Jesus, Cousin of John
This coming Sunday, the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. It is moving to picture Jesus in line with the crowds coming down to the Jordon River to be Baptized by John. The most surprised by this was John who knew that his cousin ought to have been baptizing him. And yet, for the years of their youth, John saw Jesus only as a revered family member, so ordinary in his human condition. As much as John must have loved Jesus, he said about their past together: “…and I myself did not know him…” Such was the complete entrance into our daily living that God made in Jesus.
Tapestry IV: Camellias
Imaginative and free-floating camellias play across a wide and horizontal format. There are all kinds and colors of this little flower; these just happen to be white with a pinkish cast. This is another of four in a series called Tapestry” because of the woven patches of color throughout the painting. You could find the two other similar ones in previous posts. There is still one more (Tapestry III) to appear in the future.
Peaches and Cream Tulips
After I named this small painting, I searched the internet to see if there was such a title for tulips in the flower world. To my surprise, tulips were so dubbed long before I ever arrived at the scene. They are a buttery cream color with a hint of a peachy blush. Mine are quite exaggerated in color tones compared with the real. For the sake of a painted statement, it is often OK to push the color envelope to some degree.
Poetry Girl (Last Stage)
Since yesterday’s post, you can see how much more detail has gone into the young woman seated under a grape arbor. And yet, to keep it simple and impressionistic, not too much. The dark accents near her white dress pull her out of the shadows. She can rest here and read now for many years to come.
Poetry Girl (First Stage)
Today, people only dress up in olden times clothing for photos, as did the young woman emerging here in paint. I found her in an historic village in Connecticut, and what was most interesting was that she never dropped character. I was the strange one from another time asking strange questions. In the first stage of the painting, I concentrated on accents of dark that will add visual punch in the end. The scene is only roughly mapped out.
