Mary E. Andersen

My friend Mary is amazing. I've been having her come over and critique some paintings. Her comments are right on! What a blessing to have a compatriot who will help me evaluate my work! See her website on the sidebar of the blog.

New York

This is an excerpt from Tuesday's Writer's Almanac a poem by Edward Field titled New York
"We do God's will whether we know it or not:
where I live the streets end in a river of sunlight."

Beautiful.

I long to go there. I long to go anywhere. All in good time.

Sunflower

This is my favorite stage of painting. This is about 30"x40". The looseness of blocking in an idea and the beginning of laying in color is so exciting. Now I'm knee deep into the greens and golds and fighting my way through. It's all problem solving from here on! You won't see another photo of it until it comes out the other side!

snowflakes

These are snowflakes cut by my daughter, Elizabeth Conover, back in 2001. I think they are exquisite.

paintings in the works

I'm very excited about some new paintings that are underway and a quilt that's midway as well. Some photos of the works in progress will be posted soon- they are in my favorite stage right now, just emerging from the blank canvas.

AH! and during a coffee break I looked out the window to see snowflakes and yellow leaves drifting to the ground at the same time. Beautiful! And my faithful husband is sweeping them with the lawnmower up as fast as they fall. If I was a poet and not a painter, I'd spend the afternoon bending that into a stanza or two.

Thankfulness

I have no profound 'quote of the day' or picture to accompany it. I simply have a thankful heart, today especially. I praise God for all the gifts he's given us in this amazing world, and specifically the gifts he's given me. My life isn't perfect, but I sure appreciate the people and things and nature and physical health I'm enjoying right now.

For a wonderful thankfulness poem, Google Jane Kenyon "Otherwise".

Have you been to the Writer's Almanac? Garrison Keilor reads it every day it 10 AM on one of our stations and I always feel like I'm having a good day when I'm able to listen to it. www.writersalmanac.publicradio.org

First prize

This painting won a first prize (cash award) yesterday in the People's Choice awards at Bishop Hills Retirement Community. Our Rivertown Artist Guild has a show there every fall and the staff and residents vote on their favorites. I won 3rd last year and 2nd the year before that! I saved this particular painting for that show because I knew it was a crowd pleaser. I like it too. Next stop for it is the lobby of St Mary's Health Care in January.

Those folks have pretty good taste! It means a lot to me. This painting didn't make it into the 2007 Festival show in GR so you just never know!

CHRISTMAS ANGEL

Another photo.

INTO THE LIGHT

I've begun to play digitally with more of the 'blurry' photos taken at the Turning Pointe School of Dance recitals in the past. This one is called 'into the light'. It's a pure joy to work on these on Photoshop until just the right color and composition emerge.

ANSWER ONE

This painting will also hang in the new living room at Church of the Servant.
It has the answer to the first question of the Heidelberg Catechism imbedded into the painting in pencil. The question is: "What is your only comfort in life and in death?" The answer begins: "That I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ..."

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

This piece will hang in the living room at Church of the Servant. There are prayers imbedded in the work in pencil. It's 13" x 36".

ANASTASIS- the large version begins

This will be the bottom of the large Resurrection banner I'm working on for Park Church. Quite a change from the one I posted further down this page! I resurrected some fabric paint that's been hanging around and it was still good! Createx paint rocks! I used some of the stencil and atomized paint techniques I've used on paper.

I have other pieces cut and laid out on the basement floor which I'm using as my 'design wall', I'm excited about where this is going! I have a meeting with the minister and committee leader today- I hope they like this new direction. More postings as soon as they reveal themselves!