Discovering Genesis in Chinoiserie Mixed Media Style - Sneak Peek Friday

 My piece for the character "To Create"

Chinoiserie is a French word meaning "in the Chinese Style" - (more information here)

I find I am really attracted to this style, perhaps because I would love to decorate my Victorian home in authentic style, and this was popular in Victorian Europe...also because the "mix", much like "mixed media" really appeals to my artistic nature {smiling}...

The full piece:

 I really like the quote by Henry Ward Beecher - and as I was working on the quote, this is what the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Creation, was weaving in my mind:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)  By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God...(Hebrews 1:11 ESV)  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been

made. (Romans 1:20)

And we are made in His image...

So sweet, that the quote really reflects that God is evident in His Creation - and we are the crown of the Creation...

 
I made this postcard to help explain the development of the character:

This little postcard to explain the character's significance will accompany each print...

Sharing with Jennifer and other creatives at Studio JRU

Simple Woman's Daybook - June 26, 2012

FOR TODAY

June 26, 2012

A peek into my day...

Processed with Kim Klassen Textures Musiclovin, and Ugglove with several adjustment layers and "the King and Queen font".  The flowers are an image of lilacs that Kim gave us to process and have fun with...I looked up the meaning of lilacs, and these purple kind mean "First Love" - so I am reminded of how important keeping our love for Jesus fresh and dynamic and relevant so His presence influences our daily life...

Daisies in the kitchen, processed with several adjustment layers and Kim Klassen's texture "Let Go"

Outside my window... Still green vistas - so much needed rain lately, the grass needs to be mown...

I am thinking...about love: God's love towards us; our love (or struggle with loving) Him; and how these dynamics affect our vertical and horizontal relationships...surely this is part of what He meant when He encouraged us to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling"!

I am thankful...for the ability to read and all sorts of reading material at my fingertips...

In the kitchen...this recipe, (made it for Father's Day recently)

Salted Dulce de Leche Swirled Brownies

I am wearing...the usual uniform:  blue jean capris (with black fringe embellishment at the bottom) and a black short sleeved T with sparkly beads at the neckline...

I am creating...mixed media art pieces with an oriental flare to showcase how the Chinese language has the story of Creation from Genesis embedded in certain characters...astounding and exciting...

I am going...to the movies with sweet tweener this morning.

I am wondering...If "The Message" Bible will be the right Bible for sweet tweener to use on her own...

I am reading...outloud with sweet tweener "Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe-rings" - such a fun summer read!

From the learning room...math fact drills!  Ah, summer learning.

Around the house...sewing, playing with pictures, creating, working through a business course

I am pondering...Why the Lockheed strikers think they will effect the bargaining table?  The company is hiring temporary people, who are hungry to work, for a lot less per hour and with no benefits...this situation is only benefitting the company, so why would they succomb to the demands of the union?

One of my favorite things...cross-stitch patterns...I'll never be able to make all that I like...

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Smocking guild on Thursday am...

A Scripture to meditate on from this morning: 

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.   John 10:10

*sigh* - the difference between life and death here...what sweet tweener needs to know, to act as a filter for all the things she might come across and have to make a choice about...it is good to review my life too, to see where I might need to use this filter in my life, to see where the enemy is trying to creep in...

Lectio Divina:
We read the passage slowly: lectio
We meditate on the Word or phrase: meditatio 

We talk with God: Oratio
We are silent: Contemplatio

Joining with the Simple Woman's Daybook community here
and
Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday here

Sneak Peek: WIP + This and That

I learned about and played with "Book Spine Poetry" (book titles are the lines of the poem)

A peek at a work in progress...I am planning a series of paintings inspired by a book I am reading: "The Discovery of Genesis".  The book traces how the accounts of Creation in the book of Genesis is embedded in the characters of the Chinese language - I find it very exciting...this will be my first character to highlight....

This will be the background - sorry it is a little blurry.  Since it is still just a WIP, I think I'm okay with a little blur...{smiles}.  Check back next Friday for the finished product ♥

















Here are the supplies I am ordering for yet another idea that sweet tweener and her friends have inspired this summer - they come from Canada, so it may be a couple of weeks before the project gets complete!  Stay tuned!

Joining with Jennifer and other creatives at Studio JRU

Simple Woman's Daybook - June 12, 2012

FOR TODAY 

June 12, 2012 

 A peek into my day....
Playing with "book spine poetry" - this could become addicting {smiling}

The Creative Call
Taking flight
The Way Out of the Wilderness

Into Abba's Arms

The Father Heart of God

Rebuilding the Real You

Taking Hold of Tomorrow

I call this one "Call to Prayer"...

Touch the World Through Prayer

Come Away My Beloved

Daring to Draw Near

Outside my window...bright, sunshine after the storms last night - everything is still green, tho' the temperatures have been climbing...I love these first lazy days of summer...

I am thinking...about how I am seeing the message of "Hearing God" almost everywhere I turn these last few days...I know He longs for us to take the time to listen...and how - or even does - He want me to share our conversations with you???

I am thankful...that God is watering my garden lately - so sweet...of course, I know others are receiving the blessing of rain too, but it really is just for me {smiling} - just having fun with feeling chosen.

In the kitchen...lots of sandwiches for meals because they are cool to prepare, and cool to eat for summertime.

I am wearing...blue jean capris and a new {white of course}knit top with a zillion little buttons.  Very lightweight and cool for the summer....

I am creating...a "Chinoiserie style" painting so I can illustrate visually some of what I am learning in the book I am reading - the Chinese character for "create" plus the significance of the elements of the character will be in the first painting...

I am wondering...what time we will go to the pool today ☺.

I am reading..."The Discovery of Genesis", a book about how the Biblical accounts of Creation are imbedded in the ancient characters of the Chinese language - wow!

I am hoping...for sweet tweener to grow

I am looking forward to...next Tuesday's free summer movie at the Weatherford movie theater

From the learning room - summer school this year - under full swing - it is good to see that "the dots are really connecting" for her and we are taking full advantage and making up for so-called lost time {smiles}

Around the house...Sweet tweener is doing more and more house-work - such a blessing!

I am pondering...about making one day a week, a "fun" day to play with science {for my science girl ☺} - a "Fab Friday" science day perhaps?!  And document the experiments with photographs so that it will be easier to remember and share with friends when it is time for "Back to School" in the fall...

A favorite quote for today...

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.
Ansel Adams

One of my favorite things...poetry, and unique ways to create it - like these "Book Spine Poems" that is part of this week's challenge at Beyond Layers...

A few plans for the rest of the week: Critter Man at the library - snakes and tarantulas - icky : p!  More swimming


A Scripture to meditate on from this morning:   

35 One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: 36 "Teacher, which command in God's Law is the most important?" 37 Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' 38 This is the most important, the first on any list. 39 But there is a second to set alongside it: 'Love others as well as you love yourself.' 40 These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them."                                                       Matthew 22:35-40 - The Message

Lectio Divina:
We read the passage slowly: lectio
We meditate on the Word or phrase: meditatio 
This is the time for listening - I recently read a thought about this passage...where so often we focus on the action of our love response to the Lord, the meaning of this passage is really Jesus' response to the question "Which command is the most important?" and His response is, in the original, "Shema" the Hebrew word we translate as "listen".  The most important thing in our life with Christ isn't really about our love response,  but that we respond to His constant invitation to listen to Him...Maybe another way to say it is, He doesn't want our sacrifice as much as He wants relationship with us...and it is from this place of relationship that true obedience, sacrifice, and loving service is born from...

We talk with God: Oratio
We are silent: Contemplatio 
                  

Joining with the Simple Woman's Daybook community here
and
Beyond Layers here

What I've Been Up to This Week ♥♥♥

 Using the lessons learned for softening images with gradients and altering text in my photoshop class...
the verse was on my mind, as "gentleness" and "softly" are the words the Holy Spirit have floating through my being as I consider and talk with Miss Sweet Tweener right now...

friend heart-aches, blossoming womanhood, in the angst of becoming...

she is entering the grand adventure we all are walking in!

Another image of playing around with gradients and soft effects...sometimes I like to mix things together that you normally wouldn't see - like this daisy from the Mother's Day bouquet with the image of the sky and tree line as it looks from the mailbox at the end of the driveway...I don't know why this appeals to me - any ideas?  Sometimes the meaning comes after the art!  Maybe it has to do with Sweet Tweener, too...

Finally, I had the delight of doing a custom order for a friend (VERY similar to the image above)...I liked her idea so well, that I will be putting several of these together myself, as two other verses came to mind that will work well with weights and balances!  Yes, they will eventually find their way to the etsy shop!

Joining with Jennifer and other creatives at Studio JRU

and 

showing homework images with the Beyond Layers students 

(check out the flickr group - the artful photographs will so inspire you!)

{Inspired Quotes} - Intention and Focus + Sneak Peek

I'll have to try this again on a different day - the image had a blue tint that I just couldn't get rid of except for black and white mode...(sometimes my little point and shoot does that) - but I want to put it in the inspired quotes link-up with the Beyond Layers group...

Those big brown eyes look so deep, and the intentions of her heart are only for good...and I wanted to play with animation again with all of her expressive eyes...ps - she got a haircut for the summer, the stylist swept up 2 1/2 wastebaskets of hair off the floor and there is still plenty on her head!

Joining with Jennifer at Studio JRU 

and

the group at Beyond Layers