Psalm of Ascent, Psalm 121

My strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

Psalm 121

The Message (MSG)

A Pilgrim Song

^1-2 I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from God,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

^3-4 He won't let you stumble,
your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
Not on your life! Israel's
Guardian will never doze or sleep.

^5-6 God's your Guardian,
right at your side to protect you—
Shielding you from sunstroke,
sheltering you from moonstroke.

^7-8 God guards you from every evil,
he guards your very life.
He guards you when you leave and when you return,
he guards you now, he guards you always.

Psalm of Ascent, Psalm 122

In the Old Testament Psalms 120- 134 are called the "Psalms of Ascent,". These psalms were sung when the Israelites came to Jerusalem three times a year and ascended to the top of Mount Zion. These psalms are symbolic of the spiritual journey of Christians through their lives as people on a journey and the struggles in a life of faith. This piece was also inspired by this video.

Psalm 122 A Psalm of Ascent (God's Word Translation)

1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let's go to the house of the LORD." 2 Our feet are standing inside your gates, Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is built to be a city where the people are united. 4 All of the LORD's tribes go to that city because it is a law in Israel to give thanks to the name of the LORD. 5 The court of justice sits there. It consists of [princes who are] David's descendants. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you prosper. 7 May there be peace inside your walls and prosperity in your palaces." 8 For the sake of my relatives and friends, let me say, "May it go well for you!" 9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek what is good for you.

Psalm of Ascent, Psalm 129 and 130

Psalm 129 (A song for the ascent to Jerusalem.)
From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me -- let Israel now say -- 2 from my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me, but they have never been able to finish me off. 3 My back is covered with cuts, as if a farmer had plowed long furrows. 4 But the LORD is good; he has cut the cords used by the ungodly to bind me. 5 May all who hate Jerusalem be turned back in shameful defeat. 6 May they be as useless as grass on a rooftop, turning yellow when only half grown, 7 ignored by the harvester, despised by the binder. 8 And may those who pass by refuse to give them this blessing: "The LORD's blessings be upon you; we bless you in the LORD's name."

Psalm 130 (A song for the ascent to Jerusalem.)
¹ Lord, I cry out to you
because I'm suffering so deeply.
² Lord, listen to me.
Pay attention to my cry for your favor.
³ Lord, suppose you kept a record of sins.
Lord, who then wouldn't be found guilty?
⁴ But you forgive.
So people have respect for you.
⁵ With all my heart I wait for the Lord to help me.
I put my hope in his word.
⁶ I wait for the Lord to help me.
I wait with more longing than those on guard duty wait for the morning.
I'll say it again.
I wait with more longing than those on guard duty wait for the morning.
⁷ Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
because the Lord's love never fails.
He sets his people completely free.
⁸ He himself will set Israel
free from all of their sins.

My new favorite video!

The Steel Wheels are my new favorite music group and this is my favorite song of theirs.

There Ain't Nothin You Have Got that You Can't Lose

RURAL ROUTE 2 + 3

Both 18" x 36"

ALLEGAN FIELDS 2 + 3

New in the aerial series. The top one is #2 and it's 30" x 40", #3 is 28"x 36"

Holland Regional show

I just found out that these two pieces will be in the Holland Area Arts Council Regional show in September!

Sketches for a modern Hodegetria (Madonna and child)

This began with a random little sketch that I watercolored. Something about it charmed me, but the proportions of the figures were off. I've been resketching the figures and measuring and looking at pictures on line of mothers with children and Madonnas with the Christ Child (not THAT Madonna- though she and her children show up in the Google search). This will become a icon like painting. I already have a fabulous frame for it.

update

I just sent this out to people who have signed up on my website for email updates:

Hello and happy summer! I was reminded recently that I haven't sent out an update recently, so here it goes!

I just hung a show of my 16 pieces of my music related mixed media work at Hope Reformed Church on the corner of Burton and Kalamazoo. This show will be up until September and members of the public are welcome to go see the show during business hours (You may want to call first since the work is in a much used multipurpose room. (Of course, all the work is for sale!)

Two of my tissue collages were accepted into the 2011 Festival and will be part of the show at the Grand Rapids Art Museum until June 12.

I have two acrylic paintings in the Going Green show at the Lowell Area Arts Council from now until July 13.

I continue to work most Thursdays from 11-4 at Fire and Water ART! at 219 West Main in Lowell. I recently rehung my wall and included new acrylic landscapes. I'll attach a photo. Come visit!

I also have work at the Salt of the Earth Restaurant in Fennville, Mi. If you've never been there, you're missing out on a great dining experience! While you're there check out the painting on the red wall "Waiting for the Sun" and collages in each of the banos (restrooms).

VARIATIONS IN GREEN

VARIATIONS IN GREEN was created by combining plants I'd photographed at the Denver Botanical Gardens into a composition across three canvases. It was painted completely in variations of the color green. Alizarin crimson and Pthalo Green create an incredibly deep black green. Black and Yellow make the color in the backgrounds of canvas 1 +3. Shades and tints of green, adding purple to the green, using mixes of various blues with varieties of yellows produced many greens. Adding red to the greens made them brown. It was a fun experiment and the results will be in a show called Going Green at the Lowell Area Arts Council.

ALLEGAN FIELDS

This is the first in a series of compositions based on aerial photos taken with my nephew in a small plane last fall.

My wall at Fire and Water ART!

I just updated my wall at F+W ART! (219 West Main in Lowell, MI)

pieces in Festival 2011

I'm excited to have FULCRUM IN RED and SHORE STATIONS accepted into the 2011 Festival GR! These will be in the GR Art Museum May 27 through June 12, 2011.

SMOKY MTN POPPIES

SUNFLOWERS NEAR RUSSELL ROAD

P4X239

SMILE

SHORE STATIONS

SUNFLOWER FIELD NEAR MONTAGUE

This is what I've been painting when my foot would allow me to stand and paint. The painting is 48"x12' so it's hard to photograph the whole thing and get it on a post. Click on it to see the whole thing!

THE RIFT in the 2011 ISEA show

This piece was selected to be in the 2011 show of the International Society of Experimental Artists in June in Washington state. I'm very excited and now thinking of where I can get a sturdy cardboard box to fit it.