Sunset is my favorite time of day. I love to take long walks just before the sun is going to set so that I return just after dark. That way I don’t miss anything. I love this best in the wintertime. There is something about the combination of the vivid beauty of the sky and the crisp cold of the air that is invigorating and inspiring. It is at these times that I feel the most alive. I become acutely aware of each breath that I take as the cold forces its way into the warmth of my lungs. My mind becomes clear and I am reminded that most of the little worries and frustrations of life are of little consequence. There is a bigger world out there and I am a part of it.

I am standing in the rain

in the sparkling drops of rain

I seek the warmth of new light

beneath the endless sky

I am walking in the rain

In the sparkling drops of rain

through the clouds I see a new light

a tunnel to the sky

the rain is clean the rain is pure

I feel it wash away the world

I am new, I am pure, I’ve found His light.

I am dancing in the rain

In the sparkling drops of rain

I have found the warmth of His light

descending from on high

His rain is clean His rain is pure

I feel it wash away the world

I am new, I am pure I’ve found His light

I am new, I am pure I’ve found His love.

The emptiness stretches it’s yawning whiteness before me and waits. I gaze into the nothingness and feel my hand reach out to it. I watch in silence as color spills from my fingertips. Droplets of pigment saturate the fog and penetrate the very pours of the fading abyss. My eyes sting and water as an ocean of color is stirred by the winds of creativity. The florid mist spatters my face, my arms, my legs and I am changed. I turn and walk away.

Once in awhile I really get in the mood to do a fantasy painting. There is something liberating about painting imaginary subjects. It’s very satisfying to create worlds that don’t really exist. It’s like playing.
I remember when I was a child, my friends and I would create the most vivid and beautiful lands in which to roam as we transformed ourselves into mighty dinosaurs or fearless space travelers exploring strange and exotic planets.
Fantasy art feels a little like that. I can create whatever I like as worlds in my mind form around enchanting characters that eventually make their way onto paper.

We all must experience trials. We grow from them and we learn from them. We are refined through our trials. If we are ever to become great we must go through this refining process but sometimes, when we are in the middle of a great hardship, like loneliness, we can’t see the bigger picture. All we can see is the face of the person that we love and miss. All we can feel is the longing to be reunited, to speak to them, and to hold them in our arms.

The connections that we make with one another are so intense and really quite binding. We give all of ourselves to someone and when that person leaves, we feel broken.

When I drew this I wanted to portray this feeling of emptiness. I got my sister to pose for me. It was kind of funny to watch her pretend to be sad! She did a great job and made a wonderful model. She really is quite a good actress. Thanks Shelly!

Since I’m starting a new blog I thought I’d post my self portrait so that you all can see what I look like. When I drew it I wanted it to be a little different than other self portraits that I had seen. I thought it might be fun to do one that showed a little more of who I am rather than the way I look (although this does look like me). I put myself in Joes Valley (a forest near my home) because that is where my heart is. I drew my hair partially covering my face because I tend to hide from the world and live within myself. I’m in balance with my surroundings and at peace with myself. This is how I feel when I’m drawing.

I am both intrigued and enamored by beauty. I believe it to be, when used correctly and with the right spirit, a tool of profound power. It can stimulate the mind, motivate the soul, soften the heart, and inspire selfless actions. Beauty is a unique quality in that it is impossible to define. It is subject to the opinion of the viewer and therefore transient in nature. This however adds to it’s charm because it makes it rare and precious to the beholder who discovers it. This is why I paint. I seek through my art to reflect the beauty that I experience in my life and in so doing create beauty of my own.

I’ve been an artist since I was a little kid. I remember asking my mom to show me how to shade. She showed me how and I drew a coiled snake. I turned it in for an assignment in school and I got an A+. The teacher hung it on the bulletin board and praised it in front of the whole class. I had never really been noticed in school before that.