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Monday, August 25, 2014

August 25, 2014 TCBH

It is not ourselves that we are proclaiming, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. It is God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ that has shone into our hearts to enlighten them with the knowledge of God’s glory, the glory on the face of Christ.
The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (2 Co 4:5–6). New York: Doubleday.


I have been tagged on several occasions to participate in the different blog hops. I have not agreed until now since there are just too many things going on this summer and time has not been something I had to spare. Sorry but for me it was not the opportune time and I apologize. Mary H. asked me to participate this week and I voiced my concerns. It has been agreed that this branch of the hop will end with me. I just do not have the time to find someone who has not done the hop or is willing to do the hop. I do feel however that it would be nice to let those who are interested, know a little about me and where I am coming from.  Now you know why I have not visited many of you this past week or so. This was not easy for me. Grab a drink and a snack (or two) and get comfy. This is a fairly long post.

About he hop!
The hop is held on Mondays only. At that time the TAGGED person will answer four questions and tag one to three other people to participate. As I have already said, the problem becomes getting someone that has not participated or is willing to participate. This was a concern for me as I do not have a great deal of time I can spend on this. It is for this reason I will not be tagging anyone to continue this branch of the hop. However, my DW, JD/Jill of Ribbon Challenged has agreed to post with me on her blog. This what you might call a twofer (two for one). 

A little something about my TAGGER.

Mary H. from Carolina Cards is a very personable and talented Lady.We pretty much clicked as soon as we met.
In the 8 months I have been blogging she has become a very good friend. She is an honest and straight forward individual which is right up my alley. I always enjoy the conversations we have when we email one another. I love to visit her blog. She is a very talented and passionate lady. If you haven't already, you should stop at her blog and enjoy her creations. You will not be disappointed. Don't forget to leave a comment and follow her if you like what you see and I am certain you will.



About Me

I came from a poor family. My father worked hard and so did my mother. He was a non-union plumber and she was a seamstress. I am the oldest of four and was always expected to be mature. I guess for that reason I was pretty much a loner. I joined the Navy after high school and spent  my time in the security division of an air base and the rest of my active duty aboard a destroyer in Cuba during the Cuban crisis. (4 Years active and 2 years inactive duty) I have had many Jobs in my life and enjoyed most of them. Among them I was a licensed plumber and also worked in most of the building trades, Insurance sales, 20 years as a telephone employee (force retired as a management person due to pending layoffs and contract buy outs), 7 years with a mutual fund provider ensuring funds were correct and fraud free, as a stock person both ordering and stocking for several different companies and various different jobs for the major temp companies. A very diverse employment experience.
My dear wife, JD/Jill at Robbon Challebged, tells me I am deep. I am not sure what that really means but I suppose that comes mostly from my thought process and how I write to express my thoughts. The Profile under my picture tells only part of the story. My first love and hobby is amateur astronomy. I have built and repaired many telescopes over the years. I love working with my hands and mind. I love woodworking of any kind. I love to cook. Sudoku is my
favorite kind of puzzle (especially the ones with 18 numbers instead of 9). My interest in art and science is all over the spectrum. I love to read. The Bible (My Favorite), biblical archaeology, physics articles, Astronomy Magazines & books and Nature are some favorite kinds of reading. I am currently wading through Einstein's Theory of Relativity, The layman's version. Can't deal with the heavy theoretical calculations in the full blown explanation. This one is heavy enough. My interest in the card making hobby stems from my love to create and the need to give back for my gift of life. My DW was making cards to send to shut-ins, terminally ill, military over seas and the disadvantaged. This appealed to me in a big way. She needed images so I started coloring them for her. I have always loved to write, draw and color. In the writing area, I have written poetry, prose and personal thoughts for as long as I can remember. I submitted a poem to Sparrowgrass' "Poetic Voices of America" and a poem to Sparrowgrass' "Treasury of Literary Poetry". They are now in the Library of Congress. I wrote a book of poetry and prose but could not find a publisher for it so now I just share parts of it in my blog or wherever. Drawing was never a major strength of mine but it was
never really pursued either. 


Recently, as you have seen in my posts, that has changed. I
have now ventured into that area as well. Photography is another hobby. It did come together with photography. The use and effects of light color and subject. I also take old damaged photos and restore them.







 Then there is sewing. Yes, needle thread and cloth sewing, as well as needlepoint, crewel, cross stitch and etc. For our 10th wedding
anniversary I made my own suit with bonded pockets, lining, vest and pants to wear when we had our marriage blessed. I still have the jacket and pants. The owl picture at right is a sample of that particular craft. I think you get the idea that there is little that I am not interested in. If there is a challenge involved it will be considered and possibly taken on. As the Blog title indicates "Love The Detail."








What am I working on now?

I am currently working on an acrylic paint by numbers project.
Paint by number canvases were a favorite when I was a teen. They were oil paintings and not very intricate or detailed. One of them is displayed at left. 

This new one is not your grandfather's paint by numbers. I should know. I am that grandfather. They didn't have anything like this when I was young. Water soluble acrylic paints make a difference but I am finding out they don't cover as well. It is a challenge which is always something that will get my attention. It is ongoing and will be shown in it's present state at the end of this post. For now here is a picture of me working on the canvas. Yeah, that is a circle magnifying lamp. This is like fine print except you have to paint it. This was taken by Jill since I can't paint and work the camera too.  Well, I could but I can't seem to press the shutter button with my big toe.

 How does my work differ from others in my genre?

This is a loaded question. I don't know if there is an easy answer to this question. It is geared and motivated by a need to share the connection between heaven and earth. It is a love of all of creation and the one who created it. All of my posts are synchronous and the art is geared to the message or the message to the art. "Great Spirit important message. Do good work." And then there is Cherokee. A fiddling of my common sense imagination. "Actually Irish is made up character of Cherokee." All this is unique in the posts and presentation of the gifts I have been given. Serious and at times entertaining but, hopefully, not boring. "Cherokee never boring. Irish not always funny but he tries. Cherokee is better at making people happy". You certainly never know what to expect in one of my posts.

Why do I create what I do?

There has always been a need to share what has been created. There are things in us that we feel need to be released and shared. Inspirations that are somehow incomplete and still need expression. No matter how much we create and inspire the need is never quite satisfied. Others find inspiration from what we do and that is important because it lights a new spark in us to create more and expand the message we are sending. It also is helping to complete who we are. Others are inspired and uplifted in a positive way by what we share and what we see in others. There is positive in every created project out there and I take that and translate it into something that has meaning and purpose to some one. I do what I do because it is where I am supposed to be. My blessings and gifts are worthless if not shared or given away. What good is a beautiful creation that no one ever sees? How can you be an inspiration if you hide everything from view? Yes there is a joy in creating and sharing even when there are no comments. Yes, comments are a great help because they help give a direction for more creative projects. The number of hits always far exceeds the number of comments. That alone says you are visiting. That makes me happy. Why not take a few seconds and comment too? As Christians it is how we live and what we share that is important not what we preach. It is how we live life that will shine through and give hope and witness first and foremost. This was the reason for starting this blog. It has become much more than that. It has become a place to meet other great people and share life.


How does my creative process work? 

I am not sure how to answer this. In our lives there are always things that inspire us. An exceptionally beautiful piece of artwork, nature, something you read or maybe just a revelation of some kind. This is where it starts. The course to follow at this point is almost automatic for me. There is seldom a random process. The project is governed by what art form is chosen, what the subject is, or what is available to complete the project. It is difficult to answer this question because the medium will change the requirements. For cards, stamped images or paper projects I prefer true to life rather than abstract, although I do enjoy other art forms. Copics are the preferred coloring medium but oils, pencils, crayons, water colors (liquid, solid and pencil) and Charcoal (not preferred) have been used. Pastels may be something to try somewhere down the road. The medium usually dictates if it is colored at all. Mixed medium is the same. It is almost instinct that kicks in. I usually go with the flow and create within that flow.
  
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Well, I said I would give an update to the painting so I guess that needs to be the next thing on the agenda provided anyone is still reading this. I could have done several posts worth but don't want to chase everyone away completely. "Good. Cherokee have hand on door knob. Get ready to go back to wickiup." I thought you lived in a tepee! "Move into wickiup. More room. Maw squall want more space for her things. Have closet full of moccasins. No more storage." Ooookay. Not going there.
 There has been a lot completed and at present there is a bunch of hours involved. I stopped counting, Makes my head hurt. Any who, here it is.
The six colors at the bottom of the photo are the ones currently used. Some were single and others in combination.
Unfortunately they do not tell the actual color but you can see what they are fairly easily. Only a bunch more to go. LOL.

I will be Taking some time to visit and comment this coming week.  Thanks again Mary for the opportunity to participate in the hop. Now it is time to play catch up and get things done. LOL. Please be sure to visit JD/Jill at Ribbon Challenged. She is partly the reason this blog exists. Thank the Lord for making time to do the hop and sharing  with you. Please visit Mary H. as well. Her Creations are well worth the visit at Carolina Cards. Until the next post, remember to LOVE THE DETAILS.

32 comments:

  1. Hi Jim - I can see why Jill calls you deep, after reading this :-). Love your painting, it is progressing well, and I can appreciate the use of the magnifier! Yes, I agree, art is made to be shared.
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  2. You have had a busy week, and it's nice to learn more about you! Keep up the good work! Valerie

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  3. What a wonderful post you have had a very amazing life and such a talented man. The painting is coming along just fine and the sky is looking brilliant I wait for the next photos Love and Happy Crafting Hugs Carole x

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  4. A very interesting post and I had forgotten you can even make clothing. You're a man of many talents. I think you may really need to get that Excedrin. I can't imagine working a paint by number that is that detailed. It is coming along beautifully. I look forward to the finished piece.

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  5. Fantastic post Jim and I loved all your thoughts. You and Jill are both so talented in so many areas. The painting you're working on.....can't even image something that detailed. I'd have to have a HUGE magnifying glass!
    Lynn

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  6. I knew this would be a superlative post, but I couldn't imagine all this! I didn't remember that you sewed either! Gosh, I'm impressed that you made a suit. No way would I ever dream of tackling that. (Incidently, my Mom was a seamstress too! Ditto the poor family. But we were taught values and that some things were more important than just money!) Also learned it's tough to be without any as well! I think Jill has your number with the Deep description. I would agree. It was quite obvious from my read of your very 1st post, that you have a lot of wonderful God-given gifts, and I'm so glad you started to share them in Blogland. We've all been enriched because you did. I think you & Jill were blessed to have found each other, and don't think you'll ever be bored at all with all your interests (hmmm...Einstein? No way, Hosea! But more power to you for being interested and having the perserverance to plug through that kind of reading matter!) I'm not mathematically or scientifically minded, but it impresses the heck out of me, when I meet someone who is!!! Loved learning more about who you are, what makes you tick, and keep up those post-prequels (?sp?) because I do so enjoy reading that part as well. Now off to see Jill! Blessings & Happy wk ahead. Yep, that magnifying glass would be an absolute must for this extremely detailed project. You've actually accomplished quite a lot, just in the time you've been working on it. I can imagine with the eye strain, you must work in short bursts of activity too.

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  7. GREAT post Jim!! I love hearing about peoples lives and this is a great way for it to happen! I see your coming along on your paint by number, Whew! What a project!! I can't wait to see it when done. I love how your wife makes cards for shut-ins! I donate mine at work and the proceeds go to Think Pink, which is a cancer fundraiser. Have a great week!

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  8. Hi, Jim!! I'm so glad that Mary had got you to take part in this hop - it is through her post that I finally got to your blog again and am now following you by e-mail. (Thanks so much for adding the e-mail link!)
    You are one amazing person, Jim!!! I have so enjoyed this post and getting to know about all the things you have done in your life and still enjoy today!! Definitely 'never a dull moment' in your life, hey!!! You are surely one of the most interesting people I know!!!
    I am looking forward to visiting you on a regular basis now and not missing any of your great posts!!
    Have a wonderful day!!

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  9. Wow, this was an amazing post Jim and I'm glad that Mary got you to do this hop. I agree with your wife and think you must be a very deep man. And yes, meaning you are a deep thinker. I can be a deep thinker too, so it's not a bad thing. lol I loved learning about you and so glad that I found you through Mary. I have seen you "around" on the comments but just never followed through to have a look see at your blog. I'm also following by email (the only way I can keep up and remember to visit!) and look forward to going over to your DW's blog. Hugs, Brenda

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  10. Wow, Jim, you are deep! You are also EXTREMELY blessed with talent! To be intelligent and interested in the sciences and also be fully engaged in your creative and artistic side is a rare gift. Thank you for sharing all your exception skills and inspiring us to be more and do more with whatever talents we have been given! I'm very impressed with how far you have gotten on the PBN!! Also, as an aside, I want to wish you a Happy Anniversary now since I won't be home on the weekend to have my calendar to remind me! You and Jill are inspiration in couplehood, too! Hugs, Darnell

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  11. I think it would probably be easier to list the things you haven't tried! LOL Your life sounds fulfilled and happy and I'm glad you've accomplished so many things through the years!

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  12. Wow--so many interests! You're making great progress on that painting, Jim! Thanks for your sweet comment about my card set.

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  13. Totally enjoyed reading more about you Jim. Really interesting thoughts and background and interests. I agree with what Jill said. Love how that painting is coming out! Off to read Jill's post. Hugz!

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  14. Interesting! keep sharing your thoughts, your interests and encouraging words!
    Food and creativity are among many of my favourite combinations too. Thank you for visiting my blog, I enjoy reading your comments. Blessings.

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  15. Wow, Jim, what haven't you done? You are an inspiration for all of us to make the most of the life we've been given! Thanks for sharing your talent and your progress on that awesome paint by number!

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  16. Hi Mr C
    That made very interesting reading. You've been around, as they say lol!
    Your paint by numbers looks quite tricksy but you're doing a sterling job.
    Best wishes.
    Ang.

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  17. This is a great post, Jim. I loved reading it. You are an inspiration to us all. Thank you for sharing your talent and your progress on the paint by number. Amazing!

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  18. Looks like you have a full life.. your painting by numbers is looking pretty good so far :)

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  19. I am in awe :) Such an extraordinary gentleman you are and it's a pleasure to read 'all about you' and how well rounded and inspiring you are! You are immensely talented and I'm glad you are sharing your many creations with us. Go with the flow is just fine :) As a former military 'brat', I smiled at your deployment and glad you are safe and served time for our country. Blessings to you!

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  20. Sorry for this late visit but it is due to a lack of time before. As you know I was one of Mary's tagged persons for the hop.
    Read your story, very interesting, thanks for sharing. Greetings from Veerle

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  21. Hey Jim, thanks for your nice comment on my male card.
    Greetings from Veerle

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  22. Wow Jim! I really enjoyed reading your post! You have done so many different things in this life, and have so many talents! I agree with Jill that you are deep.... and I love that! I always enjoy reading your posts, and your thoughts always inspire me! Your art does as well!!! May God continue to bless you richly!!!
    Grace

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  23. I read your post from start to finish and loved it, especially the part about sharing and how it is that if you don't share, others don't get blessed in some way or another - that is how I interpreted it and I feel the same way. Thanks to your dear wife who has inspired you and I really wish you lots of happy hours on your oil painting, my goodness, I feel the pressure too!

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  24. Oh yes, forgot to say that I am so impressed that you made your own suit for your wedding!!

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  25. Hi Jim oh wow thank you so much for letting us read about your amazing life you are so talented and in so many different areas too! Would love to see some of your woodwork. ;)
    Vic x

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  26. hello my dear jim; I am so glad that you were tagged!!! I love reading about your life and getting to know you a little bit better. you are an amazing person and full of surprises and so much creativity and things to share...love the variety of interests that you have, this really makes you a richer soul! with lots of hugs bibiana

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  27. Hi Jim, Cherokee certainly does make us Happy :o) What a great Post?Book....lol So enjoy reading your blog posts, our hearts are always lighter for the visit. xx
    Great reading about your full and active life...and FULL it has been by the sounds of it!
    Always amazed at your talents and gifts. Thank you for prayers as always they are so valued...and answered, Helen is doing well, some days not fabulous but she is doing so well rebuilding her life.
    I will be a better blogger as soon as grandsons wedding is over on the 12th and I dust off all this icing sugar.
    Huge hugs to you both, tell Jill I will get to her blog very very soon xxxx

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  28. I forgot to add..I love your prayer for Today Jim..Thank you for the Blessing xx

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  29. What a wonderful post, Jim! I really enjoyed reading it and learning more about you...especially all the different things that interest you! Thanks so much for sharing everything with us!

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  30. Thank you for becoming a follower of my blog Jim, I have reciprocated. I have so enjoyed reading your recent post, you really do have many interests. I remember paint by numbers, used to love it as a child (a very long time ago!) Michelle x

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  31. I love the details, I admire your copious talents and I appreciate all the time you spend giving sweet and very thoughtful comments on so many blogs! You and Jill are treasures to behold and thank you for that. I also love the story by the way.

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  32. You write so beautifully, especially about your own life. I loved reading about your adventures and I'm amazed at all your different crafting abilities. I can't sew to save myself (luckily my Mum is always willing to help) but would love to be able to whip something up. I bet your suit was fantastic and that you still have it tucked away somewhere. So glad to took the time to do this, lovely to know that little bit more about your wonderful life.

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