a future blow,
We gather the fragments of a torn existence
And work quietly to press them
Seamlessly together so
Tomorrow we can begin anew.
© Rebecca Cook 2009

@ Brian, Bellesouth, thank you so much for sharing yours here, they are fabulous!



This is one of my first paintings from when I started almost 12 years ago. I aimed to capture the old Beijing culture with an old man and his bicycle. Typically the retired people enjoy hobbies like carrying pet birds in cages to nearby parks for a morning walk, Chigong, chat, chess game with others... Often they would carry small radios to listen to their favorite channels playing Chinese operas, traditional novels or historical stories. Afternoons would pass with a nap in the park or sitting out enjoying sunlit porches. My painting expresses a moment typical of a day like this in Beijing where I was born and grew up.

There are more images at: http://originalartstories.blogspot.com/2011/09/old-man-and-his-bike.html

Share VIVA Anderson's beautiful drawing and other artists' comments on her artwork :



"Love Nest - A treasured comment:::"Love Nest Comment.

Thank you, Josef, for this, your benediction so thoughtful,deep,meaningful,affirming.... .."A goblet to their lips they drink to their joy, To their love and devotion, To their being together again In their special place Insulated and comforted by The circled candles. Freeing them from The wasted worried warring world No fear can touch them now, While nestled in their Holy place, Their sanctuary, Their Love nest. L F ...Josef".

Prints to: 30" x 19.5" all media

Another Treasured Comment, just retrieved from Archive: Thank You, Tony:
"Speak to us of how you came to be.
Tell us, oh green thing, of victories afar.
We have stood here long and not as
strong as we once supposed.
Yes,you encroach upon us
like a lion its prey.
Long ago we came to this place
and many a fallen and mighty man
may have stood upon our shouldres.
Yet,in silence you spring up among us.
Why do you wave the sun goodbye each day
with the shadows that steal our warmth..?"

Dear Xueling,
Thank you for choosing this art to feature in this your special thread devoted to meaningful original art, here at FAA.
MY 'Love Nest' drawing celebrates a cherished moment in time. A very rare moment. I'm honoured you like it well enough to post it here.......it is bringing back so much happiness....Thank you, VIVA

Actually this painting was created inside my head for a long time. I really saw the picture with my minds eye. Finally, I painted it on canvas while I was listening Don McLean's "Starry, Starry Night" Vincent (song) over and over. The result that came out was nice, of course it has the Van Gogh feeling for sure. But this was the first time I was stuck with naming my own painting, what should I title it?

Glad that I have this artist community to ask..
In such a short time, there were many great ideas suggested.

Siesta, Intermezzo, Guitar Break, Melody of Dreams A Perfect Day, All Played Out, Passing Time, dreams of Van Gogh, Perfect Ending , Little Dogie With Shades, Dog Day Melody, While My Guitar Gently Weeps , Six Strings, Four Feet and Sweet Dreams, A Cowboy's Melody, The end of the howling blues, All we need, California Dream Interlude, The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Howling, The Sun's Comin' Down On Me, On The Road Again, Acoustic Aphasia, Cool Doggie Blues, ..

There were even more suggestions than that, but I don't want to repeat similar ones. Many thanks to each one of my creative artist friends. It helped me with a title for my painting and to learn some new words in English as well!

After a couple of days deliberation I had come to a decision. In the end, I fell in love with the poem Artist Lutz Baar wrote for this painting:

"Purple light in the canyons
That's where I long to be
With my three good companions
Just my guitar, doggy and me."

And also the background was impressed by Napa Valley scene, so I finally name my painting "Guitar Doggie and Me in Wine Country" - give to my credit to all my creative artist friends and especially Lutz Baar for the beautiful poem!

FYI, here is the link of the thread for the title suggestion:
http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=2723410

Share Jaeda's digital self-portrait.



"I have many facets, i wear many masks. This self-portrait celebrates the side of me that is courageous in the face of fear, moving through it . . . instead of running from it. The facet of me that rises up and becomes triumphant in times of tribulation. The part of me that becomes resilient when i fall flat on my face, allowing me to pick myself up off of the pavement and start anew. I have survived more than i ever thought myself capable of and it has made me the strong woman, i am today. "

I just entered this story in a different thread and thought it would be perfect for this thread as well. I think it's amusing and I hope you get a little chuckle from it...

When I was around 21, I created a Plaster of Paris cast of my face.

I was renting the 2nd floor of a private home which was furnished. I had two bedrooms. The extra bedroom had two single beds. The elderly couple I was renting from lived on the first floor and when we agreed that I would rent the upstairs, they assured me they would never go up there.

I had found a kit in the store that allowed you to mix a compound that was like a gel. After a minute or so, it would stiffen but still be pliable. The idea was to put an inanimate object in the mixture and let it "set" (stiffen), pull the object out and you have a negative mold of the object. You could do your hand for instance. Then you could make a positive mold by pouring Plaster Of Paris into the negative mold, let it harden and there was the finished mold. You could paint it afterwards if you liked.

I think I did a test object first which worked, but my real objective was to make a mold of my face. At the time, I was fascinated with stage makeup, specifically special effect makeup as was used in horror films. I thought that if I made a mold of my face, I could then create special effect makeup pieces such as noses, chins, cheeks, etc., that would fit my face perfectly. I had seen pictures of the "death mask" (or life mask if you prefer), mold procedure in a magazine I used to collect call "Famous Monster of Filmland".

I was by myself so I got a box big enough to put my head into, put two holes in the bottom. I got two drinking straws and put them through the two holes I made in the bottom of the box then lined it with saran wrap and aluminum foil to prevent leaking. I mixed the compound (from the kit I had bought), and poured it into the box. I had a very short period of time to insert an object (in this case, my face) into the gel or it would "set" (setting time - approximately 1 minute) and the mixture would be wasted. I put the two protruding straws into my nostrils and pushed my face into the mixture. The idea of the straws of course was to allow me to breath. I had to hold it that way until the mixture stiffened. I could then carefully back my head out of the box.

Since I was working alone and using myself as the guinea pig, I was leery of pushing my head too far into the mixture. After all, the kit did not say you could do a face. That would have been too dangerous for this product that was actually intended for kids.

It worked! I had a negative mold of my face. I poured the Plaster of Paris into the negative mold, letting it harden and then I had a positive mold of my face at 21 years old. For fun, and to see how life-like I could make the face appear, I colored it with watercolors. It was effective. It's a bit shocking for people who know you to see this "death mask" because of the spooky effect it throws off.

Of course, I had to see what it would look like if I created a body to go with it. I stuffed pillows, socks, etc., under the covers of my bed to approximate a person's body.

Sorry, I could only locate a 3D stereo picture I took many years later when I reproduced the "sleeping body" in my own house (for a Halloween inspired 3D stereo image). (Red/Cyan filtered 3D glasses required for viewing and perceiving depth)...



I created the "sleeping body" in one of the spare single beds in the extra bedroom... "Cool", I thought... Leaving as it was for an undetermined period of time, until I had enough of the novelty.

I came home from work one day and the semi-retired house owner met me at the door. "Who do you have in the extra bedroom", he questioned! Of Course, at that instance I became aware of the lie I was told about them not going upstairs. I kept cool however, not mentioning that fact seeing as how my priority was now to convince the man that there was no one upstairs. I was a bit embarrassed, but described what I had done to which I noticed a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth, as if he was both slightly amused and alleviated simultaneously. I knew then he was satisfied with my answer. He probably thought, no one would make up a story like that. It was so strange, it had to be true! Well, at least I discovered I couldn't trust their word.

The idea of a painting originates in our mind because we connect with something grand from 'up there'.
I mostly think that our creation is influenced by spirits of others. Deep down in our head, we talk to them and create together.
We are more like a medium to some kind of energy that wants to burst out and shine.
Sometimes that energy is like a troll and makes me paint and repaint again and again. Not at the time of making this painting. This is one I've done without repainting it over and over again. I miss the spirit that helped me paint it. Come back!

@Brian, thanks, your story and work are incredible !

Art By Ela, thanks for sharing your work and writing here :)!

This is from my first trip to this park which borders the Chesapeake Bay and located near the north-east side of the beltway surrounding Baltimore. <br> <br>Fort Howard is located in the North Point region of Baltimore County and played a key role in the historical War of 1812 and the Battle of Baltimore. Tucked at the very end of North Point Road this park entices its visitors with scenic beauty and a touch of history that's close to home. It is free to enter this park and it sits almost invisible next to the Fort Howard VA Hospital. <br> <br>(Resource Link) <a href='http://www.examiner.com/article/fort-howard-park' target='_blank' rel='nofollow' style='font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;'>http://www.examiner.com/article/fort-howard-park</a> <br> <br>Speaking of which... I followed my GPS to the end of North Pt road where I had a choice to follow a road to the left, or to go straight. I decided to go straight, following behind what looked like a trash pickup truck in front of me. Stopping at the stop sign (there was no gate), I looked left and right and saw a guard's station on the right. I saw no movement or people or even a vehicle nearby. <br> <br>I proceeded behind the truck ahead. The area looked like ruins of an old neighborhood. Some housing appeared to be burnt out, boarded up, dilapidated and abandoned. I pressed on around the winding paved street, knowing the Chesapeake bay was just up ahead. <br> <br>I went around the entire complex looking for public parking. I passed several short side pavements that seemed to go near the waterfront and just end there. On my second excursion around, having seen only one lot with cars much further away from the water, I decided to drive down one of the short paved dives close to the waterfront and park there since I saw no other people. <br> <br>I knew I should have "drained the lizard" before leaving the restaurant where we had a luncheon for retired telephone employees about a half hour earlier. I saw no outdoor johns but felt pretty well secluded where I was at the water's edge surrounded on several sides by brush. I decided to wait no longer to relieve myself. It was quite windy although otherwise, a warm pleasant day for half way through December. <br> <br>Have you ever heard the expression, "Don't spit into the wind!"... Anyway, I was wise enough to position in a way to be safe in that regard. I took a look back at the road and saw the trash truck going back around the opposite way as if leaving the facilities. I waited the few seconds for it to pass by although I was a good distance from the road it was on. <br> <br>I was about half way through my business when I turned my head to see what appeared to be a police or guard vehicle slowing down at the entrance to the short driveway I parked on. Thinking, he's probably going to check me out, and estimating I had a few more seconds to continue, I went a little more before turning my head again to see the police indeed turned into my little side drive. <br> <br>Now I was about 3/4 finished but had run out of time. I had to cut things off before completing my business. I quickly put things in order, turned, and while walking back to my car, noticed the official was lowering the passenger window for apparent communication so I walked to that side of his vehicle. <br> <br>The policeman, guard, or what most likely a government security officer, was very stern when he spoke to me about illegally trespassing on government property. I could tell when I tried to return conversation that he wasn't interested in what I had to say although I manged to get out something to the affect that I thought the "park" was a public place. He quickly mentioned that the park is "over there" with a gesture of meaningless and vague direction. <br> <br>Anyway, by that time I had assessed that I should just use the minimum of speech required and inserted the title, "Sir" whenever a response seemed appropriate. Feeling that he was basically done his reprimand and not wanting to entice further conflict, or take up his valuable time any further, I thanked the officer and got into my car. He backed out to the main street and waited for me to do the same. <br> <br>When I got back to the main street, I suppose I should have turned left but nervous and without the ability think as clearly as I should... I thought what if that is some kind of one-way street, not really remembering the truck went that way when it left. So, of course I went right, knowing I made a pass around there earlier. The government guy followed me. I made it out (the long way) and noticed him stop short of the entrance and backed his vehicle into a corner there. <br> <br>While leaving what I had mistakenly thought was the public Fort Howard park, I slowed down to look at the options again and took the road on the left which I should have taken in the beginning. After a short winding drive, I arrived at the public Fort Howard park. <br> <br>I enjoyed a fairly short exploration of what was there and of course, took some pictures. <br> <br>This particular attachment was taken about a half hour from sundown and I thought the tree shadows coming toward the lens gave the image a nice appeal. The sun would have been a problem but I was able to position myself so that the tree limbs blocked it out sufficiently. Shooting in RAW format allowed adjustments so that the back-lighting did not create all silhouetted trees with contrast. <br> <br><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ur4chun8/23772868436/in/dateposted-public/" title="Brian_Ft Howard 1 LG_121515_2D"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/582/23772868436_995d6fdcc6_z.jpg" width="640" height="428" alt="Brian_Ft Howard 1 LG_121515_2D"></a> <br> <br> <br>3D Stereo Crossview... <br> <br><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ur4chun8/23772902926/in/dateposted-public/" title="Brian_Ft Howard 1 SM_121515_X"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/685/23772902926_de1f3d228a_z.jpg" width="640" height="233" alt="Brian_Ft Howard 1 SM_121515_X"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <br> <br> <br>3D Stereo Anaglyph - (Red/Cyan filtered glasses required for viewing depth)... <br> <br><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ur4chun8/23431046159/in/dateposted-public/" title="Brian_Ft Howard 1 SM_121515_A"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5657/23431046159_f6da59b7d6_z.jpg" width="640" height="465" alt="Brian_Ft Howard 1 SM_121515_A"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <br> <br>Cha cha, Nikon D600, 24 mm, PS-CS6, ACR, SPM, IrfanView. <br> <br>Cheers, <br>Brian

12-17-15, This is a portion of an email I received which wanted to show my 3D stereo work in an online magazine. Please take a look but you'll need Red/Cyan filtered 3D glasses for viewing the effect...

Greetings, I was looking at your OOB pics and I find them very interesting. I would like to extend an invitation to participate showing your work with us on our 3D anaglyph magazine.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/7f884387-2c07-4eae-a33f-2f259739d9cc

Brian, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful work and the story!
Happy holidays to you and yours :)!

Thank you Xueling and the same to you!

Anna Shurakova by Stones landscape with rocks

This painting is inspired by northern nature and the greatness of the universe.

The Carolina Wren is the state bird of South Carolina where I live. I've always enjoyed watching these cute little birds in the yard. Recently one got into our house through a hole that the dog had made in the screen door. The poor thing couldn't find it's way back out by itself but I helped it by opening the kitchen window and gently encouraging it to fly in that direction. It seemed to know that I was trying to help because it didn't panic and it did find the window. I had created this pastel artwork before that incident happened but when I look at it I am reminded of my little avian visitor.

MM, thanks for sharing your bird story and lovely drawing! Happy holidays :D!

Share Mona Edulesco's beautiful artwork:



"Veuve Clicquot is both a champagne house in Reims, France, and a brand of premium champagne. Founded in 1772 by Philippe Clicquot-Muiron, Veuve Clicquot played an important role in establishing champagne as a favored drink of haute bourgeoisie and nobility throughout Europe. The 1811 comet vintage of Veuve Clicquot is theorized to have been the first truly "modern" Champagne due to the advancements in the "methode champenoise" which Veuve Clicquot pioneered through the technique of "remuage".
The anchor, the Christian symbol for hope and rigor, was chosen in 1798 by Philippe Clicquot as the cork brand, the only distinguishing mark in the era before labels.
The entire history of the Veuve Clicquot House is marked by mythical wines, all of which respect the demand quality that was the force that drove Madame Clicquot. True to this heritage, the House is proud of its motto: "Only one quality, the finest."

https://feelforsurreal.wordpress.com/a-feel-for-surreal-interview-with-dreamy-artista-erica-seckinger/

Happy Martin Luther King's Day!

African American Portraits IV - Why I paint



On this special day, I'd love share my story how I started painting African American portraits, because some viewers are always curious about what inspires me to paint them. I was told by many that the colors I painted were warm and soft, and the facial expressions were so well captured. I was asked why I kept painting them instead of others, or if I had a secrete reason to do so... A lot of very interesting questions...

First I don't think that each visual artist has to have a hidden reason for painting. I haven't been professionally trained in a real art school. Painting Asian faces is challenging to me. I don't live in a neighborhood full of African Americans, but I enjoy their music and culture. Their face expression can tell a story to a visual artist from China like me.

One of my favorite novels is "Gone with the Wind". I read it many times in Chinese, and watched the movie countless times. In June 2007, I visited Atlanta, Georgia. Of course the first place I went to visit was Margaret Mitchell's house located in the middle of the town. Watching the part of movie again with a quite heavy mind walking out there, I took some photos by using a small hand carry Casio digital camera. It was a hot and steamy day, following the map to the Atlanta Botanical Garden, it was closed.

Next morning I arrived the park before nine. I walked around alone, still repeating the movie in my mind. It was steamy and quiet. But not on the playground, there were many kids. I took a break and sit down watching them playing. Most of them are black kids, girls and boys about ten years old I guessed. They were full of energy having so much fun. One boy came to a black gentleman on a nearby bench to report something that upset him. He was so kind and patient explained to both boys to be careful and treat each other nice etc.. while I was watching. Then he asked me where I came from. We started a short conversation. He told me that he was the teacher of those kids, it was part of their summer class etc.. After that I suggested to take a photo for memory, they were very happy to participate. Also he showed me the way to the botanical garden. What a different impression that he was not a parent but instead a teacher, I though

I found myself staring at people's faces on the underground in New York City, especially African American's. Don't take a wrong way, the color tones, the structures and the expressions are very interesting to me, I studied in my mind each time I had a chance to see them. So I decided to paint these portraits. So far I only paint portraits from the photos I took.

Living in California over fifteen years now, I have no idea if it is the history of America, the stories from the novels, the art and culture, especially the dance the music that inspire me, or just because I live in an environment with very few chance to meet African Americans.

One thing I was sure that I wanted to give my portrait to the teacher. My friend suggested to write to Oprah Winfrey. I did and included the photo of portrait I painted, but she is a very busy person we all know...

This series of African American portraits I painted is based on the portraits I captured at the Fillmore Jazz Festivals in San francisco, CA 2015. Please me let the people know if you recognize a familiar face, it might be you, your friend or family member. Hope you will like my portrait art.

Here is the link of the teacher I painted 'A Teacher From Atlanta Ga' - http://fineartamerica.com/featured/a-teacher-from-atlanta-ga-xueling-zou.html

Since we are in keeping with the day, here are two of mine.
Out on the town in Manhattan in 2008. A very nice lady asked if I would shoot a picture of her and her grand daughters. I said yes, if I could take my own picture as well. My wife encouraged me to make this into a painting.

We had just moved to San Diego in 2000 and a man who worked for my wife came to our new home along with his family. His little girl was so precious I just had to paint her. I loved the bottom of her sneakers and felt that would make the painting. As soon as they saw the finished work, they purchased it.

The Messenger of the LORD appeared to him there as flames of fire coming out of a bush. Moses looked, and although the bush was on fire, it was not burning up

Thank you Kevin and Drew for sharing your awesome work, they look wonderful :)!

Thank you Xueling for opening the door for creative writing that goes so well together with visual art.
I write stories on my blog for the painting that I create almost all the time. Unless, it is a decorative piece of art, my landscapes, portraits, flowers still life paintings all have a story behind.
But here I wanted to share the painting that I created as the commission artwork for one of my Art Collectors poem.
She had hardest time to overcome her mom's passing. The poem helped her to do so. When the painting was completed, she looked at it and said with the tear in her eye: "Irina, if in your entire life you would have painted only one painting, this one, you would fulfill your artful purpose!"

Here is the painting:


The poem speaks for itself:

Standing By The Sea

One day as I stood by the sea,
a sailing ship did sail towards me.
What beauty I thought,
what splendor, what grace,
when all at once my heart did race,
for as it neared, at a leisurely pace,
I saw a figure with my mother's face.
I called to her with all my might,
she turned and smiled, then sailed out of sight.
For one eternal moment I stood and stared,
before falling to my knees in motherless despair.

At just that moment I heard a sound,
through teary eyes, I looked around,
to see an Angel, hovering over the ground.
The Angel spoke in hallowed voice,
"Rejoice, dear child, for on this day
a trip to Glory is underway,
and when she reaches the arriving shore,
she'll greet loved ones gone on before.
So lament no more," the Angel scried,
"For God's Kingdom awaits her on the other side."

© Copyright 1997 Carolyne Swayze

WOW!

I just saw my Photograph on the Superbowl JEEP commercial!

It was right after the halftime show!

My image was one of 65 different ones shown in the black and white commercial. It was the snow-covered jeep.
The jeep commercial had a series of images with voice-over.

I licensed my image to an ad company who's client "Jeep" loved my jeep image. In fact, they liked it so much they also want to use it as a stand-alone image outside of the TV ad.

The agency didn't even tell me it would be a Super Bowl commercial. That's kind of a BIG DEAL! lol



Cheers,
Brian

Xueling - Here's a little story related to the Super Bowl ad I was fortunate to have been a part of. I'm sharing it now because of a newsletter I just received...

* * * * *
It was nice of my financial company, "Prostatis Financial Advisors Group", to mention my image being in the Super Bowl ad with today's release of, "The Savvy Investor Weekly Newsletter - Issue 305". They included it as a sideline they call, "On A Lighter Note" (bottom left of the news letter). They included a video link to the ad on YouTube...

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/The-Savvy-Investor-Weekly-Newsletter.html?soid=1102579613239&aid=twfGmApTAik#fblike

A few days before the Super Bowl I had a tax appointment with my financial planner and owner of the company, Mike Canet. I brought a color picture of the Jeep to show him and mentioned it was going to be in a commercial ad. At the time I had not been told it would premier as a Super Bowl ad. I thought they would need more time to finish producing the commercial. Mike said to me, "Wouldn't it be cool if it was part of the Super Bowl ads?", to which I replied, "Yeah, but I doubt they would even have time to finalize it by then". He said, "You're probably right".

When I viewed the add after the half-time show, I hopped on the computer to send out some notices about it and before I could contact him, he sent me a text from his iPhone...

DUDE!!!!!

your jeep photo was in a Super Bowl ad!!!!!!

I guess we were both surprised!

Anyway, thanks Mike and his staff, for sharing my good fortune with his other clients. :)

Irina, Lovely painting, and a very nice poem! Thank you for sharing them here :)!

Brian, just love your image, and your awesome story. I am so happy for you :D!

- Xueling Zou
https://about.me/xuelingzou

nspired by Henri Matisse's work! Original work is 44in x 14in x 0.75in EACH panel. Can be customer designed in different colors, $1000 for 4 panels, thanks!

I am one of the millions who love Henri Matisse's art. I admire not only his modernist color, his abstract perspective, but also his free spirit expressed in art. Fascinated by his inspiration in paper cut-outs based on colored stencils - images are characterized by brilliant colors, swirling lines and arabesques forms in series of jewel-like shapes. His themes range form the circus to female forms amongst the sea... what a genius!

"In art, the genuine creator is not just a gifted being, but a person who has succeeded in arranging for their appointed end, a complex of activities, of which the work is the outcome." - Henri Matisse

So a crazy idea formed firmly in my head last year, I would love to use some of shapes those Matisse created to design a new series.

It took me about 3 months from study to finish the work before last Christmas. I redefined the colors which are fit into a modern home in our 21st century. I painted and named 4 wood panels as "Celebrate Life - Prosperity, Love, Health, Happiness".

- Xueling Zou
https://about.me/xuelingzou

It looks beautiful Xueling!

Thank you Brian! Have a lovely weekend :D!

Xueling Zou