Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Whimsical Santa {Art Journal}

Whimsical Santa in altered book

Just a little freehand sketch done in my altered book (an old copy of A Christmas Carol). I had not used acrylics in a while, so this one was almost like using a new medium. I’m afraid I’m becoming hopelessly attached to watercolor. The idea for this little character came from a piece of our Christmas wrapping paper.

The right-hand page has an interesting history of the character of Santa.

#AlteredBook #WhimsicalSanta #acrylic #sketch #SantaClaus

Monday, December 21, 2015

Winter Solstice

Day Before Winter Solstice

So, tomorrow is the Winter Solstice. This is Missouri. It should be cold and maybe even snowy. But, no, it’s 60-ish. Taking a break from the Christmas cooking, to sit on the deck with coffee. It’s just strange, honestly.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Little Christmas Bears {Art in Altered Book}

Teddy Bear Christmas

Just doing some sketching and painting in my old copy of A Christmas Carol that I have altered to use for Christmas art.

This idea came from one of my Christmas mugs. Not the greatest “art work,” I admit, but it makes me smile.

#AlteredBook #sketch #watercolor #ChristmasArt

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Christmas With Siblings


We enjoyed a special time in our home, celebrating our annual Sibling Christmas.

Russell and me, Janene (sister) and her husband David (who is my husband's brother), Keith (brother) and his wife Michele



Always lots of time spent in the kitchen! Duh!


Stockings from Christmases at our grandparents (60+ years)

Just wanting to do something special for my brother this year, I commissioned a friend, Jenny Frith, to paint a pet portrait of Keith’s special Belle, who has been gone for a few years now. Jenny’s work is incredible, and I highly recommend her.

My siblings and our spouses always enjoy our special times together. Daddy has been gone since 1988, and Mother passed in 2013. Since it’s “just us,” it is even more important to us to get together, laugh, cry, eat, drink coffee, play family games, and remember. We are always remembering. The memories are good.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Shepherds Keeping Watch {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art Shepherds Keeping Watch

I have always loved the Christmas Story. When I was in third grade, I was chosen to recite the story from memory (yes, in public school…those were the days), from the KJV.

So, I particularly love hearing it and reading it from the King James Version, the version of my journaling Bible.

In 1978, I was privileged to visit The Holy Land, where we were taken to a hillside that would likely have been similar to the location of the shepherds on that wondrous night. After that, I loved the passage about those simple shepherds even more.

Sketched in my journaling Bible and watercolored with Inktense Blocks (permanent when dry).

Bible Art Shepherds Keeping Watch

#ChristmasArt #ScriptureArt #FaithArt #BibleArtJournaling #IllustratedFaith #Inktense

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Promise of Rest {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art Heb 4-9 Relax

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” – Hebrews 4:9-10

This is one of many passages that speak to one of my favorite topics: REST.

#myownsketch #BibleArtJournaling #ScriptureArt #FaithArt #IllustratedFaith #watercolor #rest #relax

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Be Kind {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art Eph 4-32 Be Kind

This verse has an admonition for Christ-followers. Honestly, for me, I think I do okay with “be kind” most of the time. But the rest of the verse says to be tenderhearted and forgiving. That is more difficult for me, by nature. Be that as it may, all those directives are together, right there in Ephesians 4:32.

I sketched the flower by hand and then watercolored with InkTense Blocks and a water brush (dries permanent and is transparent).

#ScriptureArt #FaithArt #IllustratedFaith #BibleArtJournaling #Inktense #BeKind

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Christmas Bible Art

Bible Art Luke 2-16 Manger

Because I embrace the full and true meaning of Thanksgiving and of Christmas, there is no conflict between the two holidays, in my heart. The Thanksgiving season provides a specific time to focus on all I have to be thankful for, and at the top of that list is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who was sent to earth as fully God, fully man, to become the sacrifice to pay the price for sin (mine). So, just because I’m already in the Christmas “spirit” and doing Christmas art, on tags and in my Bible, does not mean I am overlooking Thanksgiving. In fact, the two holidays are inseparable for me.

For this Bible art, I used a Penny Black stamp, inked with Ranger Archival ink. I then used a water brush and Inktense Watercolor Pencils to paint it.

Bible Art Luke 2-16 Manger

#FaithArt #ScriptureArt #ChristmasArt #BibleArtJournaling #Inktense #TheChristmasStory #IllustratedFaith #IlluminatedFaith

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

He is My Light {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art Psalm 27-1

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? – Psalm 27:1 (KJV)

I love the sea, and I have always loved the imagery of a lighthouse. I love how they look, and I love what they symbolize.

#BibleArtJournaling #FaithArt #ScriptureArt #lighthouse #light #IllustratedFaith #MyOwnSketches #Watercolor

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Sight Unseen {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art - 2 Cor 5-7

Yes, we do. We walk by faith, not by sight. We walk, sight unseen, into the future. And yet we do so without fear, because we know God’s got this. His plan is the best plan. He knows the way. He holds the future. His part is to take care of me. My part is to trust Him to do so. What’s not to like about that?!

(Technique: Art Basics Clear Gesso to prep the page. Scripture words stamp from Hobby Lobby. Image sketched by hand. Watercolor with NeoColor II crayons, pen work with Flair Fine Point and Uniball Signo gel pen white.)

#BibleArtJournaling #ScriptureArt #FaithArt #IllustratedFaith #BibleMarginalia

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

New Mercies Each Morning {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art Lam 3-23

“This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:21-23 (NASB)

#BibleArtJournaling #IllustratedFaith #FaithArt #ScriptureArt #InktenseWatercolorBlocks

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Fall Sibling Sleepover {Family}

“Back in the day,” we would have called it a Bunking Party or Pajama Party, but once our grandkids started saying “sleepover” instead of the “old” terms, I started using the “younger” term. Whatever the name, it’s at least one overnight where my siblings/spouses get together for fun (lots of laughter), food, and enjoying each other’s company. We do this at least a couple of times a year. We live a few hours apart from each other, and we all have busy calendars, so advance planning is required. It’s always super fun.

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We happily hosted the event at our home. Everyone arrived, bringing food contributions, late afternoon Sunday (most are involved in ministry on Sunday mornings). We started with a light snack of cream cheese covered with salted caramel sauce and pecans, with apple wedges as dippers.

IMG_7772

After a Soup Supper (Creamy Potato Soup and Italian Sausage Soup with my homemade Sourdough Bread), we played Wilson Family Bingo, designed and prepared by my sister Janene (at the close end of the table). Her husband David, on the left, is my husband Russell’s brother. We have been married 50 years now, and they have been married 47 years. At the far head of the table is my brother Keith, and to his left, his wife Michele. Beneath the table are their Goldens, Maggie and Annie. The Bingo game was designed to evoke many childhood/growing-up memories, based on words and phrases we all submitted during the last few weeks. It was a huge success (and a lot of work for Janene).

After the Bingo game, we enjoyed dessert (our Mother’s pound cake recipe, with fresh strawberries and whipped cream). We may have stayed up late.

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The next morning, my brother arose early, as is his pattern, and took some gorgeous pictures off our back deck, including the above photo that he captioned with a wonderful Bible promise.

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With all hands on deck for the preparation, we enjoyed a big breakfast of bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, biscuits, gravy, hashbrowns, and fresh fruit and orange juice. Well, and coffee. There is always coffee. Lots of coffee.

IMG_7779

More visiting, and then a late afternoon Deli Sandwich Bar before everyone departed to their respective homes.

What a blessing to have such wonderful, sweet siblings/spouses. We are very thankful to God for our relationships.

#family #siblings #foodcreations #brothers #sisters #siblingsleepover

Friday, October 16, 2015

To everything a season {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art Ecc 3-1

This is one of my favorite verses, and it applies to so many things. Right now, I’m in the “I love fall” mode, and while I know several more abstract meanings for the term “seasons” (and I love the verse for those meanings, too), what comes to my mind today is the beauty of the different seasons created by God. I am especially fond of autumn, and especially in God’s country (that would be Missouri)! Just kidding (sort of)…

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(Taken in my back “yard” (i.e., woods) just now.)

10-16-2015 From my kitchen

From my kitchen

 

#IllustratedFaith #ScriptureArt #BibleArtJournaling #FaithArt #ILoveFall #ToEverythingThereIsASeason

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Patience Brewster Interview

I am honored to have been invited by the Marketing Director at Patience Brewster to participate in an interview about my story and my life as an artist, in honor of the recent Artist Appreciation Month.

Patience Brewster is an artist and designer of handmade and handcrafted unique gifts and ornaments. Please see Patience Brewster’s Blog to learn more about her work, and I especially encourage you to visit Patience Brewster’s Christmas Ornaments Page for some wonderful holiday inspiration.

Following is my response to the interview questions.

1 – As a child, do you recall a significant moment when you felt truly affected or inspired by any particular artwork or artist?

Truthfully, the closest thing to “art” that was part of my history was loving to see my grandmother’s needle handiwork (crocheting, knitting and quilting) and my mother’s skill as a seamstress. Other than that, the only response I ever had to anyone’s “art” work was to wish I could be artistic.

friendship quilt w wm

I have several of my grandmother’s quilts. This is a Friendship Quilt that she hand stitched.

I accepted the “fact” for almost 60 years that I was not creative. Art was something for people who were creative, and that was definitely not me. I was the school teacher who always asked the students to decorate the bulletin boards, because anything they could come up with would be better than my poor attempts. (I used to say that, while I did not know what heaven would be like for sure, I did know that it would not include playground duty or bulletin boards.)

An avid family memory keeper, in 2004, I began scrapbooking, my priority hobby to this day.

IMG_1008providence sb page w border.jpg

I was amazed when people began to comment on my pages as being “creative.” Me? Then, my interest in scrapbooking grew into an avid and prolific hobby of mixed media, starting with tag-making with Tim Holtz. The tag-making began with Christmas tags, as I am crazy about Christmas arts and crafts (one reason I am drawn to Patience Brewster’s ornaments).

autumn leaves w bordercloseup of shattered stain butterflies w border.jpgBetter Watch Out tag wmmerry little christmas tag wm

gingerbread house tag 8gingerbread house tag back wmtwin tags 2 wm

From there, I moved into Art Journaling and began to sketch and paint just a bit.

IMG_5419 art journal robenmarie style

Stencils and Ice Cream

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Black Tulip

Maple Leaf art journal

pear a

Sweater Trees[4]

My Favorite Girl

I then began to add more work that I call Faith Art.

pump and pumpkins wm

Challenge 3 Name of Jesus Art Journal

I recently added Bible Art Journaling, where I use mixed media on my Bible pages (including stamps, inks, and paints, along with my own sketches).

Bible Art Journaling birds do not worry

Bible Art Journaling John 3-16

Bible Art Gal 6-14 Glory Only in the Cross

Today I still scrapbook, art journal and Bible art journal. I also dabble in sketching and painting, mainly as a part of the mixed media journey. It still shocks me to hear someone refer to me as an “artist,” but at least I have begun to think of myself as being “creative.”

2 – As an artist, what do you hope to convey with your work?

Because my life centers around being a Christ-follower, I always hope that my “art” (see, I still have to put it in quotes) conveys the message of the Gospel: God loved us and sent His Son so that we might have salvation from the penalty of sin. So, most of my work these days is either Bible Art (doing art in my Bible) or art journals filled with Faith Art. For me, when I create (yes, me!), I always default to what is on my heart that day. It almost always has a spiritual theme.

3 – What memorable responses have you had to your work?

Well, since my children grew up thinking of their mother the same way she thought of herself (certainly not associated with the tag “artist”), their responses are sometimes, “Who are you, and what have you done with our mother?”

But I have had some wonderfully heartwarming responses to my art, on my blog and on Facebook and Instagram. Sometimes I am told that a particular art project blog post has made a huge difference in someone’s life. That is very affirming. The comment, “I want to be you when I grow up” certainly brought a smile and was meaningful! A few years ago, using some of my scrapbooking techniques, I created a bulletin board for our church Vacation Bible School. Recently, I was contacted by a large (and well-known) resort in Colorado to inquire if I would be willing to create a similar bulletin board for their resort (they had seen it on the internet). That was pretty humbling! Odd, isn’t it, that the “thing” I didn’t think I could do while I was a teacher (bulletin boards) was now, in retirement, a part of a newly-discovered “skill” that is even recognized on a near-professional level. Amazing.

4 – What is your dream project?

I do not have a particular project that I dream of doing, but I do desire to become more skilled at “real art,” getting better at sketching and painting. That would involve some  professional training, as I have had none to this point. I think I would enjoy that (as opposed to dreading “Art Day” when I was in elementary school)!

5 – What artists, of any medium, do you admire? (Famous or not!)

I admire most of the art that I see in my mixed media groups, but especially that done by folks who are so good at sketching and painting.

Thank you to the folks at Patience Brewster for inviting my participation.

#PatienceBrewster #mixedmediaart #BibleArtJournaling #FaithArt #IllustratedFaith

Monday, September 28, 2015

Trusting in Him-Psalm 91 {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art Journaling Ps 91-2 Trust in Him

Before my husband was deployed to Viet Nam, our pastor at the time, Charlie Chilton, in Triangle, Virginia, preached a message, the title of which I will never forget: “Psalm 91: For Men Going to War.”

After my husband had been there for a while, I sent him a reminder of this passage. It has always had special meaning for us, because God truly did protect my husband during a time when literal arrows (insert “mortars”) were flying by day (and/or by night).

This promise was very real: For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”

When my husband returned, he shared some stories that made me realize how important it was for him to feel protected by God, and how thankful I was for that protection. I wrote some of his memories in my Life Story. Here is an excerpt from his recounting of some of the time during the Thet Offensive:

"We stayed in the ditches each night for the next two to three weeks. During that time, rockets and mortars were coming in. We hit the dirt and got as low as we could. You couldn't realize how flat to the ground you could get until you heard the mortars. You would try to hide behind a gravel or a piece of dirt or anything. You could get your body pretty low to the ground. You could hear the mortar thud and the 122mm rocket whistle as it propelled through the air, but you didn't know whether it was going to land on you, or behind you, or in front of you, until you heard the explosion. At no time, though, do I remember really thinking that I was going to die. I just did what I had been trained to do.”

Russ at supply whse 1-13 DaNang

Psalm 91 (KJV)

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

Thank You, Lord.