A Celebration of Flowers
A Celebration of Flowers, 2020
Oil paint on canvas 12" x 16"
Every spring, the wild flowers put on a spectacular show here. Blooms of every shape and color seem to appear over-night to adorn the grassy fields. This beautiful event typically comes to a close as soon as the summer temperatures begin to spike. This year the most amazing thing has happened… the wild flowers stayed! Here we are, in mid August, and several resilient clusters are continuing to grace us with their colorful presence. I decided the best way to celebrate this unexpected gift was with an oil painting! Once again, I hauled my easel outside and got to work.
I love listening to music when I create art. For me, selecting the right play-list is almost as important as choosing the right medium. I always try to pair tracks that are complimentary in tempo and feeling to the piece I am working on. This helps me to stay “in the zone” when creating. Since this week’s piece was a painted celebration, it seemed only natural that my music should be a celebration as well. Miqedem was the perfect match. I discovered this band last year when they were featured on One For Israel’s YouTube channel. This group of Messianic Israeli musicians blends traditional and modern instruments to produce a lively rich sound with a distinctive Eastern flare. This is totally appropriate, since the name “Miqedem” can be translated from Hebrew as either “from the East” or “from ancient times.” Even better than their exciting sound are their lyrics. Many of Miqedem’s pieces are actually modern adaptations of the Psalms. For anyone who is new to the Bible, the book of Psalms is a collection of lyrics found in the Old Testament. Think of it as the “original” worship music. As I read through my Bible, it’s easy for me to forget that these passages are in fact lyrics and as such they were meant to be paired with music. Which is kind of funny since a number of the chapters in Psalms even begin with: “for the Director of music” and go on to specify the instruments to be used. It wasn’t until I heard Miqedem’s version of Psalm 150 that I realized, “hey, this Psalm really rocks!” Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would find myself cranking up the volume and rocking out to the Old Testament… but here we are. I think it’s pretty obvious that this band is being fueled by the Holy Spirit. Only God’s resurrection power could breathe new life into songs over 3000 years old!
There was something so special about working in the sunshine, surrounded by the very flowers that inspired me, listening to the sounds of the Psalms. So, this week along with sharing my art process with you, I thought I would also share the music that went with it. Two tracks that I had on repeat this week were Psalm 114 and Psalm 23.
Psalm 114 is so wonderfully joyful and down right catchy! I dare you to listen to this song and try not to dance (and/or use your paint brushes as drum sticks… not that I have done that or anything).
I hope you enjoy the celebration my friends! Feel free to dance, no one is looking! ;)
As usual, my little assistants did their best to help but it is hard work being a paint brush.
Laughed out loud at that last photo and comment! Wondering if you used a blue pencil to sketch the flowers on the canvas. I really like the 'feel' of sunshine on the grasses; the purples of the spiky flowers; and that tall daisy on the right - the close up makes it appear so simple to paint. Thanks for the intro to Miqedem!
ReplyDeleteThose kitties are just cute without even trying lol. In answer to your question, the blue lines were made with a stiff bristle brush and just a smidge of Ultramarine Blue paint. I like to start with a quick painted gesture to plan where my subject is going to live on the canvas, just like I do when I'm starting a drawing.
DeleteThanks for stopping by and for the lovely critique!