AT HOME .....

The picture above was the beginning to which I began to find the story within....which is on top.

AT HOME.......Words that have become paramount in this season of my (our ) life!  Words that were given to my heart and mind as I prayed for direction with our downsizing move.  The year and a half we have taken to clean and glean the STUFF in our lives, the stuff we have gathered through the years of living..... precious memories, hard memories, things from loved ones gone, too much furniture, too many antiques, way too many frames for art, and way too much fabric and art.  We were excited about our new adventure and the momentum was energizing ..... and we were on a roll moving forward and never looking back.  But we were getting tired ..... really tired, really really tired!  And then began to look at the past years and all the hard work lovingly building the house of our dreams ..... and the yard of our dreams with fabulous porches .... all 2.5+ acres of it!!  Hosting people in our B and B and welcoming new people into my shop each week.  And then I got a little confused (slightly depressed maybe) thinking .... WHY HAVE WE SPENT THE LAST FOURTEEN YEARS BUILDING SOMETHING SO BEAUTIFUL TO ONLY HAVE THE DESIRE TO LEAVE IT!!??  And then thinking ....  WILL YOU BE AT HOME IN LAGRANGE IN THE SMALLER HOUSE OR IN THAT TOWN?  I asked people to pray for me, as I was also not feeling well at that time, and just really really tired, mentally and emotionally!!  I know they were praying because I would awaken in the middle of the night from sleep with profound thoughts ..... like questions from God ..... "Where IS Home?"  .....  "Do you really want to feel At Home?"   "To be at peace in your home?"  "You created a beautiful place, ... but it became difficult to enjoy because of so much work...."  "Do you need all that you had?"  "Can you let go of special things?....because you can't take it "Home" with you....." ....wow, you mean to Heaven?, I thought.  Yes, that is the real HOME, when we get there, but what about before we get there? .... then I had a visual ..... of ME BEING THE HOME WHERE HE LIVES IN ME! .... like a house!!!  So as I wrote and listened and prayed and gave thanks too..... I finally realized, ..... That I need to work on the place where He DWELLS..... and that is inside my soul.  I need to have HIM there so comfortable that He is AT HOME THERE... in my soul...  OK, A couch potato on the couch of my soul..... Wow, where did that thought come from!!?? Ha, but really, HOW COMFORTABLE is He or are you with HIM REALLY DWELLING INSIDE (Your) MY SOUL.....not just on Sunday, but every minute of the day....  Oooo now that's what I am talking about!!!  Yes!!! When He dwells in me, I am AT HOME WHERE EVER I LIVE!!!  EVEN UP ON A LEAF ON A STEM OF A GIANT FLOWER!! Climbing that little ladder..... That is where this art piece comes in.... I did the MYSTELE (you'll find her by clicking on STUDIO THRIVE/MYSTELE to the left in my list of favorites.) style of  collaging, doodling, writing, paint dripping, smearing and playing for the picture/story to appear in it .... had to come from my soul, ... what has been in my thoughts for several weeks!!! So enjoy!!!  He DOES HEAR YOUR PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS .... AND HE ANSWERS.  You have to be still (or even asleep) and listen.  We are finally getting closer to being completely moved and THIS WEEK I got ALL MY ART SUPPLIES  on shelves!!! That also feels "AT HOME" for me.  I am thinking AT HOME is actually doing something you love with Him living in your heart and getting to do it with you!!! .... or He is doing it "through" you because He lives inside!!!  So many empowering thoughts that have warmed and comforted my heart!!! We look forward to the resting with AT HOME in us ....!  BLESSINGS!!!  I am adding what we read today in Sunday School!!! PERFECT for this art and my thinking!! 
www.biblegateway.com 
click on the above link to go straight to the verses, or here are the references,
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
2Corinthians 5:1-9
Romans 8:22-25

The Bird Dog...

The unseen story....just paint randomly layed on. Above I saw the old lady with red glasses and green hair piled on top, and long nose. A big face at the top with maybe a mustache?....Naw.... The birds began to come out...NO PAINT is added at all during this process...only graphite or drawing...the shapes seen. little houses, trees, lake... Above a house, birds, flowers, SEE the Bird Dog on the upper right? More flowers, birds and trees... and the BIRD DOG that showed up... He made the story a story...click on pictures to enlarge... to see the complete drawn in story before painting.... The BIRD DOG..... That is the name I came up with for this developing story in this canvas (piece of wood). It is about 6.5 x 23 inches or so. I did as Mystele (in our free class, basic story telling) has been showing us and enjoyed randomly (with nothing in mind) laying gesso, paint, collage, and other items to add texture to this canvas. Then I let it dry .... then I sat it up to look at and to find the story ... one way I saw a big face at the top, but could never make the rest come out. Then another way I saw an old woman with her hair piled on top of her head, and she had glasses on and a long nose that I couldn't get away from .... she was there, clearly....but I just didn't like her or have a feeling for her .... I'm feeling old lately and it was just too depressing .... believe me, she would have turned out ugly .... really ugly .... so I searched and searched for some other story in the canvas and it began to develop! I saw a couple of little houses, a lake, some trees, a sky line, and birds kept coming through....lots of birds ... and flowers. Well, it was not much of a story UNTIL....THE BIRD DOG showed up! I guess that is why the birds appear to be still, very still, ready to take flight if he gets any closer! A little like our lives sometimes! Do you see him? He is small and pointing! OKAY, I have my story and I kept drawing in what I saw in the shapes and colors. NOW ..... this where I usually mess up a good thing!!! When spreading the "unknown" shapes and colors, I am really free and loose ..... BUT when I "know" what that shape is, ( a bird, tree or dog) .... I begin to fill it in like a coloring book and become tight with my brush applying the rest. Hmmmm ... I will leave you these without the finished product ..... and post the results later .... and I will also take any advice! No spiritual message here, except watch out for THE BIRD DOG!! Enjoy and Blessings!!

I PROMISED THEIR MOTHER I WOULDN'T...

I promised the boy's Mother (Roma) that I wouldn't paint their newly renovated room a flourescent lemon grass green like they wanted....I talked them into light sky blue walls with just a brite green and navy stripe around the room...for their soccer theme. ...a house that just finished being renovated for a family of seven. WELL...you won't believe what color I'm now painting my new wall in the new part of the shop!!??.....LEMON GRASS GREEN!!! Also mixing it with some old doors I had....I hope those boys don't come over and see my wall color!!? Here are some pictures of the work we are doing for the Christmas Room, the Fall Room, and a Valentine area. The Americana and Patriotic display is finished and I'm breathing again! I've already had good response to having the Round Top Collection here with Showroom Status...that means a lot of examples to see or buy...and more people through the gallery! Here is some of the Spring stuff that is left and the new 4th of July items in the store...a big celebration in Round Top has inspired many of the pieces for this patriotic season. It has been fun to unpack and arrange and play with....and still a lot more to do to get ready for the Fall collection coming in late July and then Christmas arriving in late Sept....reminds me of when I had the store on the square!! And I have loved having more people through the shop already and we are even going to get together and have a sitting around and hook rugs day that I will host....should be lots of fun!!! Here are also pictures of my Mother's Day gift I picked and Dick paid the balance on....my painting from Mystele, called "BE STILL"....I love this painting and what it represents for me....and I showed it to Pilar who is my little artist....and she just touched it and ran her hands over it and then we talked about what "Being Still" might mean and then she got her markers and paper and did five pictures without stopping except to contemplate....I loved watching her and am learning by watching her express her thinking....I love all her colors and her drawing of the scene....she was in the process of making decisions...her own....something you have to do in doing art...making decisions....she has begun to fill in the whole page now after really looking at and touching Mystele's painting! Thanks Mystele!! I hope your Mother's Day was as special! Blessings!!