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Back on the creative trail

2010-08-28T14:02:00.000-07:00

'Head space' in colour and chrome

Connected - creation and DNA

Celly - section revealed

Materialisms barbs

Metal and mosaic

Autumn

2009-10-31T06:34:00.000-07:00

Autumn's green and gold confetti swooshes by damp leather,
Breath like smoke hangs from words, then whistfully fades.
Overhead a steel-grey lumpen ceiling hangs low, expectantly.
Collars raised, scarves tied, fingers gloved, people pass hurriedly
Autumn's here and winter's on her heels blowing cold and blind.

Communicating?

2008-11-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

As I speak, you listen, to the words in your head.
My words drift unanchored through your consciousness.
Your eyes reflect my face, but your gaze looks inward.
You nod attentively, hoping I'll be silent soon.
I cease speaking and you begin,
It's good to talk, isn't it?

Mother and child revisited

2008-11-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

Another couple of re-workings on the mother and child theme. Done in pastels on paper and manipulated electronically. I love the range of moods that can be expressed by simply changing the basic colours used.

Mary and Child Memories

2008-11-07T03:53:00.000-08:00

This is entitled Mary and Child Memories.

It's mixed media, mainly pastels on paper which I have then processed electronically.

Work by Mark Loynds - "And Heaven Danced"

2008-11-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

This picture is a piece of work by a friend of mine.

I really like this picture. I love the casual, yet curious way the figure faces the extraordinary outpouring from above.

The Old Men of Winter

2008-11-03T02:06:00.000-08:00

The old men of winter whisper amongst the shadows,
Recalling how each passing season reached out like an eager child.
But now the frosted leaves of evening grip their forgotten dreams,
And the pale shapes of youth fade amongst the moonlight,
While life's silent clock ticks gently on, relentlessly...

Wrestling

2008-11-03T01:25:00.000-08:00

I am wrestling today, twisting resisting words into place.

Manoeuvring nouns verbs and adjectives into submissive shapes.
Too often they threaten to pin me into an uncomfortable silence.
I push and pull the sentence weight, to try to let momentum do it's work.
I stamp my foot and roll my hip, pivoting paraphrases and paragraphs aloft.
But still the hard blank canvas steals my breath, as wrong-footed I crash downward.
Ink runs like unruly blood as my infinitives split asunder.
The passive voice counts me out, as my consciousness leaves quietly,
Stunned I slip limply down the page.
Defeated I quit the fight for today and leave the words to roam as they will.

Flying free

2008-10-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

This image captured my imagination on a number of levels. The obvious one's first; The dove as the symbol of the Holy Spirit, Safety after the flood.

It's flight, that ability to go wherever it whims, and to rise above the day to day things, speaks to me of freedom. I'm also reminded that man has sent messages by birds. The dove is a message, a symbol of peace, but I'm also reminded of the fragility of peace and how it's easily brushed aside by careless people.

Somehow it also speaks to me of strength. it takes a great deal of energy to keep a dove aloft.It's muscles are finely tuned to drive the wings, and provide the lift it requires to soar. Doves don't look anywhere near as graceful on the ground, they look vulnerable and slightly ungainly, they are made to fly. That reminds me that too often our spiritual muscles grown soft and flabby, and instead of soaring we walk. Too often out laziness robs us of our freedom, more effectively than any enemy.

Cared for?

2008-10-24T02:41:00.000-07:00

I felt prompted to do this picture as I looked out of my office window one day. I was struggling with some very stressful situations which contrasted with the peacefulness of the view across the field behind our house. As I reflected on this I had the feeling of Father watching me, and in my mind's eye I could see Him smiling back at me over the field.
I still had the same stressful problems to wrestle with, but I also had some peace and a new perspective on things which helped me to cope.
Next time you are feeling hassled and pulled down by life's events, I'd like to encourage you to take a moment to imagine God watching over you. (In reality He is, the imaginary bit is you seeing Him doing it.) As you do remember that He wont let tests come your way that you can't cope with IF you will ask for His help. Bear in mind that He does not want to make you strong but He wants to be your strength. He's watching and waiting to be asked for help...why not try it?

Moods

2008-10-24T02:19:00.001-07:00

What mood are you in today? No really? Reading through the Psalms you quickly realise that the author of a particular psalm was not shy of expressing his mood, whether that mood was vibrant and upbeat, or full of the blues ,as he squelched through one of life's tougher bogs. Why is it then that that most of us Christians seem so wary of expressing where we are really at?

Don't get me wrong there are some who happily sit atop their personal pity pot like latter day Job's, bemoaning their lot in life regardless of how good life really is. But thankfully such folk are few and far between. I'm talking about "normal" people, who often feel I can't say I'm feeling down, or stressed today - because hey I'm a Christian, so I must have all of the answers all of the time!

The reality is that the Bible is full of times when men and women of faith struggled, and through their struggles learned precious lessons about the nature of God and His Kingdom. Christians are meant to be a people who value truth, so let's be done with pretending all is well, when it is not. (And moaning the blues, when we are blessed.) Let's express the reality of where we are at. Life's joy and struggles, the up's and the downs.

God is no less God because you or I shed some tears of frustration. It's time we were relaxed about writing about (or painting) our lamentations. Think how often you have been comforted by the passages in Psalms that express tough emotions, they remind you that the writer was real. Will the legacy that we leave our spiritual children have the same effect, or will they feel (wrongly) that we were all super-spiritual saints?

Don't be afraid to speak openly about your mood, allow God and His people to see the real you - yes I know that this is a risky business, and that for many of us we'll need to follow expressing our mood with some heartfelt repentance, but isn't that better than living a lie?

The picture I've included today is a patchwork of prayer, it tries to express the consistence of prayer amid the ever changing moods and seasons of life.

Why do we feel so vulnerable?

2008-10-24T01:59:00.000-07:00

Having decided to do a blog to share my various bits and pieces of art work, I suddenly feel very vulnerable. I'm happy to talk to people and blog in via the written word, but the moment I share my art work I feel very vulnerable. I guess it's a measure of the fact that I'm insecure in communicating my thoughts and feelings in a visual way. Oh well I guess we all feel that way, don't we?
This first little example is part of a piece on prayer. I wanted to catch the feeling I often have when praying seriously, it's a time when I feel very small and somewhat childlike, and often I feel a sense of awe as I come before the great "I AM". I think these feelings are good feelings, they put my life into a healthy perspective as I move from being the centre of my little universe, to meet with the one at the heart of the universe!