Packed Away for the Holidays

Hi sweet friends,

I've been busy painting and wanted to show you a few new ones before I pack up my paints and palette for the holidays. I'm taking commissions for January, but for the next month cooking, shopping and decorating have taken over my life! Yours too, I safely assume.

It is still the season for pears and I've completed a wedding gift and a commission...




A Perfect Pair
8x10
Colossians 1: 10







Abundant Blessing
6x12, wrapped canvas

thanks M.A.F.!

I absolutely love this verse... Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your life. Luke 6: 38

And one more little lamb for a precious new baby...


Dear to the Shepherd
8x10 on board
I am the Good Shepherd. John 10:11




Two Christmas gifts...

I took a class from the master, Leslie Lockhart, and tried my hand with her angels. This is for an angel in my life, but shhhhh, don't tell...

Angels
16x20
Jeremiah 6:16



and this is for my son - no worries, he'd never look at this site...
Strength in Solitude
8x10
and I guess my all-time life verse, Exodus 24:30... Little by little, I will drive them out before you until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.

And finally, when I pick back up my paints in January, this is what I'll be doing... a series on angels. I've been inspired by Leslie Lockhart's angels, Gina Hurry's angels, and cemetary angels.



This is my favorite - isn't she beautiful! She is just laying her heart out to God. I can't wait to paint her! Can you imagine the wonderful Bible verses I'm going to discover for this new series.

Hope you all have safe, blessed and abundant holidays. I pray your hearts overflow with love for Christ.

A Season of Pears and Pairs

I've been buying pears, cooking with pears, eating pears, thinking pears - and painting pears! All because we used pears as the theme for my son's recent rehearsal dinner...

Do you know those wonderful small pears called seckel pears? I have no idea how they taste, but they are incredible to decorate with and to paint!
Here are our table arrangements and my favorite, the head table arrangement with the quail, lanterns and pears. I wish I could take credit but the inspiration came from two friends, Lee & Elaine. After I had seen pear preserves as a wedding favor in a magazine, they took the idea and ran with it.

And yes, I copied the idea and used pear preserves as placecards at the dinner. Aren't they adorable!

Many thanks to Tricia, the best cook in Mississippi!

A long way of getting around to saying that I've been painting pears for two weeks! These are not for sale but I thought you might like to see seckel pears on canvas.

Pears and Pairs

5x5 wrapped canvas
Colossians 1: 6

A Season for Seckels

12x6

my new favorite verse -

I Thessalonians 2: 8

A Perfect Pair

8x10

Colossians 1:10

Just looked at my calendar and I'm amazed I have two days to paint this week! I'll keep you posted as to what my next 'season' will be...

Welcome to Blessings in Brushstrokes

Hello friends!

Welcome to Blessings in Brushstrokes - my new blog for art chit chat and painting news!

I have the awesome privilege of announcing that I now have a few (4 to be exact) of my paintings for sale at a shop! My dear friend, Judy, has given me wall space in her shop, Design Guild. Thank you, Judy!

Design Guild is on the southwest corner of Pratt and Washington and is open 10-4, Monday - Thursday. Feel free to stop in and take a look.

Why the name Blessings in Brushstrokes?

Because with each painting I select just the right Bible verse, one that speaks to me, and I find a way to hide it in the painting. For instance, the painting of lemons and the blue bowl is titled, Waiting for Lemonade. If you were able look closely at the top left lemon in the bowl, you would barely see Matt 7:20. That's the verse. Then, on the back of the painting I write the entire verse - Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. That's how it works - my little way of attaching a blessing to each painting!

Take a look at the four for sale...

Waiting for Lemonade

12x6, unframed, Matt 7:20

$135

SOLD!

What Will He Make?

8x10, framed, Ps 27:14




$145

Morning Hope

8x10, framed, Ps 33:22




$145

and for babies... since I'm in the wonderful season of babies...

Baby Bunny

9x6, wrapped canvas,

Luke 18: 15-16

$95

if you look closely you can see the verse written with a palette knife in the paint under the bunny...

I can't resist showing you two others for babies...

this one,

Bunny Scraps,

hangs in Weston Trefry's nursery

and this one,

Jesus' Little Lambie,
is for Baby Sarah Grace Rowe.

I wish you could see this most delicate color of pink...

Which reminds me of two things...

One, I apologize for my photos. I've definitely got to improve in that area and Molly says she will help me.

Two, I'll be happy to accept commissions. Just email me at swm0804@bellsouth.net

I'll be back in a few to show you what I'm doing with pears...