Thursday, February 23, 2017

God Will Take Care of Me {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art-Luke 12-24-He Will Take Care of Me

When I was young, my mother used to sing a hymn to my siblings and me: “God Will Take Care of You.” There are several places in the Bible where that promise is given. For this Bible Art project, I chose a reference that I especially like, because of the logic of it: If God takes care of the birds (and he does), how much more can I expect that He will take care of me (as, according to this verse, I am much more valuable to God than is a bird).

Technique: I used a Gorjuss stamp (I just love these little girls) and painted it with InkTense Blocks watercolor. I prep most all my Bible pages with Art Basics Clear Gesso, to prevent bleed-through on the back of the page.

Bible Art-Luke 12-24-He Will Take Care of Me

#BibleArt #BibleArtJournaling #InktenseBlocks #GorjussStamps #GodWillTakeCareOfMe #IllustratedFaith #ScriptureArt #FaithArt

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

“Delight” {Mixed Media Art Journal}

Mixed Media delight

The focal thought for this page in my mixed media art journal is Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (ESV)

A cursory study of the commentaries on this verse leaves my head spinning. Those aside, for me, it’s all about the first part. My personal interpretation is that I want to find joy in serving God and being everything He wants me to be. If I make Him THE priority delight in my life, the “desires of my heart” part will follow. The “desires of my heart” may well change, after I delight myself in Him.

Perhaps the Bible scholars would not see it this way, but for me, this verse reminds me of Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these [other] things will be added unto you.” (ESV)

#MixedMediaArtJournal #delight #acrylicpaint

Thursday, February 16, 2017

“Agape” {Mixed Media Art Journal}

02-16-17 Agape Mixed Media

One of my favorite “objects” or “symbols” is a heart. I’m a romantic by nature, and I have always loved everything about hearts. Perhaps it is mainly because it is a symbol of love. No wonder Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays, and my art around this time of year almost always contains heart images.

For many months, I have not been doing mixed media. I have been focusing on Bible art and Sketch and Paint. But it was actually mixed media “art” that drew me into the art world and caused me to be able to see myself as some sort of an “artist.” I collected way too many supplies for mixed media, and I created TONS of pages and journals and boards and canvases. Then I realized that much of my mixed media art would not be something I would want to keep forever, whereas that does tend to be the case with Bible art and Sketch and Paint art. I felt like I should be doing something that “mattered,” something of lasting value. So I pared down the mixed media supplies and stored them away.

Recently I’ve been having difficulty finding my art “mojo.” So, it dawned on me that perhaps I should return to my first “love” of art, and that was mixed media. Who says I can’t do all the different styles that I enjoy? I suppose the point was driven home to me by my husband, who pointed out that if I enjoy the process of mixed media, who cares if the product is not something I would want to save forever. Just do it for the fun of it. Hello.

So, I dusted off the supplies, gathered together some of them on my art table, got out one of the several blank journals I had on hand, and set to work. Oh, yes, now I remember the therapy of spreading gesso on a blank page, and then adding some collage elements (like torn pieces of old book paper, a stitched piece of kraft paper) with decopauge….Then spreading some molding paste through a stencil, followed by lots of acrylic paints. Focal image, a heart of course…a Stabilo pencil with water brush for shading…Lots of stamps for the background, and more paint dabbed through stencils.

Yep, that’s mixed media. Yep, it was fun. Yep, it was therapeutic. What more is needed? Well, hello there, Mojo!

#MixedMedia #ArtJournaling #acrylicpaints #stamping #stencils #agape

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Sun Praises God {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art Ps 148-3 Sun Praises Him

My natural style is almost always clean and simple. This page is very simple, and I like the way it just says that even the sun praises God. Is that not awesome!

This Bible is my single-column ESV journaling Bible. It has a nice brown leather cover, with a flap and a leather strap that ties around it. The font is very small, but I CAN read it!

Psalm 148:3-6 (ESV)

3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
6 And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

#BibleArtJournaling #IllustratedFaith #SunPraisesGod #DistressInkRipePersimmon #DistressInkMustardSeed #DistressInkSqueezedLemonade 
#SunRaysStencil

Monday, February 13, 2017

Joy in His Presence {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art Ps 16-11 JOY

Psalm 16:11 (KJV) - "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

This, my main journaling Bible is KJV, although I usually study from NIV or NASB or ESV. This Bible, with black leather binding, has 11-point font and 2.5 inch margins. That makes it easy for me to read and yet allows plenty of space in the margins for art.

I love all three parts of this verse:

1-He will show me the path of life.
2-In His presence is JOY.
3-At His right hand, there are pleasures always.

Why do I need to be reminded about the JOY that comes from being in His presence. So often I allow the stresses and worries of daily life to block out the joy. Maybe that means I am not putting myself totally in His presence. I’m not allowing His presence to fill me. Hmmm.

#PrismacolorPremiereColoredPencils #BibleArtJournaling #Joy

Thursday, February 9, 2017

An “I AM” Passage {Bible Art Journaling}

Bible Art John 11-25 I AM

Having spent all of January and well into February with left-brain activities (major organizational projects, editing my life story, updating some family tree information, etc.), I somehow lost my creative “art mojo” along the way. So, I applied some self-discipline to illustrate one of my favorite “I AM” passages.

Still not feeling creative enough to sketch, but I DID use some watercolor (using Distress Ink Crayons and a waterbrush) to draw attention to John 11:25:

Bible Art John 11-25 I AM

I believe this passage is one of the reasons the book of John is often suggested as a “place to start” for someone new to reading the Bible. The heart of the Gospel is embodied in these words:

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
John 11:25-26

#BibleArtJournaling #IllustratedFaith #ScriptureArt #FaithArt